Method of making a coated cutting tool and cutting tool thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of making a coated cutting tool comprising providing a substrate, and coating said substrate with a coating process wherein the coating process comprises at least one sequence comprising the steps of: depositing a non-metallic, functional layer or layer system, subjecting the surface of said non-metallic layer or layer system to an ion etching step, depositing at least one metallic interlayer, prior to the beginning of a new sequence. The method according to the invention makes it possible to achieve cutting tools with an increased tool life time. The invention also relates to a coated cutting tool made according to the method.

1 . A method of making a coated cutting tool comprising providing a substrate and coating said substrate with a coating process which comprises at least one sequence comprising the steps of:
 depositing a non-metallic, functional layer or layer system,   subjecting the surface of said non-metallic layer or layer system to an ion etching step,   depositing at least one metallic interlayer.   
   
   
       2 . A method of  claim 1  wherein the ion etching step is performed with argon ions. 
   
   
       3 . A method of  claim 1  wherein the ion etching step is performed with metal ions. 
   
   
       4 . A method of  claim 1  wherein the coating process is either PVD or PECVD. 
   
   
       5 . A method of  claim 1  wherein the metallic interlayer is a pure metal layer where the metal(s) are chosen from Ti, Mo, Al, Cr, V, Y, Nb, Hf, W, Ta, Zr or any mixture thereof. 
   
   
       6 . A method of  claim 1  wherein the metallic interlayer is a substoichiometric ceramic wherein the amount of the metal element is at least about 60 at % of the substoichiometric ceramic. 
   
   
       7 . A method of  claim 6  wherein the substoichiometric ceramic is an nitride, MeN where Me is a metal that is one or more of Ti, Mo, Al, Cr, V, Y, Nb, Hf, W, Ta, Zr, or mixtures thereof. 
   
   
       8 . A method of  claim 1  wherein the composition of the deposited, non-metallic layers or layer systems, is nitrides, oxides, borides, carbides, or combinations thereof, preferably one or more of (Al,Ti)N, TiN, Ti(C,N), (Al,Cr)N, CrN, Al 2 O 3 , Ti(B,N), TiB 2 , (Zr,Al)N, (Ti,X)N, where X can be one or more of Si, B, C, Ta, V, Y, Cr, Hf, Zr. 
   
   
       9 . A method of  claim 1  wherein the thickness of the metallic layers is from about 5 to about 500 nm. 
   
   
       10 . A method of  claim 1  wherein the thickness of the non-metallic layer or layer systems is from about 3 to about 200 times the thickness of the metallic interlayers. 
   
   
       11 . A method of  claim 1  wherein the total coating thickness is from about 0.5 to about 15 μm. 
   
   
       12 . A cutting tool made according to the method of  claim 1 .