Al-Rich AlCr Coated Tool With Low-Droplet Sputtered Hard Coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Small-diameter tools coated with Al-rich AlCr nitride using arc ion plating suffer from high droplet formation, leading to reduced durability, while sputtering methods result in inferior wear resistance.
Innovation Solution
A coated tool with an Al-rich AlCr nitride or carbonitride hard coating, containing specific atomic ratios of Al and Cr, and a face-centered cubic lattice structure, is applied using a sputtering method to enhance durability by controlling crystal orientations and reducing droplet formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If arc ion plating method is used to form Al-rich AlCr nitride coating, then wear resistance and heat resistance are improved, but droplet formation increases leading to reduced durability
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the deposition parameters by using sputtering method instead of arc ion plating, and controls the crystal orientation parameters (α angle range) to achieve durable coating without droplets. The specific parameter control includes limiting intensity in 0°-70° range to 35% or less of maximum intensity at 80°-90°, which prevents droplet formation while maintaining wear resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite coating structure with Al-rich AlCr nitride or carbonitride having specific composition (65-90 atom% Al, 10-35 atom% Cr) combined with controlled crystal orientation. This composite approach of material composition and structural control achieves both wear resistance and durability without droplet defects.
2Reliability
If sputtering method is used to form hard coating, then droplet formation is reduced, but wear resistance becomes inferior compared to arc ion plating method
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the sputtering parameters to achieve strong (111) plane orientation with maximum intensity at 80°-90° and limited intensity at 0°-70° (35% or less of maximum). This parameter control transforms the sputtered coating into a durable hard coating with wear resistance comparable to arc ion plating, while maintaining the droplet-free advantage of sputtering.
3Strength
If Al-rich AlCr nitride coating is applied to small-diameter tools (2 mm or less), then coating performance is achieved, but droplet influence becomes significant reducing tool performance
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the arc ion plating mechanical process with sputtering method, substituting the high-energy arc discharge process with a controlled sputtering process. This substitution eliminates droplet formation mechanism while maintaining coating quality, which is particularly beneficial for small-diameter tools where droplet influence is magnified.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The coated tool achieves durability comparable to arc ion plating methods with reduced droplets, improving wear resistance and adhesion, and maintaining excellent heat resistance.
Implementation Method 1
The number of droplets can be reduced by using a sputtering method in the formation of a hard coating
Implementation Method 2
The hard coating has a face-centered cubic lattice structure, and shows a maximum intensity Ia in an α angle range of 80° to 90° in an X-ray intensity distribution on an α-axis in a positive pole figure of a (111) plane
Data Source
AI summary
A coated tool of the present invention includes a substrate and a hard coating on the substrate. The hard coating is a nitride or a carbonitride containing 65 atom % or more and 90 atom % or less of Al and 10 atom % or more and 35 atom % or less of Cr with respect to a total amount of metal elements including metalloid elements, and containing 0.50 atom % or less of argon (Ar), and has a face-centered cubic lattice structure. The hard coating shows a maximum intensity Ia in an α angle range of 80° to 90° in an X-ray intensity distribution on an α-axis in a positive pole figure of a (111) plane of the face-centered cubic lattice structure, and an intensity in an α angle range of 0° to 70° is 35% or less of the maximum intensity Ia.