8.

0 ADVANCED TOOL MATERIALS

Introduction

Success in metal cutting depends upon the selection of the proper cutting tool
(material and geometry) for given work material. A wide range of cutting tool
materials is available with a variety of properties, performance capabilities, and cost.
These include high carbon steels and low/medium alloy steels, high-speeds
steels, cast cobalt alloys, cemented carbides, cast carbides, coated carbides, coated
high-speed steels, ceramics, sintered polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (CBN),
sintered polycrystalline diamond, and single-crystal natural diamond.

Figure 1
The acceleration of cutting tool material technology measured by permissible
cutting speed (sfpm) for machining steel.

Figure 1 present a chronological rating of cutting tools materials, showing the rapid
advances that have occurred in this field in the last two decades. The tool materials
are rated by their permissible cutting speed in machining steel material.

Tool material technology is advancing rapidly, enabling many difficult to

machine materials to be machined at higher removal rates and or cutting speeds with
greater performance reliability. Higher speed and or removal rates usually improve
productivity. Predictable tool performance is essential when machine tools are
computer controlled and have minimal operator interaction. Long tool life is desirable
when machines are placed in cellular manufacturing systems.
The cutting tool is subjected to severe condition. Tools temperatures of 1000
Celsius, severe friction, and high local stresses require that the tool have these
characteristics.
1. High hardness
2. Resistance to abrasion, wear, chipping of the cutting edge.
3. High toughness (impact strength).
4. High hot hardness
5. Strength to resist bulk deformation.
6. Good chemical stability (inertness or negligible affinity with the work
material).
7. Adequate thermal properties.
8. High elastic modulus (stiffness)
9. Consistent tool life.
10. Correct geometry and surface finish.

Naturally, it would be most convenient if these materials were also easy to fabricate,
readily available, and inexpensive, since cutting tools are routinely replaced.
Obviously many of the requirement conflict, and therefore, tool selection will always
require trade-offs. Refer table 1.
 Carbon High- Sintered Coated Coated Ceramics Polycrystal Diamond
and Low/ speed (demente HSS Carbides line
Medium steels d)
Alloy Steels Carbides
Toughness Decreasin
g
Hot Increasing
hardness
Impact Decreasing
strength
Wear Increasing
Resistance
Chipping Decreasing
resistance
Cutting Increasing
Speed
Deep of Light to Light to Light to Light to Light to Light to Light to Very light
cut medium heavy heavy heavy heavy heavy heavy for single
crystal
diamond
Finish Rough Rough Good Good Good Very Very good Excellent
obtainable good
Method of Wrought Wrought Cold PVD after CVD Cold High High
manufactu cast, HIP pressing forming pressing pressure, pressure,
re sintering and and high high
sintering, sintering temperature temperatur
PM or HIP sintering e sintering
sintering
Fabricatio Machining Machining Grinding Machining Grinding Grinding Grinding Grinding
n and and and before and and
grinding grinding grinding, coating polishing polishing
coating
Thermal Increasing
shock
resistance
Tool Increasing
material
cost
 Table 1: Compares these properties for various cutting tool materials.

8.1 Sintered Tungsten Carbide Tools

These nonferrous alloys are called sintered (or cemented) carbide because they are
manufactured by powder metallurgy techniques. These materials became popular
during World War II as they afforded a four or five fold increase in cutting speeds.
They early versions, which are still widely used, had tungsten carbide as the major
constituent, with a cobalt binder in amount of 3% to 13%. Most carbide tools in use
today are WC-based (either straight WC or multicarbides of W-Ti or W-Ti-Ta,
depending upon the work material to be machined with cobalt as the binder.

Characteristics and Properties

These tool materials are much harder, and chemically more stable; they have better,
 Hot hardness
 High stiffness
 Lower friction
 Operate at higher cutting speeds than HSS & cobalt alloys.

But the material has several of disadvantages such as:-

 Brittle
 More expensive
 Use strategic metals (W, Ta, Co)
Application

Cemented carbide tool materials based on TiC have been developed primarily for auto
industry applications using predominantly Ni and Mo as a binder. These are used for
higher speed (>1000ft./ min) finish-machining of steel, and some malleable cast irons.

Cemented carbides tools are available in insert form in many different shapes, which
is:
 Squares
 Triangles
 Diamonds and,
 Rounds

They can be either:-

a) brazed or
b) mechanically clamped onto the tool shank.

a) Brazed tools are more accurate than insert tools because the tip is permanent.
Insert can be ground to closer tolerance. Naturally precision-ground inserts
cost more.

b) The latter (mechanically) is more popular because when one edge becomes
dull, the insert is rotated or turned over for new edge.

8.3 Cubic Boron Nitrides

CBN is a man-made tool material, developed by General Electric, (called Borazon). It
is made in a compact form for tools by a process quite similar to that used for sintered
polycrystalline diamonds. It retains its hardness at elevated temperatures (Knoop 4700
at 20° C, 4000 at 1000°C) and has low chemical reactivity at the tool/chip interface.
This material can be used