When using PVD orCVD coatings in a tooling application, the primary motivation is very simple: to lower your cost-per-part manufacturing costs. Our customers consistently experience a longer tool life while also being able to operate at increased speeds and feeds. The savings calculation becomes very easy: reduced down-time for PM and/or tool changes + increased production rates + decreased tooling costs due to increased tooling life with coating = significant and tangible savings for your company. The savings generated by the use of these coatings fall right to the bottom line as profit for the company.

The standard processing temperatures for our PVD coatings can range from 385°F-750°F depending upon the particular coating being deposited. Please note that we recommend draw temperatures of 750°F+ in order to avoid distortion or hardness changes. If these draw temperatures are not possible for your parts, then we recommend you contact us for special instructions in order to provide for the safe processing of your parts.CVD processing temperatures will reach 1925°F; therefore, any tool steels or HSS being CVD coated will be annealed during coating. After coating, we will vacuum heat-treat all steels in order to achieve the customer’s required hardness.

My thinking is, if you have a choice between a 1750 RPM motor or a 3500 RPM motor, pick the slower motor and use a larger pulley. Your saw will be quieter, less vibrations, and the V-belt will be more efficient and last longer from not having to bend as tightly. See also: Homemade bandsaw tension gauge Bandsaw vs. CNC Physics of bandsaw re-sawing (Why blades drift) Contractor saw vibration dampener Why bandsaw blades squeal Why 3-wheeled bandsaws are a bad idea Bandsaw repair fail Tuning up a cheap bandsaw 20" bandsaw build Frequently asked questionsabout my bandsaws More about bandsaws

We have de-coating processes available for removing all of our coatings. These processes remove only the coating layers and, in most cases, do not adversely affect tool substrates. There may be some limitations to de-coating certain compositions from carbide substrates. Contact your Richter Precision, Inc. representative for more information.

For a test, I put some box board shims behind part of the tire of the saw. The change in pitch was just noticeable. The box board was 0.3 mm (0.0012") thick. Realistically, this amount of variation is high, but might still be within reason. It also depends on the size of the saw, for a 9" bandsaw, 0.3 mm would be far too much.

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) is an atmosphere controlled process conducted at elevated temperatures (~1925° F) in a CVD reactor. During this process, thin-film coatings are formed as the result of reactions between various gaseous phases and the heated surface of substrates within the CVD reactor. As different gases are transported through the reactor, distinct coating layers are formed on the tooling substrate. For example, TiN is formed as a result of the following chemical reaction: TiCl4 + N2 + H2 1000° C → TiN + 4 HCl + H2. Titanium carbide (TiC) is formed as the result of the following chemical reaction: TiCl4 + CH4 + H2 1030° C → TiC + 4 HCl + H2. The final product of these reactions is a hard, wear-resistant coating that exhibits a chemical and metallurgical bond to the substrate. CVD coatings provide excellent resistance to the types of wear and galling typically seen during many metal-forming applications.

High Speed Steels, carbides, and a wide variety of tool steels and stainless steels are among the most commonly coated materials for all of these processes. A more detailed list is available by accessing the Material Compatibility page of this website.

After having tested my big bandsaw with big stuff like logs, I switched it back to a 1/4" blade and used it for this video. Cutting small stuff with it, the bandsaw's vibrations became more noticeable. So I figured I should try to improve on that.

PVD is a line-of-sight process; therefore, it is possible to mask areas in order to prevent them from receiving coating deposition. When custom masking fixtures are required, our in-house machine shop is able to respond quickly in order to meet the customer’s needs. The CVD process uses various gases during the coating process; therefore, the coating will deposit anywhere the gas can contact the substrate. Due to the nature of this process, it is extremely difficult to mask areas during CVD coating. Leaving extra material in order to grind critical dimensions after CVD coating using a diamond or CBN wheel is usually a better option.Please contact us regarding the feasibility and costs related to masking for your particular application.

After having tested my big bandsaw with big stuff like logs, I switched it back to a 1/4" blade and used it for this video. Cutting small stuff with it, the bandsaw's vibrations became more noticeable. So I figured I should try to improve on that. Wheels not round or off center? A common source of vibrations on commercial bandsaws is that the wheels are not quite round, or at least slightly off center. This is often caused by tires that weren't evenly stretched when they were put on. This causes blade tension to vary as the wheels turn, and that in turn causes the frame to slightly flex back and forth, introducing shaking. A good way to check for this is to tighten the blade, then, while slowly turning the wheels, keep plucking the blade to see if the pitch changes from changes in tension. On my saw, I didn't notice any significant change in pitch, so it wasn't that. For a test, I put some box board shims behind part of the tire of the saw. The change in pitch was just noticeable. The box board was 0.3 mm (0.0012") thick. Realistically, this amount of variation is high, but might still be within reason. It also depends on the size of the saw, for a 9" bandsaw, 0.3 mm would be far too much. Motor is shaking? On my first bandsaw (this one, the only one I ever bought), the motor mount was not very rigid. The V-belt caused the motor to shake, and that shook the whole saw. I jammed a piece of wood between the motor and the stand to reduce vibrations on that one. On this one, the motor is still not very rigidly mounted, because I will probably still change motors on it. I noticed the motor was moving a tiny amount, so jammed some pieces of wood against it to stop it from moving. But that didn't make a noticeable difference, so motor shaking wasn't the cause either. Wheels unbalanced? I had previously balanced the wheels, but not as precisely as I could have. I balanced the wheels on their own bearings, and they have some resistance to turning. So I put some roller skate bearings on a shaft and put the wheels onto those. The small roller skate bearings (22 mm diameter) roll inside the holes of the main bearings (25.4 mm diameter), so the wheels could turn more easily. I found the wheels were a bit unbalanced, and screwed in some screws to add weight on the light side. But overall, it was just a few grams worth of weight that I added. And this again only made a minor difference in vibrations. So whatever amount of unbalance was left, that probably didn't account for the shaking. Too light and resonant frequency? My next experiment was to put a 10 lb (4.5 kg) barbell on top of the saw. This had quite a noticeable effect on vibrations. It's possible that a saw itself has a resonant frequency near the speed of the wheels, and adding a weight can change that. When I turned the saw off, I noticed the vibrations briefly getting much larger as it slowed down, no doubt hitting some resonant frequency. Stand is too wobbly? Up to this point, I had deliberately put the bandsaw on an uneven spot on the floor, so it was effectively only on three of four castor wheels. Moving it around to a spot that was flat so it wouldn't rock back and forth reduced vibrations, but not entirely. But then adding some weight to the saw again made it vibrate much less. I only had the saw on a dolly made with wimpy office chair casters. But those office chair casters are designed to take my weight, and the saw doesn't weigh much more than I do. My next experiment was to put pieces of wood under the stand so it rested more rigidly against the floor. This made a dramatic difference, but for the worse! With the more rigid support, the saw's resonant rocking back and forth frequency became higher, much closer to the speed of the wheels. So that was a bad idea! I had encountered this before. When I took my 14" bandsaw to a friend to film the bandsaw vs. CNC video, I forgot to bring the stand, so to get it at the right height we put it on a workmate with the lower legs folded in. This was a rather wobbly base, but, surprisingly the bandsaw was much steadier on this than on a better stand. So I put this saw back on the wimpy office chair casters. And testing it, I was able to balance a faceted 5 cent coin on the table (though only after starting the saw), so maybe it's good enough. I may at some point add a hook on the back to securely hold the 10 lb weight. But for now I figured this is good enough. Testing without a blade After I filmed the video, I had the idea of testing it without any blade on it. The vibrations were the same. So that rules out the top wheel and non-roundness of the wheels as possible sources of vibrations. That leaves the lower wheel unbalanced, motor, or V-belt as possible sources. But I had already improved the balance of the lower wheel by quite a lot, without making much of a difference, so it probably wasn't that, and reducing the motor shaking didn't help either. But putting my fingers on the V-belt while turning it slowly, I noticed it ran quite unevenly, even though the big pulley didn't have much in the way of "bumps" on it. At any rate, running the saw without a blade helps narrow down the source of vibrations, and I should have tested that earlier. I suspect the V-belt V-belts are not ideal, and on my 14" bandsaw, I experimented with using an old timing belt as a flat belt instead, but that was more trouble than it was worth. I later changed it out for a V-belt. My 16" bandsaw uses a V-belt, and it has very little vibrations. What helps with that one is that it uses a slower motor (1750 RPM), and a larger pulley, so the V-belt doesn't develop as much of a "kink" where it's bent around a small pulley while the saw is not running. My thinking is, if you have a choice between a 1750 RPM motor or a 3500 RPM motor, pick the slower motor and use a larger pulley. Your saw will be quieter, less vibrations, and the V-belt will be more efficient and last longer from not having to bend as tightly. See also: Homemade bandsaw tension gauge Bandsaw vs. CNC Physics of bandsaw re-sawing (Why blades drift) Contractor saw vibration dampener Why bandsaw blades squeal Why 3-wheeled bandsaws are a bad idea Bandsaw repair fail Tuning up a cheap bandsaw 20" bandsaw build Frequently asked questionsabout my bandsaws More about bandsaws

So I put this saw back on the wimpy office chair casters. And testing it, I was able to balance a faceted 5 cent coin on the table (though only after starting the saw), so maybe it's good enough. I may at some point add a hook on the back to securely hold the 10 lb weight. But for now I figured this is good enough. Testing without a blade After I filmed the video, I had the idea of testing it without any blade on it. The vibrations were the same. So that rules out the top wheel and non-roundness of the wheels as possible sources of vibrations. That leaves the lower wheel unbalanced, motor, or V-belt as possible sources. But I had already improved the balance of the lower wheel by quite a lot, without making much of a difference, so it probably wasn't that, and reducing the motor shaking didn't help either. But putting my fingers on the V-belt while turning it slowly, I noticed it ran quite unevenly, even though the big pulley didn't have much in the way of "bumps" on it. At any rate, running the saw without a blade helps narrow down the source of vibrations, and I should have tested that earlier. I suspect the V-belt V-belts are not ideal, and on my 14" bandsaw, I experimented with using an old timing belt as a flat belt instead, but that was more trouble than it was worth. I later changed it out for a V-belt. My 16" bandsaw uses a V-belt, and it has very little vibrations. What helps with that one is that it uses a slower motor (1750 RPM), and a larger pulley, so the V-belt doesn't develop as much of a "kink" where it's bent around a small pulley while the saw is not running. My thinking is, if you have a choice between a 1750 RPM motor or a 3500 RPM motor, pick the slower motor and use a larger pulley. Your saw will be quieter, less vibrations, and the V-belt will be more efficient and last longer from not having to bend as tightly. See also: Homemade bandsaw tension gauge Bandsaw vs. CNC Physics of bandsaw re-sawing (Why blades drift) Contractor saw vibration dampener Why bandsaw blades squeal Why 3-wheeled bandsaws are a bad idea Bandsaw repair fail Tuning up a cheap bandsaw 20" bandsaw build Frequently asked questionsabout my bandsaws More about bandsaws

Too light and resonant frequency? My next experiment was to put a 10 lb (4.5 kg) barbell on top of the saw. This had quite a noticeable effect on vibrations. It's possible that a saw itself has a resonant frequency near the speed of the wheels, and adding a weight can change that. When I turned the saw off, I noticed the vibrations briefly getting much larger as it slowed down, no doubt hitting some resonant frequency.

In many applications, conservative estimates would range from 2-3 times the life of an un-coated tool; however, some applications have shown increases in tool life that exceed 10 times that of an un-coated tool. When a customer works with our experienced staff to match the appropriate coating with their substrate and application, dramatic improvements follow.

I found the wheels were a bit unbalanced, and screwed in some screws to add weight on the light side. But overall, it was just a few grams worth of weight that I added. And this again only made a minor difference in vibrations. So whatever amount of unbalance was left, that probably didn't account for the shaking.

Wheels not round or off center? A common source of vibrations on commercial bandsaws is that the wheels are not quite round, or at least slightly off center. This is often caused by tires that weren't evenly stretched when they were put on. This causes blade tension to vary as the wheels turn, and that in turn causes the frame to slightly flex back and forth, introducing shaking. A good way to check for this is to tighten the blade, then, while slowly turning the wheels, keep plucking the blade to see if the pitch changes from changes in tension. On my saw, I didn't notice any significant change in pitch, so it wasn't that. For a test, I put some box board shims behind part of the tire of the saw. The change in pitch was just noticeable. The box board was 0.3 mm (0.0012") thick. Realistically, this amount of variation is high, but might still be within reason. It also depends on the size of the saw, for a 9" bandsaw, 0.3 mm would be far too much. Motor is shaking? On my first bandsaw (this one, the only one I ever bought), the motor mount was not very rigid. The V-belt caused the motor to shake, and that shook the whole saw. I jammed a piece of wood between the motor and the stand to reduce vibrations on that one. On this one, the motor is still not very rigidly mounted, because I will probably still change motors on it. I noticed the motor was moving a tiny amount, so jammed some pieces of wood against it to stop it from moving. But that didn't make a noticeable difference, so motor shaking wasn't the cause either. Wheels unbalanced? I had previously balanced the wheels, but not as precisely as I could have. I balanced the wheels on their own bearings, and they have some resistance to turning. So I put some roller skate bearings on a shaft and put the wheels onto those. The small roller skate bearings (22 mm diameter) roll inside the holes of the main bearings (25.4 mm diameter), so the wheels could turn more easily. I found the wheels were a bit unbalanced, and screwed in some screws to add weight on the light side. But overall, it was just a few grams worth of weight that I added. And this again only made a minor difference in vibrations. So whatever amount of unbalance was left, that probably didn't account for the shaking. Too light and resonant frequency? My next experiment was to put a 10 lb (4.5 kg) barbell on top of the saw. This had quite a noticeable effect on vibrations. It's possible that a saw itself has a resonant frequency near the speed of the wheels, and adding a weight can change that. When I turned the saw off, I noticed the vibrations briefly getting much larger as it slowed down, no doubt hitting some resonant frequency. Stand is too wobbly? Up to this point, I had deliberately put the bandsaw on an uneven spot on the floor, so it was effectively only on three of four castor wheels. Moving it around to a spot that was flat so it wouldn't rock back and forth reduced vibrations, but not entirely. But then adding some weight to the saw again made it vibrate much less. I only had the saw on a dolly made with wimpy office chair casters. But those office chair casters are designed to take my weight, and the saw doesn't weigh much more than I do. My next experiment was to put pieces of wood under the stand so it rested more rigidly against the floor. This made a dramatic difference, but for the worse! With the more rigid support, the saw's resonant rocking back and forth frequency became higher, much closer to the speed of the wheels. So that was a bad idea! I had encountered this before. When I took my 14" bandsaw to a friend to film the bandsaw vs. CNC video, I forgot to bring the stand, so to get it at the right height we put it on a workmate with the lower legs folded in. This was a rather wobbly base, but, surprisingly the bandsaw was much steadier on this than on a better stand. So I put this saw back on the wimpy office chair casters. And testing it, I was able to balance a faceted 5 cent coin on the table (though only after starting the saw), so maybe it's good enough. I may at some point add a hook on the back to securely hold the 10 lb weight. But for now I figured this is good enough. Testing without a blade After I filmed the video, I had the idea of testing it without any blade on it. The vibrations were the same. So that rules out the top wheel and non-roundness of the wheels as possible sources of vibrations. That leaves the lower wheel unbalanced, motor, or V-belt as possible sources. But I had already improved the balance of the lower wheel by quite a lot, without making much of a difference, so it probably wasn't that, and reducing the motor shaking didn't help either. But putting my fingers on the V-belt while turning it slowly, I noticed it ran quite unevenly, even though the big pulley didn't have much in the way of "bumps" on it. At any rate, running the saw without a blade helps narrow down the source of vibrations, and I should have tested that earlier. I suspect the V-belt V-belts are not ideal, and on my 14" bandsaw, I experimented with using an old timing belt as a flat belt instead, but that was more trouble than it was worth. I later changed it out for a V-belt. My 16" bandsaw uses a V-belt, and it has very little vibrations. What helps with that one is that it uses a slower motor (1750 RPM), and a larger pulley, so the V-belt doesn't develop as much of a "kink" where it's bent around a small pulley while the saw is not running. My thinking is, if you have a choice between a 1750 RPM motor or a 3500 RPM motor, pick the slower motor and use a larger pulley. Your saw will be quieter, less vibrations, and the V-belt will be more efficient and last longer from not having to bend as tightly. See also: Homemade bandsaw tension gauge Bandsaw vs. CNC Physics of bandsaw re-sawing (Why blades drift) Contractor saw vibration dampener Why bandsaw blades squeal Why 3-wheeled bandsaws are a bad idea Bandsaw repair fail Tuning up a cheap bandsaw 20" bandsaw build Frequently asked questionsabout my bandsaws More about bandsaws

Assembled parts cannot be coated with any of our coating processes. Parts must be fully disassembled prior to sending for coating. There can be no plastic, rubber, nylon, glue or tape in or on any part. Polishing compounds and excessive oil or lubricants must also be removed.

I may at some point add a hook on the back to securely hold the 10 lb weight. But for now I figured this is good enough. Testing without a blade After I filmed the video, I had the idea of testing it without any blade on it. The vibrations were the same. So that rules out the top wheel and non-roundness of the wheels as possible sources of vibrations. That leaves the lower wheel unbalanced, motor, or V-belt as possible sources. But I had already improved the balance of the lower wheel by quite a lot, without making much of a difference, so it probably wasn't that, and reducing the motor shaking didn't help either. But putting my fingers on the V-belt while turning it slowly, I noticed it ran quite unevenly, even though the big pulley didn't have much in the way of "bumps" on it. At any rate, running the saw without a blade helps narrow down the source of vibrations, and I should have tested that earlier. I suspect the V-belt V-belts are not ideal, and on my 14" bandsaw, I experimented with using an old timing belt as a flat belt instead, but that was more trouble than it was worth. I later changed it out for a V-belt. My 16" bandsaw uses a V-belt, and it has very little vibrations. What helps with that one is that it uses a slower motor (1750 RPM), and a larger pulley, so the V-belt doesn't develop as much of a "kink" where it's bent around a small pulley while the saw is not running. My thinking is, if you have a choice between a 1750 RPM motor or a 3500 RPM motor, pick the slower motor and use a larger pulley. Your saw will be quieter, less vibrations, and the V-belt will be more efficient and last longer from not having to bend as tightly. See also: Homemade bandsaw tension gauge Bandsaw vs. CNC Physics of bandsaw re-sawing (Why blades drift) Contractor saw vibration dampener Why bandsaw blades squeal Why 3-wheeled bandsaws are a bad idea Bandsaw repair fail Tuning up a cheap bandsaw 20" bandsaw build Frequently asked questionsabout my bandsaws More about bandsaws

On this one, the motor is still not very rigidly mounted, because I will probably still change motors on it. I noticed the motor was moving a tiny amount, so jammed some pieces of wood against it to stop it from moving. But that didn't make a noticeable difference, so motor shaking wasn't the cause either.

Motor is shaking? On my first bandsaw (this one, the only one I ever bought), the motor mount was not very rigid. The V-belt caused the motor to shake, and that shook the whole saw. I jammed a piece of wood between the motor and the stand to reduce vibrations on that one. On this one, the motor is still not very rigidly mounted, because I will probably still change motors on it. I noticed the motor was moving a tiny amount, so jammed some pieces of wood against it to stop it from moving. But that didn't make a noticeable difference, so motor shaking wasn't the cause either. Wheels unbalanced? I had previously balanced the wheels, but not as precisely as I could have. I balanced the wheels on their own bearings, and they have some resistance to turning. So I put some roller skate bearings on a shaft and put the wheels onto those. The small roller skate bearings (22 mm diameter) roll inside the holes of the main bearings (25.4 mm diameter), so the wheels could turn more easily. I found the wheels were a bit unbalanced, and screwed in some screws to add weight on the light side. But overall, it was just a few grams worth of weight that I added. And this again only made a minor difference in vibrations. So whatever amount of unbalance was left, that probably didn't account for the shaking. Too light and resonant frequency? My next experiment was to put a 10 lb (4.5 kg) barbell on top of the saw. This had quite a noticeable effect on vibrations. It's possible that a saw itself has a resonant frequency near the speed of the wheels, and adding a weight can change that. When I turned the saw off, I noticed the vibrations briefly getting much larger as it slowed down, no doubt hitting some resonant frequency. Stand is too wobbly? Up to this point, I had deliberately put the bandsaw on an uneven spot on the floor, so it was effectively only on three of four castor wheels. Moving it around to a spot that was flat so it wouldn't rock back and forth reduced vibrations, but not entirely. But then adding some weight to the saw again made it vibrate much less. I only had the saw on a dolly made with wimpy office chair casters. But those office chair casters are designed to take my weight, and the saw doesn't weigh much more than I do. My next experiment was to put pieces of wood under the stand so it rested more rigidly against the floor. This made a dramatic difference, but for the worse! With the more rigid support, the saw's resonant rocking back and forth frequency became higher, much closer to the speed of the wheels. So that was a bad idea! I had encountered this before. When I took my 14" bandsaw to a friend to film the bandsaw vs. CNC video, I forgot to bring the stand, so to get it at the right height we put it on a workmate with the lower legs folded in. This was a rather wobbly base, but, surprisingly the bandsaw was much steadier on this than on a better stand. So I put this saw back on the wimpy office chair casters. And testing it, I was able to balance a faceted 5 cent coin on the table (though only after starting the saw), so maybe it's good enough. I may at some point add a hook on the back to securely hold the 10 lb weight. But for now I figured this is good enough. Testing without a blade After I filmed the video, I had the idea of testing it without any blade on it. The vibrations were the same. So that rules out the top wheel and non-roundness of the wheels as possible sources of vibrations. That leaves the lower wheel unbalanced, motor, or V-belt as possible sources. But I had already improved the balance of the lower wheel by quite a lot, without making much of a difference, so it probably wasn't that, and reducing the motor shaking didn't help either. But putting my fingers on the V-belt while turning it slowly, I noticed it ran quite unevenly, even though the big pulley didn't have much in the way of "bumps" on it. At any rate, running the saw without a blade helps narrow down the source of vibrations, and I should have tested that earlier. I suspect the V-belt V-belts are not ideal, and on my 14" bandsaw, I experimented with using an old timing belt as a flat belt instead, but that was more trouble than it was worth. I later changed it out for a V-belt. My 16" bandsaw uses a V-belt, and it has very little vibrations. What helps with that one is that it uses a slower motor (1750 RPM), and a larger pulley, so the V-belt doesn't develop as much of a "kink" where it's bent around a small pulley while the saw is not running. My thinking is, if you have a choice between a 1750 RPM motor or a 3500 RPM motor, pick the slower motor and use a larger pulley. Your saw will be quieter, less vibrations, and the V-belt will be more efficient and last longer from not having to bend as tightly. See also: Homemade bandsaw tension gauge Bandsaw vs. CNC Physics of bandsaw re-sawing (Why blades drift) Contractor saw vibration dampener Why bandsaw blades squeal Why 3-wheeled bandsaws are a bad idea Bandsaw repair fail Tuning up a cheap bandsaw 20" bandsaw build Frequently asked questionsabout my bandsaws More about bandsaws

Physical Vapor Deposition, or PVD, is a term used to describe a family of coating processes. The most common of these PVD coating processes are evaporation (typically using cathodic arc or electron beam sources), and sputtering (using magnetic enhanced sources or “magnetrons”, cylindrical or hollow cathode sources). All of these processes occur in vacuum at working pressure (typically 10-2 to 10-4 mbar) and generally involve bombardment of the substrate to be coated with energetic positively charged ions during the coating process to promote high density. Additionally, reactive gases such as nitrogen, acetylene or oxygen may be introduced into the vacuum chamber during metal deposition to create various compound coating compositions. The result is a very strong bond between the coating and the tooling substrate and tailored physical, structural and tribological properties of the film.The potential applications for PVD coatings are constantly expanding. That being said, PVD coatings can be separated into two very broad categories: functional and decorative coatings. Functional PVD coatings are engineered to improve the life and overall performance of a tool or component; thereby, reducing the cost-per-part in manufacturing. Examples of functional PVD coating would be Titanium Nitride (TiN) on a HSS end mill. Decorative PVD coatings are deposited to improve the appearance of a part, as well as to provide some wear resistance characteristics: improvements to both form and function. An example of decorative PVD coating would be the deposition of a Zr-based film onto a stainless steel door handle in order to provide a brass colored coating, but with a wear and tarnish resistance greater than real brass.Richter Precision Inc. is always working on improvements to PVD processes and coatings. We have developed new coating compositions, new “Super Lattice” nano-layered coating structures, expanded our family of carbon coating processes (DLC), and implemented new technological advancements such as Filtered Arc technology. We are devoted towards maintaining our position as a leader in PVD coating technology.

This is a question without an “easy” answer. There are many variables that must be taken into consideration when choosing the best coating process and composition for a customer’s application: workpiece material, failure mode, tool substrate, and tool tolerances are just a few. Broadly speaking, when the materials and tolerances allow, CVD coatings have proven to be superior in many applications. This is especially true for metal-forming applications where “sliding friction wear-out” and galling are pervasive. CVD creates a metallurgical and diffusion type bond between the coating and the substrate which is much stronger than the physical bond created through the PVD process. A potential area for concern with CVD coating is their high processing temperatures: 1925°F and 1875°F, respectively. This high processing temperature can limit the use of CVD in some applications due to tolerance concerns.PVD coating, due to its relatively low processing temperatures, is suitable for a much wider range of substrates and applications. This is largely due to its lower processing temperatures (385°F-950°F) and average coating thicknesses of 2-5 microns. These characteristics, among others, make PVD coatings a better choice for applications where close tolerances need to be held, and for base materials that are sensitive to higher temperature ranges. For example, an HSS end mill would likely end up with straightness and concentricity issues if the process in a high-temperature CVD coating process, whereas it would be an ideal application for PVD coating. Lower process temperatures mean zero distortion will be observed on most materials, as long as proper draw temperatures are utilized.Of course, there are many other factors that may be important to consider when choosing the appropriate coating process and composition. Please contact your Richter Precision Inc. representative for assistance in making the best choice for your application.

On my saw, I didn't notice any significant change in pitch, so it wasn't that. For a test, I put some box board shims behind part of the tire of the saw. The change in pitch was just noticeable. The box board was 0.3 mm (0.0012") thick. Realistically, this amount of variation is high, but might still be within reason. It also depends on the size of the saw, for a 9" bandsaw, 0.3 mm would be far too much. Motor is shaking? On my first bandsaw (this one, the only one I ever bought), the motor mount was not very rigid. The V-belt caused the motor to shake, and that shook the whole saw. I jammed a piece of wood between the motor and the stand to reduce vibrations on that one. On this one, the motor is still not very rigidly mounted, because I will probably still change motors on it. I noticed the motor was moving a tiny amount, so jammed some pieces of wood against it to stop it from moving. But that didn't make a noticeable difference, so motor shaking wasn't the cause either. Wheels unbalanced? I had previously balanced the wheels, but not as precisely as I could have. I balanced the wheels on their own bearings, and they have some resistance to turning. So I put some roller skate bearings on a shaft and put the wheels onto those. The small roller skate bearings (22 mm diameter) roll inside the holes of the main bearings (25.4 mm diameter), so the wheels could turn more easily. I found the wheels were a bit unbalanced, and screwed in some screws to add weight on the light side. But overall, it was just a few grams worth of weight that I added. And this again only made a minor difference in vibrations. So whatever amount of unbalance was left, that probably didn't account for the shaking. Too light and resonant frequency? My next experiment was to put a 10 lb (4.5 kg) barbell on top of the saw. This had quite a noticeable effect on vibrations. It's possible that a saw itself has a resonant frequency near the speed of the wheels, and adding a weight can change that. When I turned the saw off, I noticed the vibrations briefly getting much larger as it slowed down, no doubt hitting some resonant frequency. Stand is too wobbly? Up to this point, I had deliberately put the bandsaw on an uneven spot on the floor, so it was effectively only on three of four castor wheels. Moving it around to a spot that was flat so it wouldn't rock back and forth reduced vibrations, but not entirely. But then adding some weight to the saw again made it vibrate much less. I only had the saw on a dolly made with wimpy office chair casters. But those office chair casters are designed to take my weight, and the saw doesn't weigh much more than I do. My next experiment was to put pieces of wood under the stand so it rested more rigidly against the floor. This made a dramatic difference, but for the worse! With the more rigid support, the saw's resonant rocking back and forth frequency became higher, much closer to the speed of the wheels. So that was a bad idea! I had encountered this before. When I took my 14" bandsaw to a friend to film the bandsaw vs. CNC video, I forgot to bring the stand, so to get it at the right height we put it on a workmate with the lower legs folded in. This was a rather wobbly base, but, surprisingly the bandsaw was much steadier on this than on a better stand. So I put this saw back on the wimpy office chair casters. And testing it, I was able to balance a faceted 5 cent coin on the table (though only after starting the saw), so maybe it's good enough. I may at some point add a hook on the back to securely hold the 10 lb weight. But for now I figured this is good enough. Testing without a blade After I filmed the video, I had the idea of testing it without any blade on it. The vibrations were the same. So that rules out the top wheel and non-roundness of the wheels as possible sources of vibrations. That leaves the lower wheel unbalanced, motor, or V-belt as possible sources. But I had already improved the balance of the lower wheel by quite a lot, without making much of a difference, so it probably wasn't that, and reducing the motor shaking didn't help either. But putting my fingers on the V-belt while turning it slowly, I noticed it ran quite unevenly, even though the big pulley didn't have much in the way of "bumps" on it. At any rate, running the saw without a blade helps narrow down the source of vibrations, and I should have tested that earlier. I suspect the V-belt V-belts are not ideal, and on my 14" bandsaw, I experimented with using an old timing belt as a flat belt instead, but that was more trouble than it was worth. I later changed it out for a V-belt. My 16" bandsaw uses a V-belt, and it has very little vibrations. What helps with that one is that it uses a slower motor (1750 RPM), and a larger pulley, so the V-belt doesn't develop as much of a "kink" where it's bent around a small pulley while the saw is not running. My thinking is, if you have a choice between a 1750 RPM motor or a 3500 RPM motor, pick the slower motor and use a larger pulley. Your saw will be quieter, less vibrations, and the V-belt will be more efficient and last longer from not having to bend as tightly. See also: Homemade bandsaw tension gauge Bandsaw vs. CNC Physics of bandsaw re-sawing (Why blades drift) Contractor saw vibration dampener Why bandsaw blades squeal Why 3-wheeled bandsaws are a bad idea Bandsaw repair fail Tuning up a cheap bandsaw 20" bandsaw build Frequently asked questionsabout my bandsaws More about bandsaws

So I put some roller skate bearings on a shaft and put the wheels onto those. The small roller skate bearings (22 mm diameter) roll inside the holes of the main bearings (25.4 mm diameter), so the wheels could turn more easily. I found the wheels were a bit unbalanced, and screwed in some screws to add weight on the light side. But overall, it was just a few grams worth of weight that I added. And this again only made a minor difference in vibrations. So whatever amount of unbalance was left, that probably didn't account for the shaking. Too light and resonant frequency? My next experiment was to put a 10 lb (4.5 kg) barbell on top of the saw. This had quite a noticeable effect on vibrations. It's possible that a saw itself has a resonant frequency near the speed of the wheels, and adding a weight can change that. When I turned the saw off, I noticed the vibrations briefly getting much larger as it slowed down, no doubt hitting some resonant frequency. Stand is too wobbly? Up to this point, I had deliberately put the bandsaw on an uneven spot on the floor, so it was effectively only on three of four castor wheels. Moving it around to a spot that was flat so it wouldn't rock back and forth reduced vibrations, but not entirely. But then adding some weight to the saw again made it vibrate much less. I only had the saw on a dolly made with wimpy office chair casters. But those office chair casters are designed to take my weight, and the saw doesn't weigh much more than I do. My next experiment was to put pieces of wood under the stand so it rested more rigidly against the floor. This made a dramatic difference, but for the worse! With the more rigid support, the saw's resonant rocking back and forth frequency became higher, much closer to the speed of the wheels. So that was a bad idea! I had encountered this before. When I took my 14" bandsaw to a friend to film the bandsaw vs. CNC video, I forgot to bring the stand, so to get it at the right height we put it on a workmate with the lower legs folded in. This was a rather wobbly base, but, surprisingly the bandsaw was much steadier on this than on a better stand. So I put this saw back on the wimpy office chair casters. And testing it, I was able to balance a faceted 5 cent coin on the table (though only after starting the saw), so maybe it's good enough. I may at some point add a hook on the back to securely hold the 10 lb weight. But for now I figured this is good enough. Testing without a blade After I filmed the video, I had the idea of testing it without any blade on it. The vibrations were the same. So that rules out the top wheel and non-roundness of the wheels as possible sources of vibrations. That leaves the lower wheel unbalanced, motor, or V-belt as possible sources. But I had already improved the balance of the lower wheel by quite a lot, without making much of a difference, so it probably wasn't that, and reducing the motor shaking didn't help either. But putting my fingers on the V-belt while turning it slowly, I noticed it ran quite unevenly, even though the big pulley didn't have much in the way of "bumps" on it. At any rate, running the saw without a blade helps narrow down the source of vibrations, and I should have tested that earlier. I suspect the V-belt V-belts are not ideal, and on my 14" bandsaw, I experimented with using an old timing belt as a flat belt instead, but that was more trouble than it was worth. I later changed it out for a V-belt. My 16" bandsaw uses a V-belt, and it has very little vibrations. What helps with that one is that it uses a slower motor (1750 RPM), and a larger pulley, so the V-belt doesn't develop as much of a "kink" where it's bent around a small pulley while the saw is not running. My thinking is, if you have a choice between a 1750 RPM motor or a 3500 RPM motor, pick the slower motor and use a larger pulley. Your saw will be quieter, less vibrations, and the V-belt will be more efficient and last longer from not having to bend as tightly. See also: Homemade bandsaw tension gauge Bandsaw vs. CNC Physics of bandsaw re-sawing (Why blades drift) Contractor saw vibration dampener Why bandsaw blades squeal Why 3-wheeled bandsaws are a bad idea Bandsaw repair fail Tuning up a cheap bandsaw 20" bandsaw build Frequently asked questionsabout my bandsaws More about bandsaws

The average thickness of our various PVD coatings is 2-5 microns (.00008-.0002”). The average thickness of our various CVD coatings is 5-10 microns (.0002-.0004”).

But I had already improved the balance of the lower wheel by quite a lot, without making much of a difference, so it probably wasn't that, and reducing the motor shaking didn't help either. But putting my fingers on the V-belt while turning it slowly, I noticed it ran quite unevenly, even though the big pulley didn't have much in the way of "bumps" on it. At any rate, running the saw without a blade helps narrow down the source of vibrations, and I should have tested that earlier. I suspect the V-belt V-belts are not ideal, and on my 14" bandsaw, I experimented with using an old timing belt as a flat belt instead, but that was more trouble than it was worth. I later changed it out for a V-belt. My 16" bandsaw uses a V-belt, and it has very little vibrations. What helps with that one is that it uses a slower motor (1750 RPM), and a larger pulley, so the V-belt doesn't develop as much of a "kink" where it's bent around a small pulley while the saw is not running. My thinking is, if you have a choice between a 1750 RPM motor or a 3500 RPM motor, pick the slower motor and use a larger pulley. Your saw will be quieter, less vibrations, and the V-belt will be more efficient and last longer from not having to bend as tightly. See also: Homemade bandsaw tension gauge Bandsaw vs. CNC Physics of bandsaw re-sawing (Why blades drift) Contractor saw vibration dampener Why bandsaw blades squeal Why 3-wheeled bandsaws are a bad idea Bandsaw repair fail Tuning up a cheap bandsaw 20" bandsaw build Frequently asked questionsabout my bandsaws More about bandsaws

While all of our coatings have some variation in their properties in order to augment their performance in specific applications, there are two main properties that are fundamental to all of our coatings: high micro-hardness and lubricity (low coefficient of friction). The average relative micro-hardness of our PVD and CVD coatings would be well over 80 Rc. When this hardness is compared to 58-62 Rc of tool steel, 62-65 Rc of HSS, or 70-76 Rc of carbide, one gets a clearer picture of the comparative hardness of our coatings. This higher hardness gives cutting tools, forming tools, and wear components much greater protection against abrasive wear.As for lubricity, the Coefficient of Friction of our coatings can be significantly lower than the un-coated tool substrates. For forming tools, this lowered Coefficient of Friction means that tools work with less force due to reduced resistance. In cutting applications, reduced friction means less heat is generated during the machining process, thereby slowing the breakdown of the cutting edge. In slide wear applications, the coatings greatly reduce the tendency of materials to adhere: this reduces friction and allows for more unrestricted movement.

Wheels unbalanced? I had previously balanced the wheels, but not as precisely as I could have. I balanced the wheels on their own bearings, and they have some resistance to turning. So I put some roller skate bearings on a shaft and put the wheels onto those. The small roller skate bearings (22 mm diameter) roll inside the holes of the main bearings (25.4 mm diameter), so the wheels could turn more easily. I found the wheels were a bit unbalanced, and screwed in some screws to add weight on the light side. But overall, it was just a few grams worth of weight that I added. And this again only made a minor difference in vibrations. So whatever amount of unbalance was left, that probably didn't account for the shaking. Too light and resonant frequency? My next experiment was to put a 10 lb (4.5 kg) barbell on top of the saw. This had quite a noticeable effect on vibrations. It's possible that a saw itself has a resonant frequency near the speed of the wheels, and adding a weight can change that. When I turned the saw off, I noticed the vibrations briefly getting much larger as it slowed down, no doubt hitting some resonant frequency. Stand is too wobbly? Up to this point, I had deliberately put the bandsaw on an uneven spot on the floor, so it was effectively only on three of four castor wheels. Moving it around to a spot that was flat so it wouldn't rock back and forth reduced vibrations, but not entirely. But then adding some weight to the saw again made it vibrate much less. I only had the saw on a dolly made with wimpy office chair casters. But those office chair casters are designed to take my weight, and the saw doesn't weigh much more than I do. My next experiment was to put pieces of wood under the stand so it rested more rigidly against the floor. This made a dramatic difference, but for the worse! With the more rigid support, the saw's resonant rocking back and forth frequency became higher, much closer to the speed of the wheels. So that was a bad idea! I had encountered this before. When I took my 14" bandsaw to a friend to film the bandsaw vs. CNC video, I forgot to bring the stand, so to get it at the right height we put it on a workmate with the lower legs folded in. This was a rather wobbly base, but, surprisingly the bandsaw was much steadier on this than on a better stand. So I put this saw back on the wimpy office chair casters. And testing it, I was able to balance a faceted 5 cent coin on the table (though only after starting the saw), so maybe it's good enough. I may at some point add a hook on the back to securely hold the 10 lb weight. But for now I figured this is good enough. Testing without a blade After I filmed the video, I had the idea of testing it without any blade on it. The vibrations were the same. So that rules out the top wheel and non-roundness of the wheels as possible sources of vibrations. That leaves the lower wheel unbalanced, motor, or V-belt as possible sources. But I had already improved the balance of the lower wheel by quite a lot, without making much of a difference, so it probably wasn't that, and reducing the motor shaking didn't help either. But putting my fingers on the V-belt while turning it slowly, I noticed it ran quite unevenly, even though the big pulley didn't have much in the way of "bumps" on it. At any rate, running the saw without a blade helps narrow down the source of vibrations, and I should have tested that earlier. I suspect the V-belt V-belts are not ideal, and on my 14" bandsaw, I experimented with using an old timing belt as a flat belt instead, but that was more trouble than it was worth. I later changed it out for a V-belt. My 16" bandsaw uses a V-belt, and it has very little vibrations. What helps with that one is that it uses a slower motor (1750 RPM), and a larger pulley, so the V-belt doesn't develop as much of a "kink" where it's bent around a small pulley while the saw is not running. My thinking is, if you have a choice between a 1750 RPM motor or a 3500 RPM motor, pick the slower motor and use a larger pulley. Your saw will be quieter, less vibrations, and the V-belt will be more efficient and last longer from not having to bend as tightly. See also: Homemade bandsaw tension gauge Bandsaw vs. CNC Physics of bandsaw re-sawing (Why blades drift) Contractor saw vibration dampener Why bandsaw blades squeal Why 3-wheeled bandsaws are a bad idea Bandsaw repair fail Tuning up a cheap bandsaw 20" bandsaw build Frequently asked questionsabout my bandsaws More about bandsaws

I only had the saw on a dolly made with wimpy office chair casters. But those office chair casters are designed to take my weight, and the saw doesn't weigh much more than I do. My next experiment was to put pieces of wood under the stand so it rested more rigidly against the floor. This made a dramatic difference, but for the worse! With the more rigid support, the saw's resonant rocking back and forth frequency became higher, much closer to the speed of the wheels. So that was a bad idea! I had encountered this before. When I took my 14" bandsaw to a friend to film the bandsaw vs. CNC video, I forgot to bring the stand, so to get it at the right height we put it on a workmate with the lower legs folded in. This was a rather wobbly base, but, surprisingly the bandsaw was much steadier on this than on a better stand. So I put this saw back on the wimpy office chair casters. And testing it, I was able to balance a faceted 5 cent coin on the table (though only after starting the saw), so maybe it's good enough. I may at some point add a hook on the back to securely hold the 10 lb weight. But for now I figured this is good enough. Testing without a blade After I filmed the video, I had the idea of testing it without any blade on it. The vibrations were the same. So that rules out the top wheel and non-roundness of the wheels as possible sources of vibrations. That leaves the lower wheel unbalanced, motor, or V-belt as possible sources. But I had already improved the balance of the lower wheel by quite a lot, without making much of a difference, so it probably wasn't that, and reducing the motor shaking didn't help either. But putting my fingers on the V-belt while turning it slowly, I noticed it ran quite unevenly, even though the big pulley didn't have much in the way of "bumps" on it. At any rate, running the saw without a blade helps narrow down the source of vibrations, and I should have tested that earlier. I suspect the V-belt V-belts are not ideal, and on my 14" bandsaw, I experimented with using an old timing belt as a flat belt instead, but that was more trouble than it was worth. I later changed it out for a V-belt. My 16" bandsaw uses a V-belt, and it has very little vibrations. What helps with that one is that it uses a slower motor (1750 RPM), and a larger pulley, so the V-belt doesn't develop as much of a "kink" where it's bent around a small pulley while the saw is not running. My thinking is, if you have a choice between a 1750 RPM motor or a 3500 RPM motor, pick the slower motor and use a larger pulley. Your saw will be quieter, less vibrations, and the V-belt will be more efficient and last longer from not having to bend as tightly. See also: Homemade bandsaw tension gauge Bandsaw vs. CNC Physics of bandsaw re-sawing (Why blades drift) Contractor saw vibration dampener Why bandsaw blades squeal Why 3-wheeled bandsaws are a bad idea Bandsaw repair fail Tuning up a cheap bandsaw 20" bandsaw build Frequently asked questionsabout my bandsaws More about bandsaws

The average turn-around time for functional PVD coatings ranges from 2-5 working days, depending upon the specific coating composition. The average turn-around time for decorative PVD coatings ranges from 2-3 weeks. The average turn-around time for CVD coatings is 5-7 working days.

Stand is too wobbly? Up to this point, I had deliberately put the bandsaw on an uneven spot on the floor, so it was effectively only on three of four castor wheels. Moving it around to a spot that was flat so it wouldn't rock back and forth reduced vibrations, but not entirely. But then adding some weight to the saw again made it vibrate much less. I only had the saw on a dolly made with wimpy office chair casters. But those office chair casters are designed to take my weight, and the saw doesn't weigh much more than I do. My next experiment was to put pieces of wood under the stand so it rested more rigidly against the floor. This made a dramatic difference, but for the worse! With the more rigid support, the saw's resonant rocking back and forth frequency became higher, much closer to the speed of the wheels. So that was a bad idea! I had encountered this before. When I took my 14" bandsaw to a friend to film the bandsaw vs. CNC video, I forgot to bring the stand, so to get it at the right height we put it on a workmate with the lower legs folded in. This was a rather wobbly base, but, surprisingly the bandsaw was much steadier on this than on a better stand. So I put this saw back on the wimpy office chair casters. And testing it, I was able to balance a faceted 5 cent coin on the table (though only after starting the saw), so maybe it's good enough. I may at some point add a hook on the back to securely hold the 10 lb weight. But for now I figured this is good enough. Testing without a blade After I filmed the video, I had the idea of testing it without any blade on it. The vibrations were the same. So that rules out the top wheel and non-roundness of the wheels as possible sources of vibrations. That leaves the lower wheel unbalanced, motor, or V-belt as possible sources. But I had already improved the balance of the lower wheel by quite a lot, without making much of a difference, so it probably wasn't that, and reducing the motor shaking didn't help either. But putting my fingers on the V-belt while turning it slowly, I noticed it ran quite unevenly, even though the big pulley didn't have much in the way of "bumps" on it. At any rate, running the saw without a blade helps narrow down the source of vibrations, and I should have tested that earlier. I suspect the V-belt V-belts are not ideal, and on my 14" bandsaw, I experimented with using an old timing belt as a flat belt instead, but that was more trouble than it was worth. I later changed it out for a V-belt. My 16" bandsaw uses a V-belt, and it has very little vibrations. What helps with that one is that it uses a slower motor (1750 RPM), and a larger pulley, so the V-belt doesn't develop as much of a "kink" where it's bent around a small pulley while the saw is not running. My thinking is, if you have a choice between a 1750 RPM motor or a 3500 RPM motor, pick the slower motor and use a larger pulley. Your saw will be quieter, less vibrations, and the V-belt will be more efficient and last longer from not having to bend as tightly. See also: Homemade bandsaw tension gauge Bandsaw vs. CNC Physics of bandsaw re-sawing (Why blades drift) Contractor saw vibration dampener Why bandsaw blades squeal Why 3-wheeled bandsaws are a bad idea Bandsaw repair fail Tuning up a cheap bandsaw 20" bandsaw build Frequently asked questionsabout my bandsaws More about bandsaws

See also: Homemade bandsaw tension gauge Bandsaw vs. CNC Physics of bandsaw re-sawing (Why blades drift) Contractor saw vibration dampener Why bandsaw blades squeal Why 3-wheeled bandsaws are a bad idea Bandsaw repair fail Tuning up a cheap bandsaw 20" bandsaw build Frequently asked questionsabout my bandsaws More about bandsaws

Homemade bandsaw tension gauge Bandsaw vs. CNC Physics of bandsaw re-sawing (Why blades drift) Contractor saw vibration dampener Why bandsaw blades squeal Why 3-wheeled bandsaws are a bad idea Bandsaw repair fail Tuning up a cheap bandsaw 20" bandsaw build Frequently asked questionsabout my bandsaws More about bandsaws

The purpose of this FAQ page is to address, in the broadest sense, some of the most basic questions that come up with our customers.  By its very nature, this page cannot hope to delve deeply into the nuances of every customer’s application.  While this page is a good starting point, we strongly encourage you to contact us directly for better information specifically related to your application.