**1. Introduction**

Today, almost every manufacturing industry is focused on improving productivity and reducing operational cost associated with machining operation [1]. In the current machining scenario, this can be achieved by implementing several changes such as providing required training to skilled workers, procuring better material, and using better quality cutting tools. Cutting tools being the heart of a machining system requires attention while selection of its material and other specifications such as tool life due to its high cost. The quality of the tools plays an important role in the machine-building and energy sectors, and many other industries. They need to be characterized by high productivity, wear resistance, and technological effectiveness.

Cutting tools are made of different types of materials such as carbon tool steel, high-speed steel, cemented carbide, boron nitride, and diamond tools [2]. All these materials have different mechanical and tribological properties, but particularly for steel cutting applications, cemented tungsten carbide is a commonly used material in the manufacturing industry. Various studies have been made over the generation for further improvement of cemented carbide properties to meet the severe cutting conditions. Various studies have also reviewed different ways to improve tool life by various types of coatings on tungsten carbide–based cutting tools [3]. However, the results of these studies vary due to different process parameters and manufacturing technology. In general, materials for cutting tools must possess high hardness, sufficient toughness, as well as hot strength in order to withstand high working temperature during the machining process. Also, hardness is one of the important factors that determine the life of tool at extreme temperature conditions. Therefore, high-speed steel and cast-cobalt alloys are no longer preferable as cutting tools [4].

Cemented carbides were initially introduced in the 1930s to overcome the challenge of high cutting speed that was impossible with the high-speed steel tool material. Cemented carbide shows high hardness (which is adequately stable over a wide range of temperature), high elastic modulus, high thermal conductivity and low thermal expansion. It is most widely used in machining, drilling and other related applications [5]. The use of tungsten carbide cutting tool is growing faster in metal cutting industry. Tungsten cemented carbide typically comprises tungsten carbide (WC) particles bonded together in cobalt (Co) matrix. WC-Co properties depend upon hard and brittle carbide, while cobalt as a metal binder provides ductility and toughness to the composite. Today, hard metal industry is focusing on the advancement of all cutting tools like high-speed steel, cemented carbide, and ceramic to obtain better grained composite to maximize hardness while maintaining reasonable toughness in order to meet the extreme cutting conditions. As compared to speed steel and ceramic, cemented carbide tool has high hardness, high wear resistance, good strength, and toughness and retains hardness at high temperature [6].

There are various types of techniques that have been utilized to improve the performance of cutting tool like cutting fluid, coating, multilayer coating, cryoprocessing, different types of surface texturing, and applied solid lubricants as shown in **Figure 1**. There are many studies that concern the enhancement of properties of various cutting tool, but there is no dedicated summarization of composite cutting tool works. Hence, the current study summarizes the different work done to improve the properties of WC-Co composite utilizing different consolidation and sintering techniques.
