Cutting performance of tungsten carbide tools coated with diamond thin films after etching for various times

In this study, diamond thin films were deposited on tungsten carbide tools using surface-wave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (SWP-CVD). To eliminate the adverse effects of cobalt on the diamond deposition process, the cobalt was removed from the surface of the tools by etching with Murakami's reagent for various times (30, 60, and 120 min). The cutting performance of the untreated and the diamond-coated WC tools was examined by performing cutting test on carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP). The results showed that all the diamond-coated tools exhibited great improvement on the durability and wear resistance compared to the uncoated one. In addition, the diamond-coated tool lift time is found to be proportional to the etching time. An increase more than twofold has been achieved when the etch time was increased from 30 min to 120 min.