Patent ID: 9150951
Filing Date: 2015-10-06
Classification: A61B,A61C,C21D,C22C,C22F,C23C,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method for producing a wear resistant cutting edge, the method comprising the steps of: i) providing a substrate capable of electrical conduction, having a surface and cleaning said surface with at least one cleaning method selected from the group consisting of chemical cleaning, electrolytic cleaning, grinding, polishing, tumbling and ion bombardment to produce a cleaned substrate; ii) placing the cleaned substrate into a vacuum chamber of a vapour depositing device capable of providing controlled electric and magnetic fields, and having a substrate holder capable of holding at least one substrate, a target electrode holder, and an inlet for a vapour depositing atmosphere of controlled composition and pressure; iii) providing a target electrode within the vacuum chamber, of at least one of the metals selected from the group consisting of titanium, chromium, vanadium, aluminum, molybdenum, niobium, tungsten, hafnium, zirconium, and alloys thereof; iv) providing a vapour depositing atmosphere within said vacuum chamber, comprising at least one of the gases selected from the group consisting of argon, neon, xenon, krypton and helium; v) applying electric potential and a filtering magnetic field in an atmosphere within the vacuum chamber, to obtain a first, vapour deposited metal layer selected from the group consisting of titanium, chromium, vanadium, aluminum, molybdenum, niobium, tungsten, hafnium, zirconium, and alloys thereof, on the surface of the substrate; vi) applying electric potential and a filtering magnetic field in an atmosphere within the vacuum chamber, containing at least one of the gases selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, methane or other hydrocarbon gas, borazin, 3MS gas or oxygen, to obtain a second, vapour deposited layer of a ceramic compound of a metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, chromium, vanadium, aluminum, molybdenum, niobium, tungsten, hafnium, zirconium, and alloys thereof, on the first layer deposited on the surface of the substrate; vii) repeating steps v) and vi), thereby obtaining multiple vapour deposited metal layers and multiple vapour deposited ceramic compound layers on said surface of the substrate; viii) heat treating the substrate with multiple vapour deposited metal layers and multiple vapour deposited ceramic compound layer on its surface to restore bulk mechanical properties of the substrate; ix) depositing a top coat by a vapor deposition process overlaying the metal-ceramic coating, the top coat comprising an amorphous diamond-like matrix selected from the group consisting of carbon, silicon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen and transition metals; x) removing the substrate having multiple vapour deposited metal and ceramic layers on the substrate surface, from the vapour depositing device; and xi) sharpening the substrate by grinding and/or polishing to develop at least one side of at least one cutting edge; wherein the multiple vapour deposited metal layers and multiple vapour deposited ceramic compound layers obtained in step vii) have a hardness of greater than 20 gigapascals and a toughness of greater than 0.05 H