The laboratory, which is based at the Chair of Functional Materials and Material Systems, is funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Labor and Economics, as the university has announced. It is an example of the cooperation between university research and industrial partners, which is the focus of the Christian Doppler Society.
Hard coatings have been used for years to improve the service life and performance of cutting tools. However, the production of these coatings is energy-intensive, as very high temperatures are required, and raw materials with a high degree of purity are needed, which are often critical.
How carbide coating is becoming more sustainable
The new Christian Doppler (CD) laboratory is dedicated to the question of how these processes can be made more sustainable. The focus is on the following topics:
Energy efficiency: can coating be carried out at lower temperatures or even at room temperature?
Material savings: Is it possible to use materials of lower purity or replace critical raw materials?
Functional optimization: How can hard coatings be equipped with self-healing, damage tolerance or even self-recovery capabilities to further increase their service life?
"Our aim is to reduce energy consumption and CO₂ emissions in the production of hard coatings while improving their functionality," says Dr. Michael Tkadletz, Head of the CD Laboratory.
The results of the laboratory could not only revolutionize the sustainability of coating technology, but also strengthen the competitiveness of industrial partners, according to the press release. The development of new processes and materials contributes to the conservation of resources and the reduction of emissions.
The CD laboratories supported by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Labor and Economics (BMAW) play an important role for universities. On the one hand, researchers can devote themselves to a specific topic, while on the other, the results of the cooperation with the company partners flow into the development of new products and processes and thus into the economy.
Ceratizit is a cooperation partner of the laboratory
The corporate partner of the new laboratory in Leoben is Ceratizit Austria GmbH, a supplier of carbide coatings for machining and wear protection. The company is committed to sustainability and aims to be CO₂-neutral by 2040, as the University of Leoben reports. Ceratizit is contributing its expertise in industrial hard coating to the laboratory and is providing both substrates and industrial coating processes.
"By working closely with the University of Leoben and using innovative research, we not only want to develop more sustainable hard material coatings, but also enable a rapid transfer to industrial practice," says Dr. Christoph Czettl, R&D Manager/ R&D Cutting Tools at Ceratizit.