PVD Tool Coating Shop in Fridley, MN
PVD Tool Coating for Longer Tool Life and Fewer Grinds
Send us your end mills, drills, taps and inserts. We apply TiN, TiCN, AlTiN, CrN or our Alpha coating so your tools cut longer between regrinds.
- TiN, TiCN, AlTiN, CrN and Alpha coatings for cutting tools
- We coat carbide and hardened tool steel, new or resharpened
- Ship your tools in from the US, Canada or Mexico
Special Tools, Inc. sends nearly everything they resharpen to us for coating.
Prefer to talk? Call 763-785-9436
Get a quote on your tool coating
Tell us what tools you run. We will suggest the right coating and price the job.
Why shops coat their tools with us
More parts per grind
One customer ran 60,000 parts before sharpening, up from 10,000. That is 6x more parts.
Less time at the grinder
Fewer sharpening cycles cut labor. Customers report saving 48 hours of labor on sharpening.
Five coatings to pick from
TiN, TiCN, AlTiN/TiAlN, CrN and our proprietary Alpha coating. We match the coating to your job.
Less lubricant, cleaner output
Coated tooling needs less lubricant and puts out better looking parts.
Re-coat after every regrind
Resharpening services ship us tools all the time. Coated tools come back working better than new.
Ship in from anywhere
We serve manufacturers nationwide, plus Canada and Mexico, from our Fridley, Minnesota shop.
Coatings for end mills, drills, inserts and more
Surface Solutions is a PVD job shop. You ship us the tooling, we apply a thin, hard film, and you get the tools back ready to run. We coat carbide and hardened tool steel used in cutting, punching, forming and drawing.
Not sure which coating fits? Tell us the material you cut, the tool and the problem you are fighting. We will point you to the coating that solves it.
- TiN (titanium nitride): the classic gold hard coating for tooling
- TiCN (titanium carbo-nitride) for demanding cutting work
- AlTiN / TiAlN for maximum cutting tool life
- CrN (chrome nitride): one drawing job went from 15 parts to over 500, with parts only warm to the touch
- Alpha coating: no polishing needed, less lubricant, almost no galvanized build-up compared to TiN
- Substrates: carbide and hardened tool steels
- Tooling we coat: end mills, drills, taps, inserts, blades, punches, dies, injection molds and wear parts
- Re-coating for tools that have been resharpened or reground
What shops see after coating
“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.”
“Alpha cutters are amazing! And I hear AlTiN can only get better… Either way, we are going to ship you a huge set to get processed asap… Thank you so much! Kirk is thinking that these cutters just eliminated an entire process to the current one we have to do!!! We are actually amazed at how much time this is saving on that process. Makes me wonder what else we are doing the hard way..LOL!”
How to get your tools coated
Send your tool list
Fill in the form with your tools, material and quantity. We review the job and recommend a coating.
Get your quote
We price the coating work and confirm how to ship your tooling to our Fridley, Minnesota shop.
Ship in, run longer
We coat your tools and send them back so you can run more parts between grinds.
Frequently asked questions
What tools can you coat?
Cutting tools like end mills, drills, taps and inserts, plus punches, dies, forming and drawing tools, injection molds, blades and wear parts. We coat carbide and hardened tool steel.
Do you sharpen or regrind tools too?
No. We only apply the coating. Your shop or your resharpening service grinds the tools, then we coat them. Many resharpening services send us their work.
Which coating should I choose for drills and end mills?
It depends on the material you cut and the problem you want to fix. We offer TiN, TiCN, AlTiN/TiAlN, CrN and Alpha. Tell us your application and we will recommend one.
Can I ship tools from outside Minnesota?
Yes. We serve manufacturers across the United States, with customers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, the Upper Midwest, California, New York and Florida, plus Canada and Mexico.
How is tool coating priced?
Pricing depends on the coating, the size of the parts and how many you send. Send your details and we will quote the job.
Is there a minimum quantity?
Tell us how many tools you have in the form. We will confirm what we can run and quote it for you.
Get more parts out of every tool
Send us your tool list and we will recommend a coating and quote the work. Call 763-785-9436 or use the form, Monday to Friday, 8AM to 5PM.
- TiN, TiCN, AlTiN, CrN and Alpha coatings for cutting tools
- We coat carbide and hardened tool steel, new or resharpened
- Ship your tools in from the US, Canada or Mexico
Prefer to talk? Call 763-785-9436