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2 Tooling & Production/Chapter 1 www.toolingandproduction.com
1.1 Introduction
Many types of tool materials, ranging from high carbon steel to ceramics and dia-
monds, are used as cutting tools in todays metalworking industry. It is important
to be aware that differences do exist among tool materials, what these differences
are, and the correct application for each type of material.
The various tool manufacturers assign many names and numbers to their prod-
ucts. While many of these names and numbers may appear to be similar, the appli-
cations of these tool materials may be entirely different. In most cases the tool man-
ufacturers will provide tools made of the proper material for each given application.
In some particular applications, a premium or higher priced material will be justi-
fied.
This does not mean that the most expensive tool is always the best tool. Cutting
tool users cannot afford to ignore the constant changes and advancements that are
being made in the field of tool material technology. When a tool change is needed
or anticipated, a performance comparison should be made before selecting the tool
for the job. The optimum tool is not necessarily the least expensive or the most
expensive, and it is not always the same tool that was used for the job last time.
The best tool is the one that has been carefully chosen to get the job done quickly,
efficiently and economically.
Authors Note
I wish to express my sincere appreciation to Prentice Hall and to Stephen Helba
in particular, for giving me permission to use some of the information, graphs and
photos recently published in Applied Manufacturing Process Planning authored by
Donald H. Nelson and George Schneider, Jr.
The author also wishes to thank over 40 companies who have provided technical
information and photo exhibits...their contributions have made this reference text
possible.
And finally, I would like to express my appreciation to Tooling & Productions
Stan Modic and Joe McKenna for giving me the opportunity to make this informa-
tion available to the general public.
George Schneider, Jr.
Chapter 1
Cutting-Tool
Materials
George Schneider, Jr. CMfgE
Professor Emeritus
Engineering Technology
Lawrence Technological University
Former Chairman
Detroit Chapter ONE
Society of Manufacturing Engineers
Former President
International Excutive Board
Society of Carbide & Tool Engineers
Lawrence Tech. Univ.: www.ltu.edu
Prentice Hall: www.prenhall.com
Upcoming Chapters
Metal Removal
Cutting-Tool Materials
Metal Removal Methods
Machinability of Metals
Single Point Machining
Turning Tools and Operations
Turning Methods and Machines
Grooving and Threading
Shaping and Planing
Hole Making Processes
Drills and Drilling Operations
Drilling Methods and Machines
Boring Operations and Machines
Reaming and Tapping
Multi Point Machining
Milling Cutters and Operations
Milling Methods and Machines
Broaches and Broaching
Saws and Sawing
Abrasive Processes
Grinding Wheels and Operations
Grinding Methods and Machines
Lapping and Honing
A cutting tool must have the follow-
ing characteristics in order to produce
good quality and economical parts:
Hardness: Hardness and strength of
the cutting tool must be maintained at
elevated temperatures also called Hot
Hardness
Toughness: Toughness of cutting
tools is needed so that tools dont chip
or fracture, especially during interrupt-
ed cutting operations.
Wear Resistance: Wear resistance
means the attainment of acceptable tool
life before tools need to be replaced.
The materials from which cutting
tools are made are all characteristically
hard and strong. There is a wide range
of tool materials available for machin-
ing operations, and the general classifi-
cation and use of these materials are of
interest here.
1.2 Tool Steels and Cast Alloys
Plain carbon tool steel is the oldest of
the tool materials dating back hundreds
of years. In simple terms it is a high
carbon steel (steel which contains about
1.05% carbon). This high carbon con-
tent allows the steel to be hardened,
offering greater resistance to abrasive
wear. Plain high carbon steel served its
purpose well for many years. However,
because it is quickly over tempered
(softened) at relatively low cutting tem-
peratures, (300 to 500 degrees F), it is
now rarely used as cutting tool material
except in files, saw blades, chisels, etc.
The use of plain high carbon steel is
limited to low heat applications.
High Speed Tool Steel: The need for
tool materials which could withstand
increased cutting speeds and tempera-
Chap. 1: Cutting-Tool Materials
www.toolingandproduction.com Chapter 1/Tooling & Production 3
tures, led to the development of high
speed tool steels (HSS). The major dif-
ference between high speed tool steel
and plain high carbon steel is the addi-
tion of alloying elements to harden and
strengthen the steel and make it more
resistant to heat (hot hardness).
Some of the most commonly used
alloying elements are: manganese,
chromium, tungsten, vanadium, molyb-
denum, cobalt, and niobium (columbi-
um). While each of these elements will
add certain specific desirable character-
istics, it can be generally stated that they
add deep hardening capability, high hot
hardness, resistance to abrasive wear,
and strength, to high speed tool steel.
These characteristics allow relatively
higher machining speeds and improved
performance over plain high carbon
steel.
The most common high speed steels
used primarily as cutting tools are divid-
ed into the M and T series. The M series
represents tool steels of the molybde-
num type and the T series represents
those of the tungsten type. Although
there seems to be a great deal of simi-
larity among these high speed steels,
each one serves a specific purpose and
offers significant benefits in its special
application.
An important point to remember is
that none of the alloying elements for
either series of high speed tool steels is
in abundant supply and the cost of these
elements is skyrocketing. In addition,
U.S. manufacturers must rely on foreign
countries for supply of these very
important elements.
Some of the high speed steels are
now available in a powdered metal
(PM) form. The difference between
powdered and conventional metals is in
the method by which they are made.
The majority of conventional high
speed steel is poured into an ingot and
then, either hot or cold, worked to the
desired shape. Powdered metal is
exactly as its name indicates. Basically
the same elements that are used in con-
ventional high speed steel are prepared
in a very fine powdered form. These
powdered elements are carefully blend-
ed together, pressed into a die under
extremely high pressure, and then sin-
tered in an atmospherically controlled
furnace. The PM method of manufac-
turing cutting tools is explained in
Section 1.3.1 Manufacture of Carbide
Products.
HSS Surface Treatment: Many sur-
face treatments have been developed in
an attempt to extend tool life, reduce
power consumption, and to control
other factors which affect operating
conditions and costs. Some of these
treatments have been used for many
years and have proven to have some
value. For example, the black oxide
coatings which commonly appear on
drills and taps are of value as a deterrent
to build-up on the tool. The black oxide
is basically a dirty surface which dis-
courages the build-up of work material.
One of the more recent developments
in coatings for high speed steel is titani-
um nitride by the physical vapor deposi-
tion (PVD) method. Titanium nitride is
deposited on the tool surface in one of
several different types of furnace at rel-
atively low temperature, which does not
significantly affect the heat treatment
(hardness) of the tool being coated.
This coating is known to extend the life
of a cutting tool significantly or to allow
the tool to be used at higher operating
speeds. Tool life can be extended by as
much as three times, or operating
speeds can be increased up to fifty per-
cent.
Cast Alloys: The alloying elements
in high speed steel, principally cobalt,
chromium and tungsten, improve the
cutting properties sufficiently, that met-
allurgical researchers developed the cast
alloys, a family of these materials with-
out iron.
Atypical composition for this class of
tool material was 45 percent cobalt, 32
percent chromium, 21 percent tungsten,
and 2 percent carbon. The purpose of
such alloying was to obtain a cutting
tool with hot hardness superior to high
Ceram
ics
C
ast
a
llo
y
s
200 0 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
60
55
65
70
75
80
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
20
85
90
95
100 300
Carbides
Carbon
tool
steels
High-speed
steels
500 700
Temperature (F)
Temperature (C)
H
a
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d
n
e
s
s

(
H
-
R
a
)
H
a
r
d
n
e
s
s

(
H
-
R
c
)
(a)
Diamond, CBN
Aluminum oxide (HIP)
Silicon nitride
Cermets
Coated carbides
Carbides
Strength and toughness
(b)
HSS
H
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Figure 1.1. (a) Hardness of various cutting-tool materials as a function of temperature. (b)
Ranges of properties of various groups of materials.
Chap. 1: Cutting-Tool Materials
4 Tooling & Production/Chapter 1 2001 www.toolingandproduction.com
speed steel.
When applying cast alloy tools, their
brittleness should be kept in mind and
sufficient support should be provided at
all times. Cast alloys provide high abra-
sion resistance and are thus useful for
cutting scaly materials or those with
hard inclusions.
1.3 Cemented Tungsten Carbide
Tungsten carbide was discovered by
Henri Moissan in 1893 during a search
for a method of making artificial dia-
monds. Charging sugar and tungsten
oxide, he melted tungsten sub-carbide
in an arc furnace. The carbonized sugar
reduced the oxide and carburized the
tungsten. Moissan recorded that the
tungsten carbide was extremely hard,
approaching the hardness of diamond
and exceeding that of sapphire. It was
more than 16 times as heavy as water.
The material proved to be extremely
brittle and seriously limited its industri-
al use.
Commercial tungsten carbide with 6
percent cobalt binder was first produced
and marketed in Germany in 1926.
Production of the same carbide began in
the United States in 1928 and in Canada
in 1930.
At this time, hard carbides consisted
of the basic tungsten carbide system
with cobalt binders. These carbides
exhibited superior performance in the
machining of cast iron, nonferrous, and
non metallic materials, but were disap-
pointing when used for the machining
of steel.
Most of the subsequent developments
in the hard carbides have been modifi-
cations of the original patents, princi-
pally involving replacement of part or
all of the tungsten carbide with other
carbides, especially titanium carbide
and/or tantalum carbide. This led to the
development of the modern multi-car-
bide cutting tool materials permitting
the high speed machining of steel.
A new phenomenon was introduced
with the development of the cemented
carbides, again making higher speeds
possible. Previous cutting tool materi-
als, products of molten metallurgy,
depended largely upon heat treatment
for their properties and these properties
could, in turn, be destroyed by further
heat treatment. At high speeds, and
consequently high temperatures, these
products of molten metallurgy failed.
A different set of conditions exists
with the cemented carbides. The hard-
ness of the carbide is greater than that of
most other tool materials at room tem-
perature and it has the ability to retain it
hardness at elevated temperatures to a
greater degree, so that greater speeds
can be adequately supported.
1.3.1 Manufacture of Carbide
Products
The term tungsten carbide describes a
comprehensive family of hard carbide
compositions used for metal cutting
tools, dies of various types, and wear
parts. In general, these materials are
composed of the carbides of tungsten,
titanium, tantalum or some combination
of these, sintered or cemented in a
matrix binder, usually cobalt.
Blending: The first operation after
reduction of the tungsten compounds to
tungsten metal powder is the milling of
tungsten and carbon prior to the carbur-
izing operation. Here, 94 parts by
weight of tungsten and 6 parts by
weight of carbon, usually added in the
form of lamp black, are blended togeth-
er in a rotating mixer or ball mill. This
operation must be performed under
carefully controlled conditions in order
to insure optimum dispersion of the car-
bon in the tungsten. Carbide Blending
Equipment, better known as a Ball Mill,
is shown in Figure 1.2.
In order to provide the necessary
strength, a binding agent, usually cobalt
(Co) is added to the tungsten (WC) in
powder form and these two are ball
milled together for a period of several
days, to form a very intimate mixture.
Careful control of conditions, including
time, must be exercised to obtain a uni-
form, homogeneous product. Blended
Tungsten Carbide Powder is shown in
Figure 1.3.
Compacting: The most common
compacting method for grade powders
involves the use of a die, made to the
shape of the eventual product desired.
The size of the die must be greater than
the final product size to allow for
dimensional shrinkage which takes
place in the final sintering operation.
These dies are expensive, and usually
made with tungsten carbide liners.
Therefore sufficient number of the final
product (compacts) are required, to jus-
tify the expense involved in manufac-
turing a special die. Carbide
Figure 1.2. Carbide blending equipment,
better known as ball mill is used to ensure
optimum dispersion of the carbon within
the tungsten. (Courtesy American National
Carbide Co)
Figure 1.3. Blended tungsten carbide pow-
der is produced by mixing tungsten carbide
(WC) with a cobalt (Co) binder in a ball
milling process. (Courtesy American
National Carbide Co)
Figure 1.4. Carbide compacting equipment,
better known as a pill press, is used to pro-
duce carbide products in various shapes.
(Courtesy American National Carbide Co)
Chap. 1: Cutting-Tool Materials
www.toolingandproduction.com Chapter 1/Tooling & Production 5
Compacting Equipment, better known
as a Pill Press, is shown in Figure 1.4.
Various pill pressed carbide parts are
shown in Figure 1.5.
If the quantities are not high, a larger
briquette, or billet may be pressed. This
billet may then be cut up (usually after
pre-sintering) into smaller units and
shaped or preformed to the required
configuration, and again, allowance
must be made to provide for shrinkage.
Ordinarily pressures used in these cold
compacting operations are in the neigh-
borhood of 30,000 PSI. Various carbide
preformed parts are shown in Figure
1.6.
A second compacting method is the
hot pressing of grade powders in
graphite dies at the sintering tempera-
ture. After cooling, the part has attained
full hardness. Because the graphite dies
are expendable, this system is generally
used only when the part to be produced
is too large for cold pressing and sinter-
ing.
A third compacting method, usually
used for large pieces, is isostatic press-
ing. Powders are placed into a closed,
flexible container which is then sus-
pended in a liquid in a closed pressure
vessel. Pressure in the liquid is built up
to the point where the powders become
properly compacted. This system is
advantageous for pressing large pieces,
because the pressure acting on the pow-
ders operates equally from all direc-
tions, resulting in a compact of uniform
pressed density.
Sintering: Sintering of tungsten -
cobalt (WC-Co) compacts is performed
with the cobalt binder in liquid phase.
The compact is heated in hydrogen
atmosphere or vacuum furnaces to tem-
peratures ranging from 2500 to 2900
degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the
composition. Both time and tempera-
ture must be carefully adjusted in com-
bination, to effect optimum control over
properties and geometry. The compact
will shrink approximately 16 percent on
linear dimensions, or 40 percent in vol-
ume. The exact amount of shrinkage
depends on several factors including
particle size of the powders and the
composition of the grade. Control of
size and shape is most important and is
least predictable during the cooling
cycle. This is particularly true with
those grades of cemented carbides with
higher cobalt contents.
With cobalt having a lesser density
than tungsten, it occupies a greater part
of the volume than would be indicated
by the rated cobalt content of the grade;
and because cobalt contents are general-
ly a much higher percentage of the mass
in liquid phase, extreme care is required
to control and predict with accuracy the
magnitude and direction of shrinkage.
Figure 1.7 shows carbide parts being
loaded into a Sintering Furnace.
Figure 1.5. Various carbide compacts,
which are produced with special dies
mounted into pill presses. (Courtesy
American National Carbide Co)
Figure 1.6. If quantities are not high, presin-
tered billets are shaped or preformed into
required shapes. (Courtesy Duramet
Corporation)
Figure 1.7. Carbide parts are loaded into a
sintering furnace, where they are heated to
temperatures ranging from 2500 to
2900F. (Courtesy American National
Carbide Co)
Figure 1.8. Schematic diagram of the cemented tungsten carbide manufacturing process.
Chap. 1: Cutting-Tool Materials
6 Tooling & Production/Chapter 1 www.toolingandproduction.com
A more detailed schematic diagram
of the cemented tungsten carbide manu-
facturing process is shown in Figure
1.8.
1.3.2 Classification of Carbide Tools
Cemented carbide products are classi-
fied into three major grades:
Wear Grades: Used primarily in
dies, machine and tool guides, and in
such everyday items as the line guides
on fishing rods and reels; anywhere
good wear resistance is required.
Impact Grades: Also used for dies,
particularly for stamping and forming,
and in tools such as mining drill heads.
Cutting Tool Grades: The cutting
tool grades of cemented carbides are
divided into two groups depending on
their primary application. If the carbide
is intended for use on cast iron which is
a nonductile material, it is graded as a
cast iron carbide. If it is to be used to
cut steel, a ductile material, it is graded
as a steel grade carbide.
Cast iron carbides must be more
resistant to abrasive wear. Steel car-
bides require more resistance to crater-
ing and heat. The tool wear characteris-
tics of various metals are different,
thereby requiring different tool proper-
ties. The high abrasiveness of cast iron
causes mainly edge wear to the tool.
The long chip of steel, which flows
across the tool at normally higher cut-
ting speeds, causes mainly cratering and
heat deformation to the tool. Tool wear
characteristics and chip formation will
be discussed in Chapter 2.
It is important to choose and use the
correct carbide grade for each job appli-
cation. There are several factors that
make one carbide grade different from
another and therefore more suitable for
a specific application. The carbide
grades may appear to be similar, but the
difference between the right and wrong
carbide for the job, can mean the differ-
ence between success and failure.
Figure 1.8 illustrates how carbide is
manufactured, using pure tungsten car-
bide with a cobalt binder. The pure
tungsten carbide makes up the basic car-
bide tool and is often used as such, par-
ticularly when machining cast iron.
This is because pure tungsten carbide is
extremely hard and offers the best resis-
tance to abrasive wear.
Large amounts of tungsten carbide
are present in all of the grades in the two
cutting groups and cobalt is always used
as the binder. The more common alloy-
ing additions to the basic
tungsten/cobalt material are: tantalum
carbide, and titanium carbide.
While some of these alloys may be
present in cast iron grades of cutting
tools, they are primarily added to steel
grades. Pure tungsten carbide is the
most abrasive-resistant and will work
most effectively with the abrasive
nature of cast iron. The addition of the
alloying materials such as tantalum car-
bide and titanium carbide offers many
benefits:
The most significant benefit of tita-
nium carbide is that it reduces cra-
tering of the tool by reducing the ten-
dency of the long steel chips to erode
the surface of the tool.
The most significant contribution of
tantalum carbide is that it increases
the hot hardness of the tool which, in
turn, reduces thermal deformation.
Varying the amount of cobalt binder
in the tool material largely affects both
the cast iron and steel grades in three
ways. Cobalt is far more sensitive to
heat than the carbide around it. Cobalt
is also more sensitive to abrasion and
chip welding. Therefore, the more
cobalt present, the softer the tool is,
making it more sensitive to heat defor-
mation, abrasive wear, and chip welding
and leaching which causes cratering.
On the other hand, cobalt is stronger
than carbide. Therefore more cobalt
improves the tool strength and resis-
tance to shock. The strength of a car-
bide tool is expressed in terms of
Transverse Rupture Strength (TRS).
Figure 1.9 shows how Transverse
Rupture Strength is measured.
The third difference between the cast
iron and steel grade cutting tools, is car-
bide grain size. The carbide grain size
is controlled by the ball mill process.
There are some exceptions, such as
micro-grain carbides, but generally the
smaller the carbide grains, the harder
the tool. Conversely, the larger the car-
bide grain, the stronger the tool.
Carbide grain sizes at 1500x magnifica-
tion are shown in Exhibits 1.10 and
1.11.
In the C- classification method
(Figure 1.12), grades C-1 through C-4
are for cast iron and grades C-5 through
C-8 for steel. The higher the C- number
in each group, the harder the grade, the
lower the C- number, the stronger the
grade. The harder grades are used for
finish cut applications; the stronger
grades are used for rough cut applica-
tions.
Many manufacturers produce and
Figure 1.9. The method used to measure Transverse Rupture Strength (TRS) is shown as
well as the relationship of TRS to cobalt (Co) content.
Figure 1.10. Carbide grain size (0.8
micron WC @ 1500) consisting of 90%
WC and 10% Co.
Figure 1.11. Carbide grain size (7 microns
WC @ 1500) consisting of 90% WC and
10% Co.
Chap. 1: Cutting-Tool Materials
www.toolingandproduction.com Chapter 1/Tooling & Production 7
distribute charts showing a comparison
of their carbide grades with those of
other manufacturers. These are not
equivalency charts, even though they
may imply that one manufacturers car-
bide is equivalent to that of another
manufacturer. Each manufacturer
knows his carbide best and only the
manufacturer of that specific carbide
can accurately place that carbide on the
C- chart. Many manufacturers, espe-
cially those outside the U. S., do not use
the C- classification system for car-
bides. The placement of these carbides
on a C- chart by a competing company
is based upon similarity of application
and is, at best an educated guess.
Tests have shown a marked difference
in performance among carbide grades
that manufacturers using the C- classifi-
cation system have listed in the same
category.
1.3.3 Coated Carbide Tools
While coated carbides have been in
existence since the late 1960s, they did
not reach their full potential until the
mid 1970s. The first coated carbides
were nothing more than standard car-
bide grades which were subjected to a
coating process. As the manufacturers
gained experience in producing coated
carbides, they began to realize that the
coating was only as good as the base
carbide under the coating (known as the
substrate).
It is advisable to consider coated car-
bides for most applications. When the
proper coated carbide, with the right
edge preparation is used in the right
application, it will generally outperform
any uncoated grade. The microstructure
of a coated carbide insert at 1500x mag-
nification is shown in Figure 1.13.
Numerous types of coating materials
are used, each for a specific application.
It is important to observe the dos and
donts in the application of coated car-
bides. The most common coating mate-
rials are:
Titanium Carbide
Titanium Nitride
Ceramic Coating
Diamond Coating
Titanium Carbo-Nitride
In addition, multi-layered combina-
tions of these coating materials are
used. The microstructure of a multi-
layered coated carbide insert at 1500x
magnification is shown in Figure 1.14.
In general the coating process is
accomplished by chemical vapor
deposition (CVD). The substrate is
placed in an environmentally con-
trolled chamber having an elevated
temperature. The coating material is
then introduced into the chamber as a
chemical vapor. The coating material
is drawn to and deposited on the sub-
strate by a magnetic field around the
substrate. It takes many hours in the
chamber to achieve a coating of
0.0002 to 0.0003 inch on the substrate.
Another process is Physical Vapor
Deposition (PVD).
Titanium Carbide Coating: Of all
the coatings, titanium carbide is the
most widely used. Titanium carbide is
used on many different substrate mate-
rials for cutting various materials
under varying conditions. Titanium
carbide coatings allow the use of higher
cutting speeds because of their greater
resistance to abrasive wear and crater-
ing and higher heat resistance.
Titanium Nitride Coating - Gold
Color: Titanium nitride is used on
many different substrate materials. The
primary advantage of titanium nitride is
its resistance to cratering. Titanium
nitride also offers some increased abra-
sive wear resistance and a significant
increase in heat resistance permitting
higher cutting speeds. It is also said that
titanium nitride is more slippery, allow-
ing chips to pass over it, at the cutting
interface, with less friction.
Ceramic Coating - Black Color:
Because aluminum oxide (ceramic) is
extremely hard and brittle, it is not opti-
Classification
Number
Materials to
be Machined
Cast iron,
nonferrous
metals, and
nonmetallic
materials
requiring
abrasion
resistance
C-1
C-2
C-3
C-4
Steels and steel-
alloys requiring
crater and
deformation
resistance
C-5
C-6
C-7
C-8
Machining
Operation
Roughing
cuts
General
purpose
Finishing
Precision
boring and
fine finishing
Roughing
cuts
General
purpose
Finishing
Precision
boring and
fine finishing
Type of
Carbide
Wear-
resistant
grades;
generally
straight
WCCo
with varying
grain sizes
Crater-
resistant
grades;
various
WWCCo
compositions
with TIC
and/or TaC
alloys
Cut
Increasing
cutting speed
Increasing
feed rate
Characteristics Of
Carbide
Typical Properties
Hardness
H-Ra
Transverse
Rupture
Strength
(MPa)
89.0
2,400
92.0
1,725
92.5
1,400
93.5
1,200
91.0
2,070
92.0
1,725
93.0
1,380
94.0
1,035
Increasing
cutting speed
Increasing
feed rate
Increasing
hardness and
wear resistance
Increasing
strength and
binder content
Increasing
hardness and
wear resistance
Increasing
strength and
binder content
Figure 1.12. Classification, application, characteristics, and typical properties of metal-cut-
ting carbide grades.
Figure 1.13. Microstructure of a coated
carbide insert at 1500 magnification.
(Courtesy of Kennamental Inc.)
Figure 1.14. Microstructure of a multilay-
ered coated carbide insert at 1500 magni-
fication. (Courtesy of Kennamental Inc.)
Chap. 1: Cutting-Tool Materials
8 Tooling & Production/Chapter 1 www.toolingandproduction.com
mal for interrupted cuts, scaly cuts, and
hard spots in the workpiece. This is not
to say that it will never work under
these conditions, but it may be more
subject to failure by chipping. Even
with these limitations, aluminum oxide
is probably the greatest contributor to
the coated carbides. Aluminum oxide
ceramic allows much higher cutting
speeds than other coated carbides
because of its outstanding resistance to
abrasive wear and its resistance to heat
and chemical interaction.
Diamond Coating: A recent devel-
opment concerns the use of diamond
polycrystalline as coating for tungsten
carbide cutting tools. Problems exist
regarding adherence of the diamond
film to the substrate and the difference
in thermal expansion between diamond
and substrate materials. Thin-film dia-
mond coated inserts are now available
using either PVD (Physical Vapor
Deposition) or CVD (Chemical Vapor
Deposition) coating methods. Diamond
coated tools are effective in machining
abrasive materials, such as aluminum
alloys containing silicon, fiber rein-
forced materials, and graphite.
Improvements in tool life of as much as
tenfold have been obtained over other
coated tools.
Titanium Carbo-Nitride - Black
Color Multilayered Coatings:
Titanium carbo-nitride normally
appears as the intermediate layer of two
or three phase coatings. The role of tita-
nium carbo-nitride is one of neutrality,
helping the other coating layers to bond
into a sandwich-like structure (Figure 1-
14). Other multi-layer coating combi-
nations are being developed to effec-
tively machine stainless steels and aero-
space alloys. Chromium-
based coatings such as
chromium carbide have been
found to be effective in
machining softer metals such
as aluminum, copper, and
titanium.
There are a few important
points to remember about
using coated carbides.
Coated carbides will not
always out-perform uncoated
grades but because of the
benefits offered by coated
carbides, they should always
be a first consideration when
selecting cutting tools.
When comparing the cost
between coated and uncoated
carbides there will be little difference
when the benefits of coated carbides are
considered. Because coated carbides
are more resistant to abrasive wear, cra-
tering, and heat, and because they are
more resistant to work material build-up
at lower cutting speeds, tool life is
extended, reducing tool replacement
costs. Coated carbides permit operation
at higher speeds, reducing production
costs.
All coated carbides have an edge
hone to prevent coating build-up during
the coating process. This is because the
coating will generally seek sharp edges.
The edge hone is usually very slight and
actually extends tool life. However, a
coated insert should never be reground
or honed. If a special edge preparation
is required the coated carbides must be
ordered that way. The only time the
edge hone may be of any disadvantage
is when making a very light finishing
cut. Carbide insert edge preparations
will be discussed in Chapter 2.
1.4 Ceramic and Cermet Tools
Ceramic Aluminum Oxide (Al
2
O
3
)
material for cutting tools was first
developed in Germany sometime
around 1940. While ceramics were
slow to develop as tool materials,
advancements made since the mid
1970s have greatly improved their use-
fulness. Cermets are basically a combi-
nation of ceramic and titanium carbide.
The word cermet is derived from the
words ceramic and metal.
Ceramic Cutting Tools: Ceramics
are non-metallic materials. This puts
them in an entirely different category
than HSS and carbide tool materials.
The use of ceramics as cutting tool
material has distinct advantages and
disadvantages. The application of
ceramic cutting tools is limited because
of their extreme brittleness. The trans-
verse rupture strength (TRS) is very
low. This means that they will fracture
more easily when making heavy or
interrupted cuts. However, the strength
of ceramics under compression is much
higher than HSS and carbide tools.
There are two basic types of ceramic
material; hot pressed and cold pressed.
In hot pressed ceramics, usually black
or gray in color, the aluminum oxide
grains are pressed together under
extremely high pressure and at a very
high temperature to form a billet. The
billet is then cut to insert size. With
cold pressed ceramics, usually white in
color, the aluminum oxide grains are
pressed together, again under extremely
high pressure but at a lower tempera-
ture. The billets are then sintered to
achieve bonding. This procedure is
similar to carbide manufacture, except
no metallic binder material is used.
While both hot and cold pressed ceram-
ics are similar in hardness, the cold
pressed ceramic is slightly harder. The
hot pressed ceramic has greater trans-
verse rupture strength. Various shapes
of both hot and cold pressed ceramic
inserts are shown in Figure 1.15.
The brittleness, or relative strength,
of ceramic materials is their greatest
disadvantage when they are compared
to HSS or carbide tools. Proper tool
geometry and edge preparation play an
important role in the application of
ceramic tools and help to overcome
their weakness. Some of the advantages
of ceramic tools are:
High strength for light cuts on very
hard work materials.
Extremely high resistance
to abrasive wear and cra-
tering.
Capability of running at
speeds in excess of 2000
SFPM.
Extremely high hot hard-
ness.
Low thermal conductivi-
ty.
While ceramics may not
be the all-around tool for
the average shop, they can
be useful in certain appli-
cations. Ceramic tools
have been alloyed with zir-
conium (about 15%) to
increase their strength.
Figure 1.15. Various sizes and shapes of hot- and cold-pressed ceramic
inserts. (Courtesy Greenleaf Corp.)
Chap. 1: Cutting-Tool Materials
www.toolingandproduction.com Chapter 1/Tooling & Production 9
Many ceramic tool manufacturers are
recommending the use of ceramic tools
for both rough cutting and finishing
operations. Practical shop experience
indicates that these recommendations
are somewhat optimistic. To use ceram-
ic tools successfully, insert shape, work
material condition, machine tool capa-
bility, set-up, and general machining
conditions must all be correct. High
rigidity of the machine tool and set-up is
also important for the application of
ceramic tools. Ceramics are being
developed to have greater strength
(higher TRS). Some manufacturers are
offering ceramic inserts with positive
geometry and even formed chip breaker
grooves.
Cermet Cutting Tools: The manu-
facturing process for cermets is similar
to the process used for hot pressed
ceramics. The materials, approximately
70 percent ceramic and 30 percent tita-
nium carbide, are pressed into billets
under extremely high pressure and tem-
perature. After sintering, the billets are
sliced to the desired tool shapes.
Subsequent grinding operations for
final size and edge preparation, com-
plete the manufacturing process.
The strength of cermets is greater
than that of hot pressed ceramics.
Therefore, cermets perform better on
interrupted cuts. However, when com-
pared to solid ceramics, the presence of
the 30 percent titanium carbide in cer-
mets decreases the hot hardness and
resistance to abrasive wear. The hot
hardness and resistance to abrasive wear
of cermets are high when compared to
HSS and carbide tools. The greater
strength of cermets allows them to be
available in a significantly larger selec-
tion of geometries, and to be used in
standard insert holders for a greater
variety of applications. The geometries
include many positive/negative, and
chip breaker configurations.
Silicon-Nitride Base Ceramics:
Developed in the 1970s, silicon-nitride
(SIN) base ceramic tool materials con-
sist of silicon nitride with various addi-
tions of aluminum oxide,
yttrium oxide, and titanium
carbide. These tools have
high toughness, hot hard-
ness and good thermal
shock resistance. Sialon
for example is recommend-
ed for machining cast irons
and nickel base superalloys
at intermediate cutting
speeds.
1.5 Diamond, CBN and
Whisker-Reinforced
Tools
The materials described
here are not commonly
found in a heavy metal
working environment.
They are most commonly
used in high speed auto-
matic production systems
for light finishing of precision surfaces.
To complete the inventory of tool mate-
rials, it is important to note the charac-
teristics and general applications of
these specialty materials.
Diamond: The two types of dia-
monds being used as cutting tools are
industrial grade natural diamonds, and
synthetic polycrystalline diamonds.
Because diamonds are pure carbon, they
have an affinity for the carbon of fer-
rous metals. Therefore, they can only
be used on non-ferrous metals.
Some diamond cutting tools are made
of a diamond crystal compaction (many
small crystals pressed together) bonded
to a carbide base (Fig. 1.16). These dia-
mond cutting tools should only be used
for light finishing cuts of precision sur-
faces. Feeds should be very light and
speeds are usually in excess of 5000
surface feet per minute (SFPM).
Rigidity in the machine tool and the set-
up is very critical because of the
extreme hardness and brittleness of dia-
mond.
Cubic Boron Nitride: Cubic boron
nitride (CBN) is similar to diamond in
its polycrystalline structure and is also
bonded to a carbide base. With the
exception of titanium, or titanium
alloyed materials, CBN will work effec-
tively as a cutting tool on most common
work materials. However, the use of
CBN should be reserved for very hard
and difficult-to-machine materials.
CBN will run at lower speeds, around
600 SFPM, and will take heavier cuts
with higher lead angles than diamond.
Still, CBN should mainly be considered
as a finishing tool material because of
its extreme hardness and brittleness.
Machine tool and set-up rigidity for
CBN as with diamond, is critical.
Whisker-Reinforced Materials: In
order to further improve the perfor-
mance and wear resistance of cutting
tools to machine new work materials
and composites, whisker-reinforced
composite cutting tool materials have
been developed. Whisker-reinforced
materials include silicon-nitride base
tools and aluminum-oxide base tools,
reinforced with silicon-carbide (SiC)
whiskers. Such tools are effective in
machining composites and nonferrous
materials, but are not suitable for
machining irons and steels.
Figure 1.16. Polycrystalline diamond material bonded to a
carbide base of various sizes and shapes. (Courtesy of
Sandvik Coromant Co.)