The paper presents results of investigations on the binderless nanostructured tungsten carbide (WC) cutting tools fabrication and performance. The scientific novelty includes the description of some regularities of the powder consolidation under electric current and the subsequent possibility to utilize them for practical use in the fabrication of cutting tools. The sintering process of WC nanopowder was performed with the electroconsolidation method, which is a modification of spark plasma sintering (SPS). Its advantages include low temperatures and short sintering time which allows retaining nanosize grains of ca. 70 nm, close to the original particle size of the starting powder. In respect to the application of the cutting tools, pure WC nanostructure resulted in a smaller cutting edge radius providing a higher quality of TiC/Fe machined surface. In the range of cutting speeds, vc = 15–40 m/min the durability of the inserts was 75% of that achieved by cubic boron nitride ones, and more than two times better than that of WC-Co cutting tools. In additional tests of machining 13CrMo4 material at an elevated cutting speed of vc = 100 m/min, binderless nWC inserts worked almost three times longer than WC-Co composites.

In the paper, the results of experimental investigations of ion implanted cutting tools performance are presented. The tools, made out of Si3N4 with additives typically used for turning of Ti-6Al-4V alloy, underwent implantation with ions of yttrium (Y+) and rhenium (Re+) using the metal vapor vacuum arc method. Distribution of ions on the tool surface was measured. The cutting tools were tested in turning process with measurement of cutting forces and analysis of wear. A rather unexpected result was the increased wear of the tool after Y+ implantation with 1 × 1017 ion/cm2. It was demonstrated, however, that the tool after Y+ 2 × 1017 ion/cm2 ion implantation provided the best machining performance.

Peculiarities of formation of microstructure in composites based on chemically synthesized zirconium nanopowders obtained by the method of decomposition from fluoride salts were considered. Hydrofluoric acid, concentrated nitric acid, aqueous ammonia solution, metallic zirconium, and polyvinyl alcohol were used. It was established that the reduction of porosity in nanopowders in the sintering process is the main problem in the formation of high-density materials. Analysis of various initial nanopowders, their morphology, and features of sintering by the method of hot pressing with direct transmission of electric current was made. Peculiarities of obtaining the composites based on them with the addition of Al2O3 nanopowders applying the electric sintering method were considered. It was shown that the increase in the content of alumina nano additives leads to an increase in strength and crack resistance of the samples due to simultaneous inhibition of abnormal grain growth and formation of a finer structure with a high content of tetragonal phase. The influence of sintering modes on the formation of the microstructure of zirconium nanopowders has been studied for different contents of alumina additives. Electric current promotes the surface activity of nanopowders and its variable value promotes partial fragmentation of agglomerated grains thus affecting the composite structure. Physical-mechanical properties of the obtained samples, optimal compositions of mixtures, and possibilities of improving some parameters were determined. It was found that nanopowders of zirconium dioxide obtained by the method of decomposition from fluoride salts are quite suitable for the production of composite materials with high physical and mechanical properties. They can compete with imported analogs and enable obtaining of crack resistance of 7.8 MPa·m1/2 and strength of 820 MPa.

In the paper, a novel technique for highly dispersed pyrochlore Y2Ti2O7 is proposed. The experimental results proved that the application of microwave irradiation at a certain stage of calcination allowed synthesizing of Y2Ti2O7 in much shorter time, which ensured substantial energy savings. An increase up to 98 wt.% in the content of the preferred phase with a pyrochlore-type structure Y2Ti2O7 was obtained after 25 h of yttrium and titanium oxides calcination at a relatively low temperature of 1150 °C, while the microwave-supported process took only 9 h and provided 99 wt.% of pyrochlore. The proposed technology is suitable for industrial applications, enabling the fabrication of large industrial amounts of pyrochlore without solvent chemistry and high-energy mills. It reduced the cost of both equipment and energy and made the process more environmentally friendly. The particle size and morphology did not change significantly; therefore, the microwave-assisted method can fully replace the traditional one.

In this study, the effect of the addition of silicon carbide to alumina ceramics commonly used in cutting tool applications is addressed. Performance of Al2O3–SiC composite cutting inserts during the machining of hardened steels and ductile iron was compared to the results obtained for a cutting tool made out of 99 wt.% Al2O3, Al2O3–TiC, Al2O3–TiC–ZrO2, and Al2O3–TiN. In almost all tests, the composite with silicon carbide demonstrated better wear resistance, longer tool lifetime, and the ability to cut at higher speeds. The enhanced properties of cutting tools with SiC can be attributed to the morphology and dimensions of the inclusions in the matrix as well as to the strength of the interphase boundaries, small porosity, and lack of high inner stresses in the volume.

Fabrication of alumina–tungsten carbide nanocomposite was investigated. Characteristics of the densification and sintering were analyzed considering both the nano-size particle starting powders and the processing stages. Different heating rates were generated during densification and consolidation with a maximal load was applied only after a temperature of 1000 °C was reached. Due to the varying dominance of different physical processes affecting the grains, appropriate heating rates and pressure at different stages ensured that a structure with submicron grains was obtained. With directly applied alternating current, it was found that the proportion Al2O3 (50 wt.%)–WC provided the highest fracture toughness, and a sintering temperature above 1600 °C was found to be disadvantageous. High heating rates and a short sintering time enabled the process to be completed in 12 min, saving energy and time.

This paper considers features related to manufacturing the chromium oxide-based tool material. The process involved ultra-dispersed powders made of aluminum nitride. It has been established that the destruction of chromium oxide at high sintering temperatures is prevented through the reaction sintering of chromium oxide (Cr2O3) and aluminum nitride (AlN). It was established that the structure of the composite depends both on the temperature and the duration of hot pressing. Thermodynamic calculations of the interaction between Cr2O3 and AlN showed that this interaction begins at a temperature of 1,300 °C. In contrast to hot pressing in the air, no СrN and Сr2N compounds were formed in a vacuum. With increasing temperature, the content of Al2O3 in solid solution becomes maximum at a temperature of 1,700 °C in the case of hot pressing in the air while in vacuum the content of Al2O3 remains unchanged within the entire temperature range of 1,300–1,700 °C. When increasing the time of hot pressing to 30 minutes, the size of individual grains reaches 10 μm. It has been shown that in the sintering process involving Cr2O3 and AlN, the plasma-chemical synthesis produces the solid solution (Cr, Al)2O3 at the interphase boundary, which improves the mechanical properties of the material. The influence exerted on the quality of the machined surface of tempered hard steel when machining by the devised tool material based on chromium oxide with an optimal admixture of 15 wt % of ultra-dispersed aluminum nitride powder was investigated. It was determined that the quality of the machined hard steel surface improved compared to standard imported tool plates. It was established that the resulting tool material, in addition to relatively high strength and crack resistance, also demonstrates high thermal conductivity, which favorably affects the quality of the machined steel surface, given that lubricants and coolants are not used during the cutting process.

The development of environmentally friendly technologies, including additive technologies, contributes to the formation of sustainable production in city multifloor manufacturing clusters (CMFMCs). This paper discusses an approach to the implementation of energy-intensive technological processes in such clusters using examples of the manufacturing of ceramic and metal–ceramic products. The manufacturing of ceramic and metal–ceramic products in high-temperature furnaces is associated with an increased electricity consumption. The use of modern ceramic micro- and nanopowders makes it possible to switch to more energy-saving technologies by reducing the sintering temperature and shortening the technological cycle. This requires the use of additional activating and inhibiting additives in the initial powder mixtures to obtain products with the necessary physical and mechanical properties. The purpose of this paper is to present a model and indicators to assess the energy efficiency of the choice of sintering technology of foam ceramic filters for smart sustainable production management within CMFMCs. The use of the proposed indicators for assessing the energy efficiency of sintering foam ceramic filters makes it possible to improve the technological process and reduce the completion time of its thermal cycle by 19%, and reduce the maximum heating temperature by 20% to 1350 °C. The adoption of a different oxide technological alternative and the use of the proposed model and indicators to assess the energy efficiency of the sintering technology of foam ceramic filters allows to choose less energy-intensive equipment and save up to 40% in electricity. The proposed model to assess the energy efficiency of the sintering technology of foam ceramic filters can be used to control their production under the power consumption limitations within the CMFMCs.