Study and Characterisation of Edge Preparation & Surface Finish on Modern Precision Cutting Tools

Cutting tools play an irreplaceable role in today's high-tech revolution. Prolonging tool life and enhancing tool performance are critically important for the tool industry to ensure the highest quality of their products through tailored surface finishing and edge preparation. Herein, both mechanical and chemical principles are explored, accompanied by measurement data for both raw and polished tool samples. An electropolishing apparatus was designed and optimised to achieve a mirror-like surface with an average roughness below 100 nm, and a honed edge with micron-level precision of controllable rounding effects on tungsten carbides, which have limited options for surface preparation due to their dielectric nature. Other polishing methodologies have also been investigated, with testing results presented.