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Technical Articles

First-hand knowledge

From many laboratory tests and developments over the years, and especially in close cooperation with customers, we know about the high efficiency of PVD coatings in numerous applications. Our technical articles provide you with expert background information on which coatings are best suited for which applications. PVD coatings are the ideal and sustainable alternative to significantly improve the performance and lifetime of precision components and service life of tools for the metal and plastics processing industry.

In July 2022, Oerlikon Balzers, a world leading Oerlikon technology brand that provides advanced surface solutions for the metal and plastics processing industries, introduced BALINIT MOLDENA. The coating was specially developed for injection molding and extrusion of filled polymers to offer superior abrasive and corrosion resistance, making it perfect for applications with glass fiber-reinforced plastics (GFRPs) and fully recycled materials by ensuring a longer mold service life and delivering high-quality products.

In line with Oerlikon’s sustainability strategy, BALINIT MOLDENA is the optimum solution for processing new and recyclable plastics in order to improve energy efficiency and conserve resources. Another important property is that the coating increases mold service life, while customers benefit from a reliable production process and high-quality products.

Harder than its predecessor with outstanding abrasion and corrosion properties

The newly developed coating from the Oerlikon Balzers brand is just 7 µm thin and exceeds the hardness of almost all previous coatings for processing plastics. Its outstanding abrasion and corrosion properties make BALINIT MOLDENA the perfect coating for injection molding and extrusion of abrasive materials such as GFRPs, and it is also ideal for injection molding corrosive materials such as fully recycled materials or those with a high flame-retardant content. BALINIT MOLDENA has already proved effective in two customer injection molding projects, showing less wear than uncoated and conventional abrasion-resistant coatings.

Reducing the scrap rate to zero in the production of panhandles

Krishna Krishna Design & Manufacturing, based near Pune, India, is a manufacturer of household goods and cookware which uses the very corrosive material Bakelite to produce its textured panhandles. The company struggled with short maintenance intervals and sticking of material to the mold after every 30,000 shots, which led to a high scrap rate and rising production costs. Oerlikon Balzers offered BALINIT MOLDENA as the preferred solution for this application, which immediately solved the production problems.

Reducing the scrap rate to zero in the production of panhandles (image: Adobe Stock)

The production data were impressive after coating the mold with BALINIT MOLDENA: even after 50,000 injections, demolding was as easy as the first shot and the texture of the handle was retained. After the scrap rate was reduced to zero, the customer’s feedback was very positive. So BALINIT MOLDENA has proved its high wear and corrosion resistance and excellent non-stick behavior during production.
 

Image description: In the production of pan handles, BALINIT MOLDENA has helped an Indian manufacturer of household goods and cookware to significantly extend the life of the mold. (Graph: Oerlikon Balzers)

Increased productivity in production of flowerpot legs made of wood-plastic composite

Prosperplast, a leading Polish manufacturer of plastic products for homes and gardens, uses a wood-plastic composite to produce its flowerpot legs. Initially the products suffered from poor surface quality and heavy outgassing, which meant production frequently had to stop in order to clean and polish the mold surface. Replacing the previous coating with the new BALINIT MOLDENA coating helped them achieve the desired high-quality products with no scrap and no downtime for cleaning and polishing.


Image description: Scrap and downtime reduced to zero with consistently high-quality products: Prosperplast uses the BALINIT MOLDENA coating for the injection molding of flowerpot legs. (Graphic: Oerlikon Balzers)

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    Technical Article - Increased efficiency and improved tool service life in plastics processing with the new BALINIT MOLDENA coating

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Petra Ammann

Petra Ammann

Head of Communications Oerlikon Balzers
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