Dormer Pramet has begun a partnership with several leading international institutions to increase understanding and knowledge of the chemical vapour deposited (CVD) coating on indexable inserts.

The project has been developed alongside the Germany-based technical university TU Bergakademie Freiberg Institute of Materials Science (IMS) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS).

It is part of the M-ERA.NET, an EU funded network ​which supports and increases the coordination of European research and innovation programs in materials science and engineering.

Protective coatings based on CVD are currently used in high-speed turning applications. They combine a high-wear resistance of titanium carbonitride with the excellent high-temperature resistance of aluminum oxide.

The detailed study will look at the coating’s composition and aim to develop a new interface architecture. This includes improving its cohesion by modifying the grain size and adjusting the preferred orientation of crystallites.

By analyzing the microstructure features and depositions of the crystallites will allow us to improve cutting performance, especially at high speeds and in material with Nickel-based content.

Having a better understanding of the coating’s material properties, will allow us to modify specific features to improve the hardness and toughness of CVD in our inserts. Also, the project will illustrate the capabilities of CVD multi-layers in protecting cutting tools when machining high-strength materials.

Increasing tool life and cutting speeds not only allows productivity to be strengthened, but it helps to save raw materials and minimize recycling costs.

We look forward to working with IMS and IKTS institutions and utilizing their vast knowledge and expertise to develop a better understanding of coatings for wider benefit within the industry.