Correlating the Characterization and Machining Performance of Advanced PVD Coatings for Dry Turning

A coating can be a deciding factor for machining performance of a tool by improving its tool life and wear resistance. Additionally, a variety of elements, including coating thickness, composition ratio, layer sequencing in multilayer coatings, and deposition process, affect the coatings performance. In this study, the properties of single-layer AlTiCrN and AlTiN coatings deposited using PVD high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) and scalable pulse power plasma (S3p) and multilayer TiN/TiAlN- and AlTiN/TiAlN-coated carbide tools deposited using PVD cathodic arc evaporation (CAE) were investigated. Initially, the coatings were characterized for physical properties. Moreover, the performance of these coatings for dry machining of DSS2205 steel are described with respect to tool wear and tool life. It was observed that the AlTiCrN coating deposited by the HiPIMS technique exhibited excellent properties, including low surface roughness 0.19 /(in, coefficient of friction 0.35 /m, higher adhesion strength 110 N, and maximum operating temperature 1150 °C, followed by the S3p AlTiN coating with surface roughness 0.21 /(m, adhesion strength 107 N, coefficient of friction 0.34 /¿m, and 850 °C maximum operating temperature. The TiN/TiAlN coating exhibited poor properties among all the tools used. Machining performance confirmed the excellent results obtained through characterization for the AlTiCrN coating during dry machining of the DSS2205.