Hot die forging with nitrided and thermally stabilized DLC coated tools

Hot forging dies are subjected to high loads, which can lead to early tool failures. Abrasive wear, plastic deformation and thermal softening of the surface layer can be counteracted in particular by a high surface hardness. Thermochemical diffusion treatments and coatings are established as wear protection measures. DLC coatings, which feature excellent frictional properties and high hardness, are commonly applied on cold forging tools. However, the low coating adhesion to steel and the thermal stability of the diamond bond limit the current range of application. In this study, DLC coatings are applied in metallic treatment atmospheres with the aim of increasing the diamond bond’s temperature resistance. Furthermore, the influence of weak and intense nitriding to coating adhesion is investigated to reduce coating delamination. A pre-selection of modified DLC coatings for hot forging dies was carried out on the basis of hardness and scratch tests. The most promising tungsten DLC coating was tested in serial forging tests. Based on tool contour comparisons before and after forging, the potential as a wear protection measure for hot forging dies was determined. Tool wear was reduced by up to 29 % after 100 forging cycles with the tungsten DLC coating compared to the nitrided reference.