best congress paper

Preparation of a High-Performance Coating Using Cathodic Vacuum Arc Deposition for Die-Casting Molds and Its Characterization

Aluminum die-casting molds must have exceptional soldering and erosion resistance to enhance productivity and maintain product quality. Therefore, various surface treatments have been applied to meet these requirements. The cathodic vacuum arc deposition (CVAD) method has emerged as a promising technique for creating ceramic coatings at low temperatures. Ceramic coatings produced by CVAD are widely used owing to their superior soldering and erosion resistance compared to those achieved through nitriding treatments.

A newly developed AlCrSiN/CrN/TiN multilayer coating for aluminum die-casting molds via CVAD has shown higher wear and heat resistance than traditional ceramic coatings produced using CVAD. Additionally, these coatings demonstrated remarkable properties that make reactions with molten aluminum alloy challenging. Evaluations included aluminum soldering tests with and without mold-release agents, corrosion resistance tests in molten aluminum alloys, friction and wear tests at room and elevated temperatures, and micro-slurry-jet erosion tests. Furthermore, this paper discusses the practical results of applying the AlCrSiN/CrN/TiN multilayer coating to actual aluminum die-casting molds.


Best paper Authors

  • Dr. Kazuki Kawata

    Dr. Kazuki Kawata received his PhD from Nagoya University, Japan, and his MS and BS from Kansai University, Japan. For the past 41 years, he worked for Oriental Engineering Co., Ltd., which manufactures of heat-treatment furnaces and offers contract heat-treatment services. For the last eight years, he served as the CEO of this company. He currently runs a consultancy office that focuses on heat-treatment and surface-techniques. For many years, he has applied plasma nitridation in conjunction with ceramic coating to die-casting molds using mass-production-type PECVD equipment, achieving good results. Recently, he has focused on developing new PVD coatings and has applied these coatings to various molds.


  • Noriyuki Inatsu

    Noriyuki Inatsu received his Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering from the Nippon Institute of Technology (NIT). He then joined Castec Inc., where he brought the company's heat treatment and surface treatment operations in-house. He was also a key figure in the company's production engineering and production management for heat treatment and surface treatment. After that, he established the Engineering Service Department, a division aimed at solving problems such as early life extension and life extension of die components such as cast pins and inserts. Currently, as manager of the Engineering Service Department, he is active in solving problems of die components for customers.

  • Rai Iijima

    Rai Iijima has been involved in the die-casting industry for more than 25 years after joining Castec Inc., a manufacturer of core pins and inserts for die-casting molds, where he currently serves as the company's CEO. Castec has been exhibiting at NADCA exhibitions since 1995, and its subsidiary Castec Corp, established in Indiana in 1997, is a NADCA member.

  • Takasumi Tatsuno

    Takasumi Tatsuno received his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Nippon Institute of Technology (NIT). He then joined Castec Inc., where he worked for four years as a production engineer in the machining department. Currently, he serves as a specialist in the Engineering Services Department, where he is active in solving problems such as early life and part life extension for die components such as cast pins and inserts from the perspective of machining technology.