Self lubricating coatings for the protection of cutting and forming tools and mechanical components

Recently two new coatings based on graphite and MoS 2 have been developed. These combine very low friction with high hardness, very low wear and high load bearing capacity. Both coatings act as solid lubricants and provide protection for both the coated surface and any uncoated opposing surface. These coatings are proving successful in increasing the lifetime and productivity of cutting and forming tools and also make possible high speed unlubricated machining and several examples will be given. The graphite based coatings have exceptional wear properties under water or oil lubrication and a range of test results are presented. A number of practical applications are given including the protection of artificial hip joints and the advantages of the use of the lubricating coatings for mechanical components are demonstrated.