New generation anti-wear coatings for cutting tools

The coating technology for hard materials is known to be essential for achieving the surface improvements which are so important for today's cutting applications. In this article, extensive studies on the phase relations, microhardness and oxidation properties of hard coatings obtained in a TiN-AlN system using the cathodic arc ion plating method were carried out. In particular, (Ti,Al)N coatings seem to be a promising alternative to TiN coatings. The `second' super hard cubic BN films were synthesized by means of an arc-like plasma-enhanced ion plating process. The hardest CVD diamond coatings `known' were also prepared on carbide inserts and the metal cutting performance was investigated.