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The Problem:

Materials can be harsh on tool life and performance. Certain, more ductile materials are more prone to galling, such as stainless steel, galvanized
steel or aluminum. Caused by the pressure and heat of the punching process, galling is when the metal being punched adheres to the punch tip . Galled punches produce inferior parts, and you need to stop the press, remove the punch and clean it with a fine stone before you can resume punching. They also wear more quickly.

Other materials, such as fiberglass, are more abrasive and wear out the punch, sometimes fairly quickly. In such environments, punches must be
replaced more frequently to maintain desired performance and quality. Mate offers a couple of solutions to help combat these issues: Maxima™
coating and nitride treatment.

The Mate Solution:

Maxima™ Coating

Maxima™ is Mate’s premium tool steel coating formulated exclusively for punch press tooling applications. Hard, wearresistant and lubricious, Maxima™ is a multilayer Zirconium Titanium Nitride coating. When applied to the surface of Mate’s premium tool steel punches, Maxima™ acts as a barrier between
the punch and the sheet metal. With its exceptional lubricity, Maxima™ greatly improves stripping by reducing the friction that occurs during this portion of the punching cycle. Since less friction means less heat build up, that means there’s less galling and longer tool life. Maxima™ is particularly good for adhesive wear tooling applications. In real life tests, Maxima™ has increased tool life between 2 to 10 times.

Nitride Treatment

Nitride is a heat treatment feature for abrasive and adhesive wear environments when punching thin materials. It becomes an integral component of the structure of the punch material, extending tool life. Nitride treated punches are recommended for punching abrasive materials (e.g., fiberglass) or materials that cause galling (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum) and for high speed punching. (Photo, bottom right).