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An intermittent sliding test was used in order to study the formation and build- up of tribofilms during intermittent sliding of PVD coated HSS against case hardening steel (20NiCrMo2). Two cutting tool coatings were tested, TiN and AlCrN, and the influence of sliding speed was evaluated. With moderate speed,  two tribofilms were formed separately, one consisting of Mn, Si, Al and O on an intermediate layer  of Fe and one consisting of Fe, Mn, Cr and O on an intermediate layer of Cr and Mn. At low sliding speeds an uneven transfer of steel occured while high sliding speeds resulted in thermal softening of the substrate leading to coating failure. AlCrN provided better substrate protection at high speeds than TiN did.