Ceratizit’s Dragonskin Multilayer Tool Coating for Improved Tool Life

Ceratizit’s Dragonskin multilayer tool coating on its cutting tools is designed for optimum protection against wear for long tool life, temperature resistance and process reliability. The high-performance coating is based on nanolayers, consisting of the appropriate combination of different coating systems and coating technologies, resulting in maximum protection against external influences and effectively reducing premature tool wear, the company says.

Because the coating consists of nanometer-thin layers, the company combines different properties of different chemical compositions to achieve desired results. For example, the company’s CVD cutting material grade CTCM245 — which was specially developed for machining high-alloy steels — incorporates a very tough substrate, an Al2O3 layer, a compound layer and a TiCN layer to ensure the best performance. The combination provides temperature resistance to reduce thermal shocks, which is said to enable higher cutting speeds along with reduced flank and scour wear during the machining of high-alloy steels.

To quickly and efficiently move chips away from the tool as quickly as possible, it is said the aftertreatment of Dragonskin produces extremely smooth surfaces which have a positive effect on the contact friction between chip and rake face. This further reduces wear for even longer tool life and up to 80% increased overall performance, the company says.