Scientists at Perm National Research Polytechnic University (PNRPU) have come up with a way to extend the service life of metal-cutting tools. The effect is achieved by spraying a hardening coating of titanium-aluminum nitride (TiAlN) on them.
When a milling cutter, drill or other tool with this or another multicomponent coating is working, a thin oxide protective layer is formed on its surface. This layer prevents build-up and increases the tool's performance and service life. However, the parameters of magnetron sputtering of the coating in order to form the most effective layer are still under study and refinement.
PNRPU has been working closely on these parameters. They determined the optimal pulse frequency when creating a TiAlN coating by magnetron sputtering.
Sputtering is a process in which atoms or molecules are transferred from a target, in this case from a material made of TiAlN, to the surface of a tool. This occurs in a vacuum chamber when a low-pressure gas, usually argon, is supplied. The gas is converted into a plasma by an electrical discharge, creating positively charged ions and free electrons. They move to the sputtered target and strike its atoms, knocking them out. The atoms then pass through the vacuum chamber and adhere to the tool, creating a thin, strong film on the surface. Under these conditions, it is possible to control the parameters of the metal plasma, forming the desired properties of the coating.
As part of the Strategic Academic Leadership Program "Priority 2030," scientists conducted experiments with magnetron sputtering of TiAlN on test samples made of high-speed steel at different pulse frequencies of 20 and 30 kHz. After that, they analyzed the microstructure of the material and found that pulses of 30 kHz are optimal: they compact the structure of the coating, and the surface roughness is significantly reduced. Metal-cutting tools with such a coating will work more efficiently and for longer.
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