Evaluation of chemical–mechanical polishing of processed WC-Co surface structure

The cutting edges of commercial cutting tools have severe surface irregularities caused by the diamond grinding wheels that are used to form the cutting edges, which result in the introduction of lattice defects to the interior of the tungsten carbide (WC) crystal. In this study, we applied semiconductor polishing technology to finish the tool edge using a chemical–mechanical polishing grinding wheel. Microstructural analysis by backscattered electron imaging and electron backscattered diffraction revealed that WC crystal structures without any processing strain were obtained at a depth of ∼ 50 nm from the surface. We believe that this study will lead to the development of improved tool polishing technology that will prevent machining strain, and therefore, increase tool life.