Atomic Level Changes
in Coating Causes Revolutionary Results

 

 

by Bob Goulding
Seco Tools Mgr

There are a number of approaches to improving the performance of coated products. Fine adjustments to the chemistry in the coating furnaces, more careful structural control of the individual coating layers (as there are numerous layers typically applied in both CVD and PVD coatings), top and bottom grinding of the coated inserts and even polishing the edges after coating. All are designed to improve quality, productivity or reduce cost.

However, advancements in cutting tool technology have typically been incremental, such as a new geometry, a new grade, or a new coating on a cutter body. The rare revolutionary change did come about with Seco Tools’ unique Duratomic™ methodology for developing coatings. Grades developed with the Duratomic process show dramatic increases both in the toughness and wear resistance of a cutting insert – two features that have always been diametrically opposed. In the past, in order to achieve improvement in one of these properties you had to sacrifice at least some of the other. The ability to increase both simultaneously virtually defied science.

As a background to understanding the development of the Duratomic coating process, it is important to review the development of the previous generation of aluminum oxide

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Duratomic milling – Seco has extended its Duratomic process into the development of numerous milling grades for steels and cast iron.