Effect of Micro Super-Fine-Polishing Treatment on Wear Performance of Cemented Carbide Milling Cutters

Micro super-fine-polishing treatment (MST) was conducted on cemented carbide milling cutters before and after surface ion-plating TiAlN coatings. The effect of MST on the wear behavior and wear mechanism of the cutters was analyzed by methods such as scratch tests, wear loss measurement, roughness testing, morphology observation and composition analysis. The results show that applying MST after plating did not affect the bond strength of the coating and could reduce the surface roughness of the cutter, thereby reducing the cutting resistance; so the wear resistance of the MST cutter was significantly better than that of the cutter without MST. Although applying MST first and then preparing the coating could reduce the surface roughness of the cutter, it deteriorated the bonding performance of the coating, thereby affecting the effective protection of the coating on the cutter; so the wear resistance of the MST cutter was poorer than that of the cutter without MST. The wear mechanisms of the cemented carbide cutters were adhesive wear and oxidative wear, and applying MST after plating could inhibit adhesive wear and oxidative wear.