Surface Enhancement of Titanium-Based Coatings on Commercial Hard Steel Cutting Tools
Minh Nhat Dang,
Surinder Singh,
Hannah J. King,
John H. Navarro-Devia,
Hoang Le,
Thomas G. Pattison,
Rosalie K. Hocking,
Scott A. Wade,
Guy Stephens,
Angelo Papageorgiou,
Armando Manzano,
James Wang
Affiliations
Minh Nhat Dang
The Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre in Surface Engineering for Advanced Materials (SEAM), School of Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
Surinder Singh
The Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre in Surface Engineering for Advanced Materials (SEAM), School of Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
Hannah J. King
The Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre in Surface Engineering for Advanced Materials (SEAM), School of Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
John H. Navarro-Devia
Sutton Tools, 378 Settlement Rd, Thomastown, VIC 3074, Australia
Hoang Le
The Electron Microscopy and Materials Analysis Research Group, School of Computing and Engineering, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK
Thomas G. Pattison
The Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre in Surface Engineering for Advanced Materials (SEAM), School of Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
Rosalie K. Hocking
The Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre in Surface Engineering for Advanced Materials (SEAM), School of Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
Scott A. Wade
The Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre in Surface Engineering for Advanced Materials (SEAM), School of Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
Guy Stephens
Sutton Tools, 378 Settlement Rd, Thomastown, VIC 3074, Australia
Angelo Papageorgiou
Sutton Tools, 378 Settlement Rd, Thomastown, VIC 3074, Australia
Armando Manzano
ANCA Pty Ltd., 25 Gatwick Rd, Bayswater North, VIC 3153, Australia
James Wang
The Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre in Surface Engineering for Advanced Materials (SEAM), School of Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
This study investigates the mechanical properties, surface integrity, and chemical configuration of PVD-coated high-speed steel (HSS) cutting tools, with a particular focus on titanium nitride (TiN) and titanium aluminium nitride (TiAlN) coatings. A range of characterisation methodologies were employed to examine the impact of pre-coating surface conditions on the resulting coatings. This impact includes the effects of gas bubble production and unequal distribution of elements, which are two unwanted occurrences. Notwithstanding these difficulties, coatings applied on surfaces that were highly polished exhibited more consistency in their mechanical and elemental characteristics, with a thickness ranging from 2 to 4 µm. The study of mechanical characteristics confirms a significant increase in hardness, from an initial value of roughly 1000 HV0.5 for untreated tools to 1300 HV0.5 for tools with physical vapour deposition (PVD) coatings. Although PVD coatings produced on an industrial scale might not exceed the quality of coatings manufactured in a laboratory, they do offer substantial enhancements in terms of hardness. This study highlights the significant importance of thorough surface preparation in achieving enhanced coating performance, hence contributing to the efforts to prolong the lifespan of tools and enhance their performance even under demanding operational circumstances.
