Arrowstone Powers the Industry: Cutting Tools—Coatings—Indexing Systems

I. The primary homogenization method for coating equipment: the turntable system

Coating is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the surface treatment industry; it can be applied to the surface treatment of a wide range of materials, including metals, plastics, and wood, and is extensively used in industries such as electronics, automotive, aerospace, and furniture manufacturing. The primary type of coating equipment is the rotary coating furnace, which typically consists of eight subsystems:
1. Vacuum coating chamber, 2. Vacuum generator;
3. Vacuum measurement system; 4. Power supply system (primarily target power supply);
5. Gas supply system: provides the process gas; 6. Temperature control section: maintains an appropriate temperature environment (heating and cooling);
7. Target system: provides coating targets; 8. Turntable system.

This article takes the tool-coating furnace as an example to provide a detailed explanation of the furnace’s turntable system.

Coating Turntable System: This is a piece of equipment used in coating production to apply coatings to the surfaces of various cutting tools. It typically consists of a rotating support that secures the tools to be coated and ensures uniform coating coverage across the workpiece surface. By precisely controlling the turntable’s rotational speed, the flow rate of the coating material, and the coating duration, high-quality coating results can be achieved.

The coating process requires uniform and consistent thickness across the entire periphery; therefore, three degrees of rotational motion are necessary to meet this requirement. Specifically, while the large workpiece turntable rotates (I), the smaller workpiece support table also rotates (II), and the workpiece itself simultaneously undergoes self-rotation (III). In mechanical design, a large driving gear is typically mounted at the center of the bottom of the large workpiece turntable, with several smaller planetary gears meshing around it. To achieve workpiece self-rotation, a rocker arm is generally used to actuate the workpiece’s rotation.

This type of rotation—rotating about axes I, II, and III—is analogous to the Earth orbiting the Sun, the Moon orbiting the Earth, and the Moon simultaneously rotating on its own axis.

Typical Structure of a Coating Furnace Turntable System

Figure 1: A typical Sun–Planet I–II rotational structure;

Figure 2: A typical Sun–Planet I–Planet Rotation II–Planet III structure;

Level I power unit: typically a turntable coaxial motor;
Level II transmission mechanism: typically a sun–planet gear set;
Level III transmission mechanism: typically a fork mechanism;



Level III transmission mechanism: typically a fork mechanism;

 

II. Tool Coatings: After 2000, Western Influence Spread Eastward

A faltering start
China’s earliest cutting-tool coating center Yes Shanghai Tools Factory and Chengdu Institute of Industrial Research , the Shanghai Tool Factory was the first to purchase in 1999 Balzers, Switzerland Coating furnaces were introduced, marking the commencement of the cutting-tool coating business. During the same period, the Chengdu Institute of Industrial Research also successfully developed and commercialized several coating furnaces, making a significant contribution to the development of cutting-tool coating in China.

Suzhou Industrial Park brings together

In March 2003, Germany’s ComeCon and Baobian Electric [600550] Joint venture in the Suzhou Industrial Park;
In August 2003, Anton Angehrn, Executive Vice President of the Tool Coating Division at Balzers in Switzerland, also attended the opening ceremony held in the Suzhou Industrial Park.
In December 2003, the Belgian company Baekert also established operations in the Suzhou Industrial Park (for DLC coating on steel wire).
In January 2004, Singapore Superior Shengbeier Ultra-High-Performance Coating (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.,
In April 2005, IonBond, the world’s second-largest coating services company based in Switzerland, invested in the establishment of Aibond Coating (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.

To date, the Suzhou Industrial Park remains the world’s densest hub for coating technology.

During the period from 2003 to 2006, driven by leading companies such as Balzers and IonBond,

In September 1998, Lan Zhi (Nanjing) Tools Co., Ltd. Grand opening in Nanjing,
In January 2008, LanZhi’s sister company, Limite Metal Processing Technology (China) Co., Ltd., was officially inaugurated, with a coating center established concurrently.
In May 2011, Platit of Switzerland established Platit Advanced Coating Equipment (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. in Shanghai.
In September 2005, Sulzer of Germany established Sulzer Meiko Surface Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. in Shanghai.
In November 2001, South Korea’s YG-1 established Qingdao Priority Outrage Tools Co., Ltd. in Qingdao, concurrently establishing a large-scale coating center to support its operations.
In April 2002, Nissin of Japan established Nissin (Wuxi) Mechanical & Electrical Co., Ltd. in Wuxi and Shenyang, among other entities (with the Coating Business Division serving as a key component).
In April 2004, PVT of Germany established PWIT Coating (Harbin) Co., Ltd. in Harbin and Taizhou.
Foreign-invested companies are springing up like mushrooms after rain, all establishing operations in China’s major hotspot cities.

1. Cutting Tool Coatings: A Domestic Transformation Since 2005;

Our in-house developed coating is officially launched:
In June 2002, Dr. Tang Xiaoming, who had studied abroad, invested in and established Shanghai Namicro Coating Co., Ltd. Company,
In January 2006, Dr. Qian Tao, who had studied abroad, invested in and founded StarArc Coating New Materials Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.;

A breakthrough for the chain of coating centers;
In November 2005, Taiwanese businessman Yuan Ansu invested in and established Nashi New Materials Co., Ltd. in Jiaxing; to date, the company has established 11 chain coating centers.
In October 2006, Guo Guangyu, a Hong Kong businessman in the coating equipment industry, invested in Kehui Nanotechnology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. in Shenzhen; to date, seven chain coating centers have been established.

Gradually gaining popularity

Since 2015, the overall output value of the cutting-tool industry has surpassed RMB 50 billion, marking a shift from a production-centric to a service-centric model. New types of suppliers have also entered this relatively independent sector, further strengthening the integration of cutting tools and coatings.
In November 2014, Jinwanzhong, a leading Japanese knife-tool trading company, established Changzhou Quark Coating Technology Co., Ltd., which has since grown to operate seven chain coating centers.
In April 2015, Arno, a leading company in hole-machining tools, invested in and established Suzhou Jiheng Nanotechnology Co., Ltd., which has since operated seven chain-coating centers.

Appreciation: The indexing table for the hob coating furnace designed by Jian Shi for a renowned cutting-tool manufacturer.

Due to space constraints, the discussion will focus on the arrow-shaped deep-drilling tool coating rotary table system, the rotary unit, and the fixture unit.
Consistently collaborate with tool and coating suppliers to deliver systematic turnkey projects and process improvement initiatives; provide customized solutions.
More exciting stories about cutting-tool coatings will be shared in the next installment.