Abstract
Recently, nanosecond laser has been increasingly applied to process functional surfaces of cemented carbides in the tool industry, that have high finishing requirements for geometric precision. Coating is a common surface treatment for cemented carbides to improve their mechanical and thermal properties. In this work, micro-scratch tests were conducted on a PVD-coated cemented carbide grade, which was previously processed by a nanosecond laser. Scratch performance was evaluated and compared to the non-laser processed one in terms of their acoustic emission, penetration, and friction. Scratch tracks were inspected using SEM. The first results demonstrate that laser processing was beneficial to the scratch performance of the coated cemented carbide grade as less penetration and surface damage were induced.
