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Latest News
Duralor Ground breaking Springdale Technology Park on May 28, 2008
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TuffTek FAQs |
FAQs for TuffTek® and Related Products
What is TuffTek®?TuffTek® is a nano-composite coating that is applied to carbide tools and inserts used in metal cuttings, enabling these tools to cut more efficiently and last longer than premium cutting tools on the market today. What exactly is this coating made of?TuffTek® is based on cubic boron nitride (cBN) particles and ceramic binders such as Titanium Nitride (TiN), Titanium Carbon Nitride (TiCN), Titanium Carbide (TiC), Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3), etc. It can also be combined with other abrasive particles such as Al2O3, Silicon Carbide (SiC), TiC, and related ceramic materials. Depending on the application the coating thickness is in the range of 5~30 µm. What are the main applications for TuffTek®?The first versions of TuffTek® are mainly for continuous machining of ferrous materials such as alloyed steels, with hardness up to 54 Hardness Rockwell C-scale (HRC), ferritic ductile irons, and powder metals. They can also be applied to machining stainless steel, high-temperature alloys, and Ti alloys. How is the TuffTek® coating applied to the cutting tool?TuffTek® is synthesized using a patented process, which consists of two sequential steps, starting with physical deposition of cubic boron nitride or other desired particles onto substrates, followed by chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) of ceramic binders such as TiN, TiCN or TiC to form a highly adherent and conformal composite coating. What is the advantage of using cubic boron nitride?Cubic boron nitride is the second hardest material known and provides strong resistance to abrasive wear. Additionally, it is stable when in contact with steel at high temperature, unlike diamond (which is the hardest material known). Therefore, the cubic boron nitride material we use in TuffTek® it is the preferred tool material for machining ferrous materials. Why is making this cubic boron nitride at the "nano-scale" important? What is "nano" anyway?Simply put, nano technology is the advancement of materials science down to the scale of molecules (or one thousandth the size of a strand of hair). It's all about making each atom "work harder". Materials produced at the nano scale (less than 100 nanometers) have demonstrated many unique properties that can not usually be found for bulk materials manufactured at a more conventional size. Nanosized cubic boron nitride has high hardness--which provides increased wear resistance and a high surface area--which helps to improve adhesion to the tool, and produces a smooth machined surface. How does TuffTek®--which is a cubic boron nitride coating on carbide inserts--compare to polycrystalline cubic boron nitride-tipped inserts or bulk inserts?The application of cBN in machine cutting tool inserts has been mainly been via using polycrystalline cBN (PCBN) in a monolithic form, fabricated using a high pressure and high temperature (HP-HT) process, which thus induces high cost. It is susceptible to micro-chipping at the cutting edge, and it is difficult to fabricate PCBN compacts in complex geometries such as chip-breaker inserts and rotary tools due to its structural rigidity. As a result, driven by the needs for hard turning as an alternative finishing process, enormous effort has been invested in exploring cBN as a high performance coating or as a thin film for cutting tools. Various physical and chemical vapor deposition methods have been studied by others for the deposition of cBN films with the ability to deposit cBN films up to 2 µm. These techniques have successfully demonstrated the potential to provide economic routes to the High Pressure-High Temperature synthesis technique. However, issues including high compressive stress, a low deposition rate, and the existence of hexagonal BN and/or tetragonal BN impurities in the synthesized film were still major hindrances associated with the successful coating of cBN film by others. TuffTek coating technology successfully addressed the above issues and is capable of producing a practical and robust coating thickness. What type of competitive insert coating does TuffTek® outperform?With the first versions of TuffTek® (up to 54 HRC, long life, suitability for alloyed steels, ferritic ductile irons, and powdered metals), the main competitor is PCBN tool cutting inserts. How do TuffTek® coated inserts compare cost-wise to Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) coated inserts?Depending on the size of the inserts and quantity, the price of the coating varies. But in all our current applications, the customer's overall annual tool cutting insert procurement cost is less with the use of TuffTek®-coated cutting tool inserts because our tool life is much longer. How much longer is a TuffTek® insert's life?How long a tool lasts depends on many factors, such as type of material cut, hardness of steel, speed of cut, etc. NanoMech has applications data comparing TuffTek to existing tool cutting inserts in a range of applications. One example shows TuffTek® compared to PVD TiAlN in continuous turning of AISI4340 hardened steel (50~53 HRC) at a material removal rate (MRR) of 5625 mm3--TuffTek produced 200% longer tool life than the PVD TiAlN coating. What's the best way to look at cost saving on inserts?One should not simply look at the price per insert, but rather, the cost of ownership. Balancing the price per insert with how many parts can be cut with an insert, which is dependent upon both how many cutting edges each insert has and how long that insert works in terms of number of parts cut. The real savings from TuffTek® are in increased productivity and reduced downtime, resulting from the increased number of parts cut per edge, which in turn reduces set-up and insert change costs and also increases the capacity of the machine. Is TuffTek® suitable for milling applications?The current version is NOT applicable for milling applications. However, development is in process for solutions for machining with interruptions such as milling applications. Can round tools such as end mills, drill bits be coated with TuffTek®?The TuffTek® technology can potentially be used in many applications. The first versions of TuffTek are not yet optimized for round tool applications. Is TuffTek® suitable for dry machining?TuffTek® can be used for continuous machining without cutting fluids. Like any tool, its life can be significantly extended for similar applications with cutting fluids. How do I decide whether TuffTek® is suitable for my specific applications?By answering the following questions or call 479-756-9999 for assistance:
Is TuffTek®'s manufacturing process done in-house?Yes. Manufacturing for TuffTek® is done at the new NanoMech-Duralor facility in Springdale, AR Is the TuffTek® technology patented and IP protected?Yes, TuffTek® technology is covered by issued patents, which are exclusively licensed to NanoMech-Duralor. What are the next applications TuffTek® will be applied to?Interrupted machining and cast irons. When will TuffTek® be ready for round tools such as endmills, drills, taps and reamers?The development of the TuffTek® for round tools is in the development stage. We hope to have it available for round tools in 2012. Please visit our website for updates on this development. How many TuffTek® coating grades are available?Currently, TuffTek® coating has two grades of coatings--NanoMech PHT100 and HT100. Both grades of coating are specifically developed for machining with minimized interruptions (preferably for continuous machining). PHT is mainly for machining pre-hardened steel; HT100 is mainly for machining hardened steel with hardness up to 54 RC and powder metal-prepared parts. Are there any specific requirements for inserts or substrate to be coated?For physical deposition of abrasive particles, a minimum surface electrical conductivity is needed for the substrate, as we use a proprietary coating process. All steels, carbides, and cermets are suitable. For CVI, it involves temperature as high as up to 1000oC; therefore, carbides and cermets are more suitable for TuffTek. Steel substrate may be coated, but post processing is required to eliminate stress for adhesion. Currently, we coat carbides inserts or substrates only. Are there any requirements for edge preparation?The TuffTek® coating process itself does not require any special edge preparation. Can you supply complete inserts coated with TuffTek® or can customers supply inserts for coating?Both. We provide complete inserts with TuffTek®. If customers prefer to supply their own inserts, it is advisable to contact our application engineers for the right choices. Typically, coating the inserts currently used by the customer gives the best results. How long does it take to get TuffTek® coated parts?Our business model is typically to coat inserts that you may normally use in your production. It typically takes about two weeks for coating and quality control after we receive the inserts from you or a third party supplier. Can I get TuffTek® from my distributor or cutting tool company?Currently, TuffTek® coated inserts are mainly available through direct sale. Interested distributors should contact us at 479-756-9999. Where can I buy TuffTek® coated tool cutting inserts?Please contact us through the Duralor website www.duralor.com, the NanoMech corporate web site www.nanomech.biz email at tufftek@nanomech.biz or call us at 479-756-9999 for more information. |
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