Method for production of cutting tools

A method for production of cutting tools from an iron-based alloy, provided with a wear-resistant coating based on interstitial phases, comprising the steps:

• (a) placing the cutting tool in a vacuum chamber provided with a cathode;
• (b) applying a bias voltage to said cutting tool;
• (c) striking an arc discharge in said vacuum chamber to evaporate the material of said cathode, wherein said cathode is comprised of at least one material selected from the group consisting of titanium and a titanium alloy;
• (d) preheating and cleaning said cutting tool by bombarding it with the ions of said evaporable material of said cathode;
• (e) reducing said bias voltage to that at which said wear-resistant coating is formed;
• (f) feeding a reactant gas into said vacuum chamber;
• (g) establishing said wear-resistant coating on the surface of said cutting tool by interaction of said ions of said evaporable cathode material with said reactant gas fed into said vacuum chamber;
• (h) increasing said bias voltage to the value of said bias voltage effect for preheating and cleaning said cutting tool;
• (i) feeding an oxygen-containing redox gas into said vacuum chamber;
• (j) heating said cutting tool to the temperature of the eutectoid decomposition in the pseudobinary `iron-titanium` system;
• (k) annealing said cutting tool at the temperature of the martensitic transformation in said pseudobinary `iron-titanium` system in an atmosphere of an oxygen-containing redox gas for 10 to 40 minutes.