PVD coating job shop in Fridley, MN
PVD Coating Service That Makes Your Tools Last Longer
Ship us your cutting tools, punches, dies, molds and wear parts. We apply TiN, TiCN, AlTiN, CrN and our Alpha™ coating so you run longer between sharpenings.
- 6x more parts before resharpening, reported by a customer
- Five coatings: TiN, TiCN, AlTiN/TiAlN, CrN and Alpha™
- We coat work shipped in from across the US, Canada and Mexico
Trusted by Special Tools, Inc. and K&C Manufacturing
Prefer to talk? Call 763-785-9436
Get a PVD coating quote
Tell us about your parts and how they wear. We will come back with coating options and pricing.
Why manufacturers send their tooling to us
More parts between sharpenings
One customer ran a full order of 60,000 parts with no sharpening, instead of resharpening every 10,000.
Less maintenance, more uptime
Coated dies run longer without basic maintenance. Customers report less polishing and less lubricant.
Five coatings to match your job
TiN, TiCN, AlTiN/TiAlN, CrN and our proprietary Alpha™ coating. We help you pick the right one.
Ship in from anywhere
We serve Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest, plus California, New York, Florida, Canada and Mexico.
Coating is all we do
We are a dedicated PVD job shop. You sharpen or build the tool, we coat it and send it back ready to run.
Quality plus a reasonable turnaround
High-quality PVD coatings with reasonable turnaround times, so your tooling gets back on the press.
What our PVD coating service covers
Surface Solutions is a PVD (physical vapor deposition) coating job shop in Fridley, Minnesota. We apply thin, hard films to carbide and hardened tool steel tooling so it lasts longer, cuts cleaner and needs less attention. Customers tell us their tools work better than new.
We coat for metal formers and stampers, tool and die shops, machine shops, resharpening services, medical device makers, injection molders and firearm builders.
- TiN (titanium nitride), the classic gold hard coating
- TiCN (titanium carbo-nitride) for tough forming and cutting work
- AlTiN / TiAlN for maximum cutting tool life
- CrN (chrome nitride): one stainless drawing job went from 15 parts to over 500
- Alpha™ coating: no polishing needed, less lubricant, almost no galvanized build-up
- Punching, sheet metal forming, drawing, injection molds, blades and wear parts
- Medical instruments and device parts, including masked components
- Firearm and gun part coating, plus re-coating after resharpening
Results our customers report
“Nearly everything we resharpen gets sent out to Surface Solutions for coatings. I had one customer that wasn't using coatings and now that he's tried it, he wants everything coated. His tools are working better than new. It's like night and day . . .”
“We ran a full order of 60,000 parts and still don't need to sharpen. Normally we have to resharpen after 10,000. 6 x more parts than before. The coating far exceeded my expectations.”
“I just want to say that your Alpha™ coating is amazing. Our operators are not very vigilant at removing the abrasive laser dust and slag but still the coating holds up. Some blocks you alpha coated for me over a year ago are still looking great. Never picks up any base metal and even with minimal lubricant, we can wipe 3/8" thick, grade 80, hot rolled into a tight channel! It seems to get better with more pressure, after a while it becomes a darker brown and gets even slicker. We used to polish a few times a run. Now, with the Alpha™ coating, we have never had to polish, we use less lubricant and have a better looking product. I will continue to use Alpha™ over any of the competitor's coatings due to the durability, price, and your turnaround. Thanks for all your help, you make my job a lot easier!”
What happens after you ask for a quote
Tell us about the part
Share the part, the material, the size and how it wears or fails today.
We recommend a coating
We suggest TiN, TiCN, AlTiN, CrN or Alpha™ for your job and send pricing.
Ship your tooling in
Send your sharpened tools to Fridley, MN. We coat them and ship them back ready to run.
Frequently asked questions
How much does PVD coating cost?
Price depends on the part size, the quantity and the coating you choose. Send us your part details and we will quote the job.
Do I have to send a large batch?
Jobs vary. We have handled small projects, like a few titanium pieces, as well as full sets of tooling. Tell us what you have and we will confirm.
Which coating is right for my parts?
It depends on the job. Alpha™ works well in punching and forming, where customers report no polishing and less lubricant. In a stainless drawing job, CrN produced over 500 parts that were only warm to the touch. We help you pick.
Can you coat carbide and hardened tool steel?
Yes. We coat carbide and hardened tool steel tooling, including cutting tools, punches, dies, molds, blades and wear parts.
Do you sharpen or regrind tools too?
No. We coat only. Many customers sharpen or regrind first, then send the tools to us for coating. Resharpening services send us their work regularly.
I am not in Minnesota. Can you still coat my tools?
Yes. We coat work shipped in from across the United States, including California, New York and Florida, plus Canada and Mexico.
Get more parts out of every tool
Tell us what you run and how it wears today. We will recommend a PVD coating and send you pricing.
- 6x more parts before resharpening, reported by a customer
- Five coatings: TiN, TiCN, AlTiN/TiAlN, CrN and Alpha™
- We coat work shipped in from across the US, Canada and Mexico
Prefer to talk? Call 763-785-9436