TITANIUM NITRIDING TOOLING

If you are looking to do the work in-house, be prepared to pay on the order of $1 M for the equipment. If not, there are a number of companies offering titanium nitride coating services. You can find them on industrial search sites.

TiN coating is done by a process called physical vapor deposition in a vacuum chamber. Titanium metal is used as a cathode. The chamber wall could act as the anode. Titanium ions are removed from the cathode surface by exciting an electric arc on it. The chamber is filled with nitrogen gas and the pressure is kept low. The Ti ions react with nitrogen and a coating of TiN is formed on the tools. Another way is to apply a high voltage to Ti cathode in the presence of AR+N gas. Ti atoms are sputter off the cathode and deposit as TiN on the tools. Yet another way is to have Ti metal pieces in crucible and heat it with an intense electron beam. Ti evaporates and forms a TiN coating on the tools. This description is very sketchy and may not help you! Essentially the coating machine involves a vacuum chamber, vacuum pumps, high and low voltage power sources, cleaning system for the tools, controls, automation etc. You may Google and get more information on the process and manufacturers of coating machines. There are more advanced coating commonly used these days. Processes are basically similar.

Cost of a coating machine varies depending on the capacity, type of coatings, degree of sophistication and the supplier. I am sure you can get machines for far less than $1M !