PharmaCote® Coatings
I Holland’s PharmaCote® range is a suite of treatments and coatings that enhance the performance of substrate material for punches and dies. Since the introduction of our first coating in 2007 I Holland has carried out extensive research into anti-stick, abrasion resistance, and corrosion protection so you guarantee longer-lasting tools.
Improve wear resistance
Increase corrosion protection
Guarantee anti-stick properties
A basic silver-coloured coating protects tool surfaces.
Features
- Undergoes hydrogen de-embrittlement
- Coating thickness: 1-2 microns
- Hardness: 900Hv (est.)
Benefits
- Increases surface hardness over base material
- Reduces friction and sticking to some extent
- Low cost
- Provides some general corrosion protection
Application
- HPG-S, HPG-P & HPG-SS
- For punches and dies
Note: By-products of hard chromium are under review by environmental agencies.
A silver grey coating providing a superior punch surface. Best-performing anti-stick coating.
Features
- Extremely smooth coating
- Coating thickness: 2-4 microns
- Hardness: 2000 Hv (est.)
Benefits
- Excellent anti-stick properties
- Superb corrosion resistance
- Good wear resistance
Application
- HPG-P & HPG-SS
- For punches and dies
An enhanced Chromium Nitride, silver grey coating.
Features
- Silver matt finish top
- Coating thickness: 6-8 microns
- Hardness: 2000 Hv (est)
Benefits
- Superior anti-stick properties
- Good corrosion resistance
- Good wear resistance
Application
- HPG-P
- Applied to punch-tip faces only
- The remainder of the punch is CN coated as standard
Our exclusive surface treatment generates a superb anti-stick tip face for tablet production.
Features
- Silver matt finish top
- Coating thickness: 2-4 microns
- Hardness: 2000 Hv (est)
Benefits
- Superior anti-stick properties
- Good corrosion resistance
- Good wear resistance
Application
- HPG-P
- Textured surface treatment applied to punch-tip faces only
- The remainder of the punch is CN coated as standard
A silver grey coating that provides good anti-stick, anti-corrosion, and anti-wear properties.
Features
- No micro-cracks
- Coating thickness: 2-4 microns
- Hardness: 1700Hv (est.)
Benefits
- Good corrosion resistance
- Good wear resistance
- Good anti-stick properties
- A tough, shock-resistant coating
Application
- HPG-S
- Applied to punches only
A thin, gold-coloured coating applied to the surfaces of both punches and dies which can improve wear resistance.
Features
- Low thermal conductivity
- Thickness: 2-3 microns
- Hardness: 2300 Hv (est.)
Benefits
- A very hard surface layer that can improve wear resistance
- Resistance to heat transfer during compression
- The gold colour can be used for easy identification of tooling sets
- Extremely easy to clean and maintain using an ultrasonic bath and light automated polishing
Application
- HPG-P & HPG-SS
- Suitable for both punches and dies
- All-over coating supplied as standard
A distinctive silver blue-coloured coating with superb wear-resistant properties and good resistance to corrosion.
Features
- Very smooth finish
- Thickness: 2-4 microns
- Hardness: 3000 Hv (est.)
Benefits
- An excellent wear-resistant coating due to very hard surface layer
Application
- HPG-P & HPG-SS
- Punch tip only coating
A polymer or elastomer insert is cut to match the tip shape which reduces sticking of the formulation to the punch face.
Features
- Choice of materials (Vulcalon, Adiprene, PTFE)
- Thickness: 1-2.5mm
- Hardness: Variable with material choice
Benefits
- A good anti-stick solution especially for effervescent products. Inserts are replaceable at a low cost
Application
- HPG-S, HPG-P & HPG-SS
- Suitable for flat bevelled edge and flat faced punches only
