PVD hard coatings protecting the surface of thixoforming tools

The process of thixoforming combines the advantages of forging and casting for the shaping of metallic components. The technical progress depends on the quality of the tools used and especially their surfaces. In this article the fundamentals of wear in thixoforming dies are outlined and compared to the wear specifics of pressure die casting. The potentials and perspectives of suitable physical vapor deposition (PVD) coatings for protecting the tools' surfaces are discussed. PVD is an economic technology for application of a broad variety of hard coatings for thixoforming tools.