Microstructuring of mechanically and thermally highly stressed surfaces offers an innovative alternative for adjusting tribological properties and thus reducing friction losses and wear. At the Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools (IFW) functional surfaces are structured via cutting. This paper introduces to the basic principles of manufacturing microstructures in ductile materials foccussing cutting tool-and process-dimensioning. Scratch tests are carried out at planar surfaces to describe the basic chacacteristics when producing structures in micron range. Due to the small structure depths, size effects have to be considered. On this account, influences and interrelations of cutting edge microgeometry, material properties, as well as cutting parameters are investigated. In order to avoid further finishing operations, sharp structures with tolerable burr formation have to be achieved.
