STS takes tool coatings in-house

When the quantity of cutting tools a company makes can achieve a return on investment in a few years, it makes economic sense to coat tools in-house. Superior Tool Service Inc. made that decision about a year ago and launched its STS Coatings division to coat not only the round tools STS produces but tools from other companies, as well as to decoratively coat a variety of products, such as firearms, said STS President Clint Whitney.

To perform physical vapor deposition coating, Wichita, Kansas-based STS reports that it invested $2.2 million in equipment and hired additional employees. STS has a German-made MpC1000 coating vessel from PD2i that has 12 spindles and can deposit a number of coatings, including TiN, TiCN, AlTiN, Alcron, AuRoRa, Micral TeToN and AlTiSiN.

“I spent a straight year studying and working with some coating shops and with the factory that makes the equipment,” Whitney said.

STS has a German-made MpC1000 coating vessel from PD2i. Image courtesy of Superior Tool Service

STS specializes in making custom tools and can coat different types and sizes of tools at one time. “We really have to tailor our recipes and fixturing to make sure we get the same coating thickness,” Whitney said.

Many applications require a tool that’s received multiple nanoscale layers of different coatings, he added. A chrome coating often is deposited first because of its high level of adhesion, with other layers providing a variety of properties, such as heat and wear resistance. The top layers must be hard and lubricious and have a high coefficient of friction. STS offers coatings as hard as 3,800 HV.

Prior to coating, tools go to the nonaqueous cleaning line, which uses a modified alcohol-based solvent, Whitney said. After being coated, the tools receive a post-processing treatment, such as drag finishing to enhance smoothness or aerolapping to impart a smoother, brighter finish. The latter is primarily for decorative applications.