PERFORMANCE OF TITANIUM NITRIDE-COATED CARBIDE-TIPPED CIRCULAR SAWS WHEN CUTTING STAINLESS-STEEL AND MILD-STEEL

The use of TiN coatings on cutting tools for general ferrous machining applications to enhance tool life and increase productivity is now we ll established. However, application of coatings to the carbide-tipped cutting tools using the PVD process is a new activity. In this invest igation a new experimental approach was used, in which TiN coatings we re applied to carbide tipped circular saw segments. The four cathode P VD technique was used for deposition at a low coating temperature. Thi s results in a fine-grain, thin, hard film with excellent adherence to the substrate. When deposited on tools, coating acts as a chemical an d thermal barrier between the tool and workpiece. Applications includi ng machining mild steel and stainless steel benefit from the coating. Comparison between coated carbide-tipped circular saws and uncoated ca rbide-tipped circular saws is presented. The cutting test results have shown that TiN-coated carbide-tipped circular saws presented much bet ter performance and longer tool life than the uncoated saws. This info rmation will be useful in the development of a coating system applied to the carbide-tipped circular saw using PVD. (C) 1997 Elsevier Scienc e S.A.