Indexable cutter insert, construction for same and method for making same

A method of making a construction for an indexable cutter insert, the method including providing a wafer comprising ceramic material, the wafer being substantially unsupported by a cemented carbide substrate and having a mean thickness of at most 2 mm;

• providing an insert base having proximate and distal major ends connected by peripheral sides, the proximate end of the insert base being configured to have at least two corners defined by junctions of the peripheral sides;
• the wafer being configured to have at least two corners corresponding to the two corners of the proximate end of the insert base;
• the method including bonding the wafer to the proximate end by means of a bond material, the corners of the wafer being disposed adjacent the corresponding corners of the proximate end to provide the construction;
• in which the ceramic material is PCBN material;
• the wafer being provided by a method including providing a precursor body comprising ceramic material and having a first thickness between a pair of opposite major end surfaces;
• cutting the precursor body into a plurality of sub-structures to provide at least one sub-structure having a second thickness between a pair of opposite major sub-structure surfaces;
• the second thickness being less than the first thickness;
• and processing the sub-structure to provide the wafer.

A method of making a construction for an indexable cutter insert, the method including:

• a) providing an insert base having proximate and distal major ends connected by peripheral sides, the proximate end of the insert base being configured to have at least two corners defined by junctions of the peripheral sides;
• b) providing a precursor body comprising PCBN material having a first thickness between a pair of opposite major end surfaces;
• c) cutting the precursor body into a plurality of sub-structures to provide at least one sub-structure having a second thickness between a pair of opposite major sub-structure surfaces, the second thickness being less than the first thickness;
• d) processing the sub-structure to provide a substantially unsupported wafer having a mean thickness of at most 2 mm, and being configured to have at least two corners corresponding to the two corners of the proximate end of the insert base;
• and
• e) bonding the wafer to the proximate end of the insert base by means of a bond material, the corners of the wafer being disposed adjacent the corresponding corners of the proximate end to provide the construction.