Procedure to Make Tungsten Carbide Cutting Tools Ⅲ

In last part we know that to make tungsten carbide cutting tools, we first make tungsten carbide which is a production line from tungsten ore, to sodium tungstate, then to tungsten oxide and then to carbonization. Here we talk about the extreme importance of tungsten carbide grain size.

Grain Size Is Key

The size of the tungsten carbide grains determines the mechanical properties of the final tungsten carbide cutting tools. The size of the grains will depend on the size of the tungsten oxide particles, and how long and at what temperature the oxide/carbon mixture is processed.

The tungsten carbide particles are a fraction of the size of a grain of sand. They are likely to range in size from half a micron, to as large as 10 microns. A series of sieves sorts out the different grain sizes: less than one micron, one and one half microns, and so forth.

At this point, the tungsten carbide is ready for blending into “grade powder.” In the tungsten carbide industry, one speaks of grades rather than alloys, but they mean the same thing.

The tungsten carbide goes into a mixing vessel with the other components of the grade. Powdered cobalt metal will act as the “glue” to hold the material together. Other materials, such as titanium carbide, tantalum carbide and niobium carbide are added to improve the properties of the material when cutting. Without these additives, when cutting ferrous materials, the tungsten carbide cutting tool may experience a chemical reaction between the tool and the chips of the work piece that leaves craters in the tool, especially at high cutting speeds.

 (To be continued-This article is divided into several parts and this is part 3, for part 2 please refer to )

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