Combating material galling with DLC anti-galling coatings. An aluminum wire producer saw wire break rates drop by 80%.
The Challenge
Drawing 5000-series aluminum alloy is notoriously difficult due to 'galling'—aluminum adhering to the tungsten carbide die surface. This buildup caused high friction, rapid die constriction, and frequent wire breaks (averaging 5 per shift).
Titan Engineering Solution
We applied a Hydrogen-free Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating to the dies via PVD. This coating provides extreme hardness (near diamond) and a coefficient of friction below 0.1, chemically preventing the adhesion of the aluminum to the substrate.
Fig 1. Analysis and Implementation
The Results
Wire breaks were reduced to less than 1 per shift (an 80% reduction). The dies ran cooler and cleaner, significantly reducing the downtime required for die cleaning and polishing.
Key Takeaways
- Chemical compatibility is as important as hardness.
- DLC coatings effectively prevent galling in non-ferrous metals.
- Fewer breaks mean higher continuous spool lengths.
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