PROBLEM
Stommen Engineering in Osseo, MN, builds close-tolerance plastic injection molds, mostly for the medical industry. When Stommen used titanium nitride (TiN) tool coatings, the tools would still wear out sooner than necessary and the mold would come back to them for repair work. Company president Bill Stommen called on Phygen to find a better solution for wear.
Solution
In addition to premature wear, Stommen wanted to avoid loss of detail. Initial tests of FortiPhy™ XVD technology were promising. “We found tool longevity to be the main advantage,” Stommen says. “It feels as if the tool is going to last forever. There is no build-up as there is in chrome plating, and the finish is excellent.”
It really is possible
Stommen Engineering and Phygen have also been working together to test XVD FortiPhy technology with other material substrates. “We just ran a test on a silicone mold of ours and it worked well,” Stommen says. “Phygen surface treatments not only protect surfaces, they reduce friction and wear, which results in better mechanical properties and longer tool life.”
“We found tool longevity to be the main advantage. It feels as if the tool is going to last forever.”