SEGMENTAL LASER STRIPPING OF THIN COATINGS ON MONOLITHIC CUTTING TOOLS

Abstract

This study outlines the methodology of the new approach of laser stripping technique in functional surfaces of monolithic cutting tools. Starting from the initialization test of the coating thickness using a laser calotest including beam-material interaction test, through the introduction of the main geometrical elements necessary for the analysis of the tool, the study discusses segmental laser stripping including its evaluation, where the effects of different segment modifications (overlapping, resizing, rotation or reordering) were investigated. The influence of the presented technology on the microgeometry of the tool was beneficial from several points of view: the area around the cutting edge can be influenced by the polarization of the laser beam and the resulting radius values show no negative influence of the substrate by the laser.