The present invention discloses a high-temperature stable ceramic coating structure including a microalloy comprising the elements Al, V and N producible by a gas phase deposition process.

A cutting tool includes: a substrate; a hard layer provided on the substrate; and a titanium carbonitride layer provided on the hard layer, wherein a thickness of the titanium carbonitride layer is more than or equal to 2 μm, a hardness of the titanium carbonitride layer at a room temperature is more than or equal to 35 GPa, and a Young's modulus of the titanium carbonitride layer at the room temperature is more than or equal to 800 GPa.

A coated tool may include a base member and a coating layer located on the base member. The coating layer may include a plurality of AlTi layers and a plurality of AlCr layers. The AlTi layers may include at least one kind selected from nitride, carbide or carbonitride, each including aluminum and titanium. The AlCr layers may include at least one kind selected from nitride, carbide or carbonitride, each including aluminum and chromium. The coating layer may include a laminate structure in which the AlTi layers and the AlCr layers are alternately laminated one upon another. The AlCr layers may include a first AlCr layer and a second AlCr layer located farther away from the base member than the first AlCr layer. A content ratio of chromium in the second AlCr layer may be higher than a content ratio of chromium in the first AlCr layer.

A cutting tool comprises a substrate and an AlTiN layer, the AlTiN layer including a first major surface and a second major surface, the AlTiN layer including a first region having a distance of 0 nm or more and 30 nm or less from the first major surface and having a maximum oxygen content ratio of more than 0 atomic % and less than 5 atomic %, a second region having a distance of more than 30 nm and 100 nm or less from the first major surface and having a maximum oxygen content ratio of 5 atomic % or more and 30 atomic % or less, and a third region having a distance of more than 100 nm and 150 nm or less from the first major surface and having a maximum oxygen content ratio of more than 0 atomic % and less than 5 atomic %.

A cutting tool comprises a substrate and an AlTiN layer, the AlTiN layer including a first major surface and a second major surface, the AlTiN layer including a first region having a distance of 0 nm or more and 30 nm or less from the first major surface and having a maximum oxygen content ratio of 30 atomic % or more, a second region having a distance of more than 30 nm and 100 nm or less from the first major surface and having a maximum oxygen content ratio of 5 atomic % or more and less than 30 atomic %, and a third region having a distance exceeding 100 nm from the first major surface and having a maximum oxygen content ratio of less than 5 atomic %.

A cutting tool comprises a substrate and an AlTiN layer, the AlTiN layer including cubic Al.sub.xTi.sub.(1-x)N crystal grains, an atomic ratio x of Al in the Al.sub.xTi.sub.(1-x)N being 0.7 or more and 0.95 or less, the AlTiN layer including a first major surface on a side of a surface of the cutting tool and a second major surface on a side of the substrate, the AlTiN layer including a first region having a distance of 0 nm or more and 100 nm or less from the first major surface, and a second region having a distance of more than 100 nm and 150 nm or less from the first major surface, the first region having a maximum oxygen content ratio of 5 atomic % or more and 30 atomic % or less, the second region having a maximum oxygen content ratio of less than 5 atomic %.

A coated cutting tool is CVD coated and includes a substrate of a cemented carbide, wherein the metallic binder in the cemented carbide Includes Ni. The CVD coating includes an inner layer of TiN and a subsequent layer of TiCN.

The invention relates to a method for producing a cold forming tool, particularly for cold forming super-high-strength steels, wherein the cold forming tool is the upper and/or lower tool of a forming tool set, wherein the cold forming tool is made of a metal material and has a forming surface that is designed so that a formed metal sheet has the desired final contour of the component, characterized in that a hard material layer is deposited on the forming surface of the forming tool by means of physical gas-phase deposition, wherein the hard material layer consists of a titanium nitride adhesive layer and alternating layers of aluminum titanium nitride and aluminum chromium nitride deposited thereon, wherein a titanium nitride top layer or alternatively a titanium carbon nitride top layer is deposited as the final layer as the outermost outer surface oriented toward a workpiece that is to be formed.

A surface coated cutting tool comprises a base material and a coating layer that coats the base material, the coating layer including an alternate layer composed of a first unit layer and a second unit layer alternately stacked, the first unit layer being composed of a nitride containing aluminum and zirconium, in the first unit layer, when the total number of metal atoms constituting the first unit layer is represented as 1, a ratio thereto of the number of atoms of the zirconium being not less than 0.65 and not more than 0.95, the second unit layer being composed of a nitride containing titanium and silicon, in the second unit layer, when the total number of metal atoms constituting the second unit layer is represented as 1, a ratio thereto of the number of atoms of the silicon being larger than 0 and not more than 0.20.

A coating includes a layer having an alumina matrix and at least one of zirconia grains and hafnia grains in the alumina matrix. An average grain size of the at least one of the zirconia grains and hafnia grains is 100 nm or less. A coated cutting tool includes a substrate and the coating bonded to the substrate. The substrate has a rake face, a flank face, and a cutting edge formed at the intersection of the rake face and the flank face.