REDUCA

The development and industrial implementation of advanced PVD hard coatings for the application thereof in the shaping, cutting and machining operations of materials used in the automotive and aeronautics sectors.

The REDUCA project is developing new materials highly resistant to wear (both abrasive and adhesive) and to mechanical fatigue fracture. The project focuses on the development of thick hard coatings of titanium aluminium nitride (TiAIN) (in the form of a gradient nanostructured layer) and of ultra-hard coatings of amorphous, diamond-like carbon (DLC). It will therefore be necessary to design and implement new and advanced concepts in coatings technology based on high-vacuum plasma.

REDUCA will have numerous benefits for companies of the metal-mechanical sector that are ancillary to the automotive and aeronautics sectors by allowing an increase in the performance and durability of the tools used in shaping and machining processes, as well as allowing a reduction of production and maintenance costs. On the other hand, the results of the project will allow decreasing the environmental impact associated with the use of lubricants and degreasants commonly used in these operations.

The project is being carried out in consortium with Grup TTC, a pioneering company in the development and marketing of advanced surface treatments and CVD and PVD functional coatings. The Metal and Ceramic Materials Unit is participating in the project on behalf of Eurecat.