SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to improve the adhesion of nanocrystalline diamond coatings to micro-scale tungsten carbide cutting tools. Nanocrystalline diamond coatings have been shown to dramatically improve the machining performance of micro end mills. However, standard diamond growth methods result in weakened tool material and the coatings suffer from premature delamination, resulting in tool failure. The improved adhesion of the nanocrystalline diamond coatings will be achieved by implementing a new surface preparation technique that eliminates the need of acid etching which weakens the tool material, and seeding of nano-diamond particles which do not bond very strongly with the tool. Machining tests will be conducted to quantify the improvement in tool life, hence coating adhesion, with the new surface preparation technique. The broader/commercial impact of this project will be the potential to provide a new surface preparation technique that can be integrated with standard chemical vapor deposition systems to allow for high throughput and more economical diamond coatings for industrial applications. Diamond coated micro end mills are in demand to improve machining performance and enable the machining of products from otherwise un-machinable materials. The improved cutting performance of micro end mills by diamond coatings can only be realized if it is thin enough to not significantly alter the tool geometry and it strongly adheres to the substrate. The objective of this project is to address these challenges by developing continuous diamond coatings less than 100 nanometers thick for micro tools and a method to prevent premature coating delamination

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to develop a novel, commercially-viable, hybrid system that improves the adhesion of nanocrsytalline diamond (NCD) coatings to tungsten carbide (WC) cutting tools. A new hybrid system will be assembled, tested, and optimized. Research will be conducted to scale up the process to reach the capability of coating more than 3,000 cutting tools at one time. Further research will be conducted through laboratory and industrial machinability testing on these diamond-coated micro end mills. Testing variables include tool size, tool geometry, machining parameters (cutting speed, axial depth of cut, feedrate), workpiece material and environmental conditions. Industrial feedback will be used to ensure coating optimization to meet the needs of real users. The broader/commercial impacts of this project will be the potential to significantly improve the performance of micro tools. An important area of this industry is currently limited by poor micro end mill performance. Improved tooling performance will not only reduce the capital machine cost in this field, but also help realize the miniaturization of existing cutting-edge technology limited by current manufacturing capabilities. The most promising societal benefits of NCD tool coating will be realized in healthcare industry as diamond coatings are essential for the development of next generation biosensors and biomedical devices. This will significantly improve the quality and substantially reduce costs associated with biological sample testing, reducing the financial burden of healthcare expenses on individuals and the country