Abstract: The present invention relates to a cutting tool comprising a substrate and, a wear resistant coating, said wear resistant coating is composed of one or more layers of refractory compounds of which at least one layer consists of a multilayered MX/LX/MX/LX laminar structure where the alternating layers MX and LX are carbides or nitrides with the elements M and L selected from the group consisting of Ti, Nb, Hf, V, Ta, Mo, Zr, Cr, Al, Si or W and mixtures thereof, wherein the sequence of individual layer thicknesses has no repeat period but essentially aperiodic throughout the entire multilayered structure, and where the individual MX and LX layer thickness is larger than 0.1 ran but the sum of any 10 consecutive layers in the structure is smaller than 300 nm, and the total thickness of said multilayered structure is larger than 0.5 ?m but smaller than 20 ?m, deposited by PVD-technique, where at least one of MX or LX are electrically isolating, and a method of making such a cutting tool.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a cutting tool comprising a substrate and, a wear resistant coating, said wear resistant coating is composed of one or more layers of refractory compounds of which at least one layer consists of a multilayered MX/LX/MX/LX laminar structure where the alternating layers MX and LX are carbides or nitrides with the elements M and L selected from the group consisting of Ti, Nb, Hf, V, Ta, Mo, Zr, Cr, Al, Si or W and mixtures thereof, wherein the sequence of individual layer thicknesses has no repeat period but essentially aperiodic throughout the entire multilayered structure, and where the individual MX and LX layer thickness is larger than 0.1 ran but the sum of any 10 consecutive layers in the structure is smaller than 300 nm, and the total thickness of said multilayered structure is larger than 0.5 ?m, but smaller than 20 ?m, deposited by PVD-technique, where at least one of MX or LX are electrically isolating, and a method of making such a cutting tool.

Abstract: The present invention describes a coated cutting tool for metal machining. The coating is formed by one or more layers of refractory compounds of which at least one layer of fine-grained, crystalline &ggr;-phase alumina, Al2O3, with a grainsize less than 0.1 &mgr;m. The Al2O3 layer is deposited with a bipolar pulsed DMS technique (Dual Magnetron Sputtering) at substrate temperatures in the range 450° C. to 700° C. preferably 550° C. to 650° C., depending on the particular material of the tool body to be coated. Identification of the &ggr;-phase alumina is made by X-ray diffraction. Reflexes from the (400) and (440) planes occurring at the 2&thgr;0- angles 45.8 and 66.8 degrees when using CuK&agr; radiation identify the &ggr;-phase Al2O3. The alumina layer is also very strongly textured in the [440]-direction. The Al2O3 layer is virtually free of cracks and halogen impurities. Furthermore, the Al2O3 layer gives the cutting edge of the tool an extremely smooth surface finish.

Abstract: The present invention describes a coated cutting tool for metal maching. The coating is formed by one or more layers of refractory compounds of which at least one layer of fine-grained, crystalline &ggr;-phase alumina, Al2O3, with a grainsize less than 0.1 &mgr;m. The Al2O3 layer is deposited with a bipolar pulsed DMS technique (Dual Magnetron Sputtering) at substrate temperatures in the range 450° C. to 700 C.° preferably 550 C.° to 650 C.°, depending on the particular material of the tool body to be coated. Identification of the &ggr;-phase alumina is made by X-ray diffraction. Reflexes from the (400) and (440) planes occurring at the 2&thgr;-angles 45.8 and 66.8 degrees when using CuK&agr; radiation identify the &ggr;-phase Al2O3. The alumina layer is also very strongly textured in the [440]-direction. The Al2O3 layer is virtually free of cracks and halogen impurities. Furthermore, the Al2O3 layer gives the cutting edge of the tool an extremely smooth surface finish.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing a coated cutting tool consisting of a coating and a substrate, wherein at least one refractory layer consisting of fine-grained, crystalline &ggr;-Al2O3 is deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering onto the moving substrate in a vacuum by pulsed magnetron sputtering in a mixture of a rare gas and a reactive gas at a pulse frequency set for 10 to 100 kHz. The deposition occurs with a rate of at least 1 nm/s with reference to a stationarily arranged substrate at a magnetron target power density in time average set for at least 10 W/cm2. The substrate temperature is in the range 400 to 700° C. and the flux of impinging particles onto each individual substrate is cyclically interrupted.

Abstract: The present invention describes a coated substrate material. The coating is formed by one or more layers of refractory compounds of which at least one layer of fine-grained, crystalline &ggr;-phase alumina, Al2O3, with a grainsize less than 0.1 &mgr;m. The Al2O3layer is deposited with a bipolar pulsed DMS technique (Dual Magnetron Sputtering) at substrate temperatures in the range 450° C. to 700° C., preferably 550° C. to 650° C., depending on the particular substrate material. Identification of the &ggr;-phase alumina is made by X-ray diffraction. Reflexes from the (400) and (440) planes occurring at the 2&thgr;-angles 45.8 and 66.8 degrees when using CuK&agr; radiation identify the &ggr;-phase Al2O3. The alumina layer is also very strongly textured in the [440]-direction. The Al2O3 layer is virtually free of cracks and halogen impurities. Furthermore, the Al2O3 layer gives the cutting edge of the tool an extremely smooth surface finish.

Abstract: There is disclosed a cutting tool comprising a body of a sintered cemented carbide or cermet, ceramic or high speed steel on which at least on the functioning parts of the surface of the body, a thin, adherent, hard and wear resistant coating is applied. The coating comprises a laminar structure of refractory compounds in a polycrystalline, repetitive form, (MLX/Al2O3)/(MLX/Al2O3)/(MLX/Al2O3)/(MLX/Al2O3)/ . . . , where the alternating sublayers consist of metal nitrides (or carbides) and crystalline alumina of the alpha (&agr;)- and/or the gamma (&ggr;) phase, preferably of metal nitrides and crystalline alumina of the gamma phase, and in said coating the sequence of individual layer thicknesses has no repeat period but is essentially aperiodic throughout the entire multilayered structure. The metal elements in the layers MLX are selected from Ti, Nb, Hf, V, Ta, Mo, Zr, Cr, W, Al and mixtures thereof. The total thickness of said multilayered coating is between 0.5 and 20 &mgr;m.

Abstract: The present invention describes a coated cutting tool for metal machining. The coating is composed of one or more layers of refractory compounds of which at least one layer consists of fine-grained, crystalline &ggr;-phase alumina, Al2O3, with a grainsize less than 0.1 &mgr;m. The Al2O3 layer is deposited with a bipolar pulsed DMS technique (Dual Magnetron Sputtering) at substrate temperatures in the range 450° C. to 700° C., preferably 550° C. to 650° C., depending on the particular material of the tool body to be coated. Identification of the &ggr;-phase alumina is made by X-ray diffraction. Reflexes from the (400) and (440) planes occurring at at the 2&thgr;-angles 45.8 and 66.8, degrees when using CuK&agr; radiation identify the &ggr;-phase Al2O3. The alumina layer is also very strongly textured in the [440]-direction.

Abstract: The present invention describes a coated cutting tool for metal machining. The coating is formed by one or more layers of a refractory compound of which at least one layer of fine-grained, crystalline &ggr;-phase alumina, Al2O3, with a grain size of less than 0.1 &mgr;m. The Al2O3 layer is deposited with a bipolar pulsed DMS technique (Dual Magnetron Sputtering) at substrate temperatures in the range 450° C. to 700° C., preferably 550° C. to 650° C., depending on the particular material of the tool body to be coated. Identification of the &ggr;-phase alumina is made by X-ray diffraction. Reflexes from the (400) and (440) planes occurring at the 2&thgr;-angles 45.8 and 66.8 degrees when using Cu&kgr;&agr; radiation identify the &ggr;-phase Al2O3. The alumina layer is also very strongly textured in the [(440)]-direction. The Al2O3 layer is virtually free of cracks and halogen impurities. Furthermore, the Al2O3 layer gives the cutting edge of the tool an extremely smooth surface finish.

Abstract: A method for depositing refractory alumina (A.sub.2 O.sub.3) thin layers on cutting tools made of cemented carbide, cermet, ceramics or high speed steel is disclosed. The present method is a Plasma Activated Chemical Vapor Deposition (PACVD) process in which the plasma is produced by applying a bipolar pulsed DC voltage across two electrodes to which the tool substrates to be coated are fixtured and electrically connected.In contrast to prior art methods, built-up electrical charge on non-conducting surfaces is suppressed and hence, no arcing occurs on said surfaces. This will permit stable, long-term processing,With the present method, high-quality coatings of either single phase gamma-Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 or of a mixture of gamma- and alpha-Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 phases can be deposited on cutting tools at deposition temperatures as low as 500.degree. C.

Abstract: A sintered hard material body is at least partly coated with at least one 0.5-20 .mu.m wear resistant ceramic oxide coating being <80% thicker in the edges than on the flat surfaces. The oxide coating exhibits a grain size (.O slashed.) in .mu.m for which:.O slashed..ltoreq.kx+awherex is coating thickness in .mu.m on at least 80% of the flat surface of the body,k=0.5, preferably 0.3, anda=2 .mu.m for 4.ltoreq.x<20 and a=0 for 0.5<x<4.The oxide coating is achieved by using a deposition process in which the body is in contact with a gas containing one or more halides of a metal or metals and a hydrolyzing and/or oxidizing agent forming the metal oxides and with an additional reactant (dopant) of sulphur, phosphorus, selenium, tellurium, arsenic, antimony and/or bismuth and/or compounds thereof. The temperature during deposition is in the range of 800.degree.-1000.degree. C., preferably 850.degree.-970.degree. C., and the volume concentration of the additional reactant is 0.25-3%, preferably 0.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for coating components such as cutting tools with diamond using a microwave plasma excited gas mixture in a reactor equipped with a bowl-shaped substrate table having a concave inner surface for supporting the components to be coated. The plasma forms a plasma ball during the coating operation and the geometrical shape, configuration and position of the table is adapted to stabilize the plasma and control the shape and position of the plasma in such a way that the outer surface of the plasma conforms substantially to the surfaces of the components to be coated. The table can include a system of channels for optimized gas flow and metallic or ceramic wires or rods to control the shape and position of the plasma as well as yield additional excitation of the gas mixture. The table can include an upper rim which facilitates coupling of the plasma directly to the table. The table can include ledges, rods, compartments and/or holes for supporting the components to be coated.

Abstract: A method for coating components such as cutting tools with diamond using a microwave plasma excited gas mixture in a reactor equipped with a bowl-shaped substrate table having a concave inner surface for supporting the components to be coated. The plasma forms a plasma ball during the coating operation and the geometrical shape, configuration and position of the table is adapted to stabilize the plasma and control the shape and position of the plasma in such a way that the outer surface of the plasma conforms substantially to the surfaces of the components to be coated.