Cermet blade member for cutting-tools and process for producing same

Claim 2

A blade member for cutting-tools, comprising a substrate of cermet consisting, apart from unavoidable impurities, of: a binder phase of 5% to 30% by weight of at least one element selected from the group consisting of cobalt and nickel; and a hard dispersed phase of a balance composite carbonitride of titanium and at least one element selected from the group consisting of tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, niobium, hafnium and zirconium, said composite carbo-nitride satisfying the relationship of 0.2≦b/(a+b)≦0.7, where a and b denote atomic ratios of carbon and nitrogen, respectively; said substrate including a hard surface layer in which the region having the maximum hardness is present at a depth between 5 μm and 50 μm from a substrate surface thereof, said substrate surface having hardness of 20% to 90% of said maximum hardness.

Claim 3

A blade member for cutting-tools according to claim 1, in which said hard dispersed phase further contains at least one compound selected from the group consisting of tungsten carbide and titanium nitride.

Claim 4

A blade member product for cutting tools produced by the process of: (a) forming a mixture of 5-30% by weight of a powder of at least one element selected from the group consisting of cobalt and nickel for forming a binder phase, the balance being a powder of a carbo-nitride of titanium and at least one element selected from the group consisting of tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, niobium, hafnium and zirconium, for forming a hard dispersed phase, said composite carbo-nitride satisfying the relationship of 0.2≦b/(a+b)≦0.7, where a and b denote atomic ratios of carbon and nitrogen, respectively; (b) compacting said powder mixture into a green compact; and (c) sintering said green compact to provide a cermet substrate, said sintering step including effecting initial temperature elevation to 1100° C. in a vacuum, subsequently elevating said temperature from 1100° C. to a temperature ranging between 1400° C. and 1500° C. in a nitrogen atmosphere, and subsequently conducting said sintering operation in a vacuum; to obtain a substrate having a hard surface layer in which a region having maximum hardness is present at a depth between 5 μm to 50 μm from the substrate surface, said substrate surface having a hardness of 20% to 90% of said maximum hardness.

Claim 5

A blade member product for cutting tools produced by the process of: (a) forming a mixture of 5-30% by weight of a powder of at least one element selected from the group consisting of cobalt and nickel for forming a binder phase, the balance being a powder of a carbo-nitride of titanium and at least one element selected from the group consisting of tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, niobium, hafnium and zirconium, for forming a hard dispersed phase, said composite carbo-nitride satisfying the relationship of 0.2≦b/(a+b)≦0.7, where a and b denote atomic ratios of carbon and nitrogen, respectively; (b) compacting said powder mixture into a green compact; and (c) sintering said green compact to provide a cermet substrate, said sintering step including effecting initial temperature elevation to 1100° C. in a vacuum, subsequently elevating said temperature from 1100° C. to a temperature ranging between 1400° C. and 1500° C. in a nitrogen atmosphere, and subsequently conducting said sintering operation in a vacuum; to obtain a substrate having a hard surface layer in which a region having maximum hardness is present at a depth between 5 μm to 50 μm from the substrate surface, said substrate surface having a hardness of 20% to 90% of said maximum hardness.

Claim 6

The product produced by the process of claim 3 in which said dispersed phase further contains at least one compound selected from the group consisting of tungsten carbide and titanium nitride.