Scientists at Perm National Research Polytechnic University (PNRPU) have invented 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 multi-component coating is working, a thin oxide protective layer forms 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 to form the most effective layer are still under study and refinement.
PNRPU has been working closely on these parameters. They have determined the optimal pulse frequency for 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 TiAlN material, 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 plasma by an electrical discharge, creating positively charged ions and free electrons. They move towards 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 metallic 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 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 at 30 kHz are optimal: they densify the coating structure and significantly reduce the surface roughness. Metal-cutting tools with this coating will work more efficiently and longer.
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