A review of cutting tool materials in metal cutting processes

Cutting tool material selection plays an influential role in the performance, precision, and economic viability of metal-cutting operations. This article presents a comprehensive review of current and emerging cutting tool materials, examining their properties, applications, and limitations. The discussion covers widely used options such as high-speed steels, ceramics, cemented carbides, cermets, polycrystalline diamond (PCD), and cubic boron nitride (CBN), along with promising next-generation materials. Emphasis is placed on key performance attributes, including hardness, wear resistance, thermal conductivity, and fracture toughness, which directly influence tool life, surface quality, and machining productivity. Developments in surface engineering, particularly in physical vapour deposition (PVD), chemical vapour deposition (CVD), and advanced nano-composite coatings, are also addressed, highlighting their role in enhancing tool performance under challenging cutting conditions. By reviewing machining studies across different alloys, the work identifies persistent challenges, including tool degradation at high cutting speeds, processing of hard-to-machine materials, and cost optimization. The review concludes by outlining future directions for material innovation to improve efficiency, sustainability, and competitiveness in modern manufacturing. An integrated review of cutting tool materials, surface engineering, wear mechanisms, cost considerations, and intelligent tools is presented. The review further presents a mechanistic analysis of abrasive, adhesive, diffusion, and oxidative wear, linking tool composition and coating architecture to degradation behaviour under extreme machining conditions.