An Analysis of Machined Surface Quality Using TiAlTaN-Coated Tools in AMPCO® Milling Operations

Over the years, a consistent evolution has been observed in developing materials for industrial applications and chip-start cutting processes. Improving cutting tools by applying advanced coatings has demonstrated great significance by extending tool life (TL) and ensuring improved surface quality. With the development of a wide range of coatings, it is crucial to analyse, understand, and investigate the phenomena that occur during metal cutting. The primary objective of this study is to assess, identify, and quantify the evaluation of the machined surface quality of milled AMPCO® (a Cu-Be alloy) with WC-Co uncoated and TiAlTaN-coated tools using Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD). Regarding this, milling tests were performed, and surface roughness (SR) evaluations were assessed while varying cutting length (Lcut) and feed rate (f) at three distinct levels. The results obtained with WC-Co uncoated differed from those obtained with TiAlTaN-coated tools. Parameters f and Lcut significantly influenced the quality of the machined surface. TiAlTaN-coated tools performed notably worse than uncoated tools, indicating that the coating did not provide any advantages, mainly due to the lack of adhesion.