Intro
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Surface prep — the hidden critical step
Two identical punches, two coating houses, very different lives. Why surface prep determines coating performance more than any other variable.
Two identical punches are sent to two coating houses. Both come back coated. They look the same to the naked eye. One lasts 200,000 hits, one lasts 40,000. What happened? Almost always: surface prep.
PVD coatings bond mechanically. The hard ceramic film interlocks with the surface texture of the tool — too smooth and there's nothing to grip; too rough and the coating can't conform; contaminated and the bond fails outright. Per KYOCERA Hardcoating, Korvus Technology, and Dayton Tool Grind & Coat's coating-prep guidance, surface prep determines coating performance more than any other single variable in the pipeline.