Expert Titanium Carbo-Nitride (TiCN) Coating Services

TiCN coating excels in applications requiring extreme hardness, superior wear resistance, and low friction properties. It's ideal for cutting tools, drilling equipment, precision machining components, medical instruments, automotive parts, and industrial tooling. The coating provides significantly better performance than standard TiN coatings, offering extended tool life and enhanced durability in high-stress environments. TiCN also works exceptionally well on engineered plastics like Ultem and Nylon, combining the design flexibility of polymers with ceramic-level surface hardness.

Yes, TiCN coating performs excellently on stainless steel substrates. The coating provides enhanced hardness, wear resistance, and corrosion protection beyond stainless steel's natural properties. Using advanced PVD deposition methods, we achieve superior adhesion to stainless steel surfaces, making it ideal for medical devices, food processing equipment, surgical instruments, and architectural hardware. The coating maintains stainless steel's corrosion resistance while dramatically increasing surface hardness to approximately 3000 HV, extending component service life in demanding applications.

TiCN coating achieves a microhardness of approximately 2800-3400 HV (Vickers hardness), making it significantly harder than standard TiN coatings (2000-2400 HV) and comparable to Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC). This exceptional hardness translates to superior wear resistance and extended tool life. The carbon addition to titanium nitride creates a harder, more wear-resistant coating structure while maintaining excellent adhesion. Our magnetron sputtering and reactive arc deposition processes ensure consistent hardness across complex geometries and high-volume production runs.

We apply TiCN coating to a wide range of substrates including metals (steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloys, titanium) and advanced engineered plastics (Ultem, Polycarbonate, Nylon, LCP). Our specialized PVD processes enable coating of materials that most facilities cannot handle, particularly engineering-grade polymers requiring precise temperature control. Whether your components are machined, molded, stamped, or cast, our 60+ years of experience ensures optimal coating adhesion and performance regardless of substrate geometry or material composition.

Providence Metallizing offers industry-leading turnaround times—typically half of standard industry lead times. Our 24-5 operation schedule and 200,000 sq.ft. facility enable us to process urgent orders quickly without compromising quality. Production timelines vary based on part quantity, complexity, and substrate preparation requirements, but we routinely move projects from sampling to full production in compressed timeframes. Our in-house custom tooling design and build capabilities further accelerate project timelines by eliminating external dependencies.

TiCN coating is ideal when your application demands maximum surface hardness, wear resistance, and low friction. It's particularly suited for cutting tools, precision manufacturing components, medical devices, and parts experiencing sliding wear or abrasive conditions. We offer free sampling services for most applications, allowing you to test TiCN performance on your actual parts before committing to production. Our finishing experts will evaluate your specific requirements—including substrate material, operating environment, and performance criteria—to recommend the optimal coating solution.

Yes, our TiCN coating processes are ROHS compliant, meeting European Union Restriction of Hazardous Substances directives. The coating itself contains no restricted substances, consisting primarily of titanium, carbon, and nitrogen. Our PVD deposition methods use no heavy metals or hazardous chemicals in the coating process. We maintain comprehensive compliance documentation and can provide certification for regulatory requirements. This makes our TiCN coatings suitable for medical devices, electronic components, consumer products, and other applications requiring environmental and safety compliance.

Our TiCN coatings typically range from 1 to 5 microns thick, with precise thickness control based on application requirements. Thinner coatings (1-2 microns) preserve tight tolerances on precision machined parts while providing excellent hardness and wear protection. Thicker applications (3-5 microns) maximize wear resistance for high-stress tooling and cutting applications. Using magnetron sputtering, we achieve exceptional uniformity across complex geometries. Our quality control processes ensure consistent thickness within specified tolerances, critical for maintaining dimensional accuracy on precision components.