A cutting tool comprises a substrate and a coating layer provided on the substrate, the coating layer including a multilayer structure layer composed of a first unit layer and a second unit layer, and a lone layer, the lone layer including cubic Ti.sub.zAl.sub.1-zN crystal grains, an atomic ratio z of Ti in the Ti.sub.zAl.sub.1-zN being 0.55 or more and 0.7 or less, the lone layer having a thickness with an average value of 2.5 nm or more and 10 nm or less, the multilayer structure layer having a thickness with an average value of 10 nm or more and 45 nm or less, one multilayer structure layer and one lone layer forming a repetitive unit having a thickness with an average value of 20 nm to 50 nm, a maximum value of 40 nm to 60 nm, and a minimum value of 10 nm to 30 nm.

A cutting tool comprises a substrate and a coating layer provided on the substrate, the coating layer including a multilayer structure layer composed of a first unit layer and a second unit layer, and a lone layer, the lone layer including cubic Ti.sub.zAl.sub.1-zN crystal grains, an atomic ratio z of Ti in the Ti.sub.zAl.sub.1-zN being 0.55 or more and 0.7 or less, the lone layer having a thickness with an average value of 2.5 nm or more and 10 nm or less, the multilayer structure layer having a thickness with an average value of 40 nm or more and 95 nm or less, one multilayer structure layer and one lone layer forming a repetitive unit having a thickness with an average value of 50 nm to 100 nm, a maximum value of 90 nm to 110 nm, and a minimum value of 40 nm to 60 nm.

[Problem]

To provide a coated cutting tool having excellent fracture resistance and thus allowing for the extension of tool life.

[Means for Resolution]

A covered cutting tool having a cemented carbide and a covering layer formed on the cemented carbide. The covered cutting tool includes a rake face, a flank face, and a cutting edge line part located between the rake face and the flank face. The coating layer includes a compound layer containing a compound having a composition represented by (Al.sub.xTi.sub.1-x)N. The average thickness T.sub.1 of the covering layer in the cutting edge line part and the average thickness T.sub.2 of the coating layer in the rake face at a position 2 mm or more away from the cutting edge line part toward the rake face are within specific ranges and satisfy T.sub.2 <T.sub.1. The residual stress S.sub.1 of the cemented carbide in the cutting edge line part and the residual stress S2 of the cemented carbide in the rake face at a position 2 mm or more away from the cutting edge line part toward the rake face satisfy S.sub.2 <S.sub.1.

A cutting tool made of a cemented carbide substrate of WC, a metallic binder phase and gamma phase is provided. The cemented carbide has a well distributed gamma phase and a reduced amount of abnormal WC grains. The cutting tool has a more predicted tool life and an increased resistance against plastic deformation.

A coated cutting tool of a cemented carbide substrate made of WC, a metallic binder phase and a gamma phase has a well distributed gamma phase and a reduced amount of abnormal WC grains. Further, the coated cutting tool is provided with a CVD coating of TiCN and an α-Al.sub.2O.sub.3 layer, wherein the α-Al.sub.2O.sub.3 layer exhibits a texture coefficient TC(0 0 12)≥7.2 and wherein in the ratio I(0 0 12)/I(0 1 14)≥1. The coated cutting tool has an increased resistance against plastic deformation. whilst maintaining toughness.

A hard coating comprising a lower layer formed by an fcc-based titanium aluminum nitride coating, and an upper layer formed by an aluminum nitride coating having an hcp crystal system, the upper layer having a columnar crystal structure, the columnar crystals having an average transverse cross section diameter of 0.05-0.6 μm, and a ratio of an X-ray diffraction peak value Ia(002) of (002) planes to an X-ray diffraction peak value Ia(100) of (100) planes in the upper layer meeting the relation of Ia(002)/Ia(100)≥6.

A surface-coated cutting tool comprises a hard coating layer that includes a TiAlN layer and is provided on a surface of a cutting tool body. In case the composition of the TiAlN layer is expressed by a formula: (Ti.sub.xAl.sub.1-x)N, 0.10≤x≤0.35 (here, x is in atomic ratio) is satisfied. In the TiAlN layer, a high Ti band-like region is present in a direction at 30 degrees or less with respect to a line normal to the surface of the cutting tool body. An average composition X of the Ti component in the high Ti band-like region satisfies (x+0.01)≤X≤(x+0.05), an average width W of the high Ti band-like region is 30 to 500 nm, and an average area ratio St of the high Ti band-like region is 3 to 50 area %.

A coated tool according to the present disclosure includes a base member and a coating layer located on the base member. The coating layer includes a first peak located in a range of 0 to 90 and a second peak located at a higher angle side than the first peak in a distribution of X-ray intensity indicated at axis of a pole figure, the X-ray intensity regarding a plane of the cubic crystal. The coating layer further includes a valley part between the first peak and the second peak, and the valley part includes the X-ray intensity smaller than the X-ray intensity at each of the first peak and the second peak.

A cutting tool comprising a base material and a coating, wherein the coating includes a first layer having a multilayer structure in which a first unit layer and a second unit layer are alternately stacked; a thickness of the first unit layer is 2 to 50 nm; a thickness of the second unit layer is 2 to 50 nm; a thickness of the first layer is 1.0 m or more and 20 m or less, the first unit layer is composed of Ti.sub.aAl.sub.bB.sub.cN, and the second unit layer is composed of Ti.sub.dAl.sub.eB.sub.fN, wherein 0.49a0.70, 0.190.40, 0.10<c0.20, a+b+c=1.00, 0.39d0.60, 0.29e0.50, 0.10<f0.20, d+e+f=1.00, 0.05ad0.20, and 0.05eb0.20 are satisfied, and a percentage of the number of atoms of titanium to the total number of atoms of titanium, aluminum and boron is 45% or more in the first layer.

A process for producing a hard material layer on a substrate. A multilayer coating system is applied to the substrate by alternate deposition of CrTaN and AlTiN by way of physical vapor deposition (PVD). The CrTaN and/or the AlTiN are preferably deposited from a composite target.