Sources & methodology
About the corpus
The Coating IQ course is built from a curated set of published sources: trade publications, peer-reviewed research, manufacturer technical references, and process descriptions. This page lists every source. The transparent corpus is the trust mechanism.
Methodology
Every factual claim in the course traces to a published source. Where the source said something different than the course needed, we used the source's framing — not our own. Where multiple sources agreed on a number or process detail, we cite the primary one.
Coating IQ is vendor-neutral. We do not endorse coating houses, heat treaters, or steel suppliers. We cite their published technical content because it's the best public-domain reference for the underlying processes — not because we recommend their commercial offerings.
We do not paywall or behind-the-scenes any ASM International material that requires a license. Where ASM Handbook content would naturally fit, we either summarized from open sources or wrote our own prose from first principles. If you spot any content that looks copied rather than synthesized, flag it; we'll rewrite.
Sources
Trade publications
Peer-reviewed research
- Tribological and Wear Performance of Nanocomposite PVD Hard Coatings Deposited on Aluminum Die Casting ToolNCBI / PMC
- Wear performance of PVD coated tool steelsEstonian Journal of Engineering
- Cracking Resistance of Selected PVD Hard CoatingsFinishing and Coating
- Tribological Behavior of AlCrSiN-Coated Tool Steel K340 Versus Popular Tool Steel GradesNCBI / PMC
Process references
- How to Nitride Steel: Gas, Plasma & Salt Bath MethodsScienceInsights
- Plasma Nitriding Technology 2026PatSnap
- Plasma vs. gas nitriding for precision gearsPatSnap
- A Simplified Guide to Heat Treating Tool SteelsGateway Metals
- D2 Technical DataHudson Tool Steel
- How to Properly Heat Treat D2 SteelAobo Steel
- Carburising ExplainedFractory
- Basic principles of induction hardening of steelsGear Solutions Magazine
- Through Hardening vs. Nitriding vs. Carburizing vs. InductionSullivan Steel
Coating vendor technical references
- Definitions — PVD & CVD Coatings GlossaryRichter Precision
- Types of PVD CoatingVEM
- Coating Prep GuideKYOCERA Hardcoating Technologies
- Understanding Substrate Preparation for PVD CoatingKorvus Technology
- A Clean Surface Is Critical — PVD Coatings Part IIIDayton Tool Grind & Coat
- Pre-Cleaning & Etching for PVD CoatingsSemicore Equipment
Disclaimer
Educational reference only. Not engineering advice. Specific coating, heat-treat, or surface treatment decisions for production tooling must be verified with a qualified vendor or metallurgist who has visibility into your application, substrate, load, temperature, lubricant, and failure mode. Coating IQ exists to help you ask better questions — not to answer them in a vacuum.