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SurfTech 4000 Boron Carbide (B4C) Coating

Name: SurfTech 4000 Boron Carbide (B4C) Coating
Brand: SurfTech

Boron carbide. Gray / black finish.

Boron carbide sits near the top of the hardness range for any thin film, and it keeps a smooth low friction surface while it is there. It resists abrasive wear that would wear through a conventional nitride.

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Boron carbide

Boron carbide is a ceramic with hardness approaching that of diamond. Deposited as a film one to three microns thick it adds abrasion resistance without changing the geometry of the part, which matters on tooling that has to stay inside a print tolerance after coating.

Extreme hardness against abrasive media
Low friction for a hard ceramic film
Thin enough to hold tight tolerances
Deposited below 200 °F, so tempered parts keep their properties

Three tungsten carbide cutting inserts on a white background — 4000 series work

Typical figures for B4C

Chemistry: Boron carbide
Appearance: Gray / black
Hardness: 3,000 to 3,700 HV
Coefficient of friction: 0.10 to 0.20 dry against steel
Maximum service temperature: 900 °F / 480 °C in air
Typical film thickness: 1 to 3 µm
Deposition temperature: Below 200 °F

These are published typical ranges for the B4C material system. They describe the chemistry. The certified figure for your substrate, geometry and duty comes from the SurfTech data sheet, which is issued with the quote.

Typical applications

Abrasive powder and slurry contact
Carbide and ceramic tooling
Pump and valve components
Composite and fiberglass machining

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Substrate, hardness, the tolerance you have to hold and the surfaces that stay uncoated. SurfTech confirms whether SurfTech 4000 is the right code before the job is booked.

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