Depending on service requirements, tools and components can be improved in wear and corrosion resistance by heat treatment, electroplating, and PVD coating process. These are all surface-oriented material enhancement technologies.

We are more or less familiar with the TiN coating by PVD process for tool life improvement. Variations such as TiCN, TiAlN, AlTiN, TiCrN, etc., are, in fact, all descending from the good old TiN. The extra element added to TiN serves unique purpose of either enhanced thermal stability or better hardness and wear resistance.

Sometimes people get confused about whether they should choose the good old TiN, the stronger TiCN, the popular AlTiN, or the exotic AlTiSiN coating for their machining jobs. The problem is that it is just too many choices. These four coatings and many other Ti-containing coatings are members of the same family. In terms of ultra-thin films, you should choose the right one for your cutting needs based on their functionality, availability, appearance, and cost.

Solid wood and wood-derivative materials such as plywood, fiberboard, and chipboard present a unique challenge to cutting tool industry. Every woodworking tool can be benefited from an application-specific coating.