Effectiveness of various coatings on cermet cutting tools

Abstract The popularity of cermet tools in the machining environment has gained wide acceptance among the end users as more knowledge on the benefits of this tool is disseminated. Various techniques have been used to enhance the performance of metal cutting tools and one of the most popular routes is through the use of thin refractory hard coating. Unlike coated tungsten carbide tools, however, not all type of coatings deposited in cermet tools lead to improved performance. This paper reports an investigation where some of the more commonly used thin hard coatings (TiN, TiC, TiCN and Al 2 O 3 ) were deposited onto plain cermet tool through the Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) technique, and their wear performance through turning test studied. The results are discussed with respect to the contributions of the various coating materials to the performance of the cermet inserts.