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Defining: The Most Unique Material In industrial parlance, cemented carbide is known to be the most successful and highly used composite engineering material to be ever produced. It is produced using a combination of two materials namely, cobalt powder and tungsten carbide. The combination of these two materials is used to manufacture wear-resistant tools which are often used in areas of application such as mining. This particular element has a distinguishing combination of toughness, strength, and durability that satiates most of the demanding applications in multifarious industries. One of the key features of this element is the capacity it holds to vary its composition from one state to another so that the resulting chemical and physical properties insure maximum resistance to different formations such as corrosion, fracture, wear, oxidation, and deformation. How is it Made? The basic manufacturing process of this carbide element begins with a composition of a specific tungsten carbide powder mixture that is custom-made just depending on the nature of the application. The tungsten carbide powder is compacted into a solid form, and is then placed in the high-temperature sintering furnace. This is precisely when the carbide structure of the blank piece is completely shaped at accurate-desiring temperatures completely making sure it is performed at defining periods. Moreover, it is during this heat treatment process, tungsten carbide blank undergoes shrinkage of about 50% in volume. The sintered element attains a final finish by performing further processes like lapping, grinding, and/or polishing. Today, a wide variety of shapes and sizes can be produced expending latest powder metallurgical processes. Industrialists find extreme scope in designing cost-effective solutions to problems related to component failure and wear which are encountered in fields like engineering and domestic environments. Applications This category can contain a countless number of applications, but however, some key areas where cemented carbide is majorly used as an industrial component is as follows: - Wear parts
- Engineered components
- Tools and tool blanks
- Oil & Gas Applications
- Can Tooling (Deep drawing of two-piece cans)
- Automotive Components
- PCB drill blanks
- Metal Forming Tools
- Rolls for Hot Rolling
- Rings and Bushing
- Woodworking Applications (Sawing and Planing)
- Rotary Cutters for High-Speed cutting of artificial fibers
- Nozzles (Oil drilling applications)
- Pump pistons for high-performance pumps
- Roof and Tail tools for high-wear resistance
- Balls for ballpoint pens and ball bearings
The first cemented carbide gages were created using the Tungsten carbide particles that were held together by a cobalt metal binder. It is since then other carbide components such as Titanium-Carbide have been developed from the original form. This type of component is better suited for carving and cutting steel into different forms and shapes mainly used for industrial reasons.
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