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Cemented Carbide

Materials Overview

High Wear and High Temperature Resistance

Cemented carbide is a composite material of a soft binder metal together with a hard carbide. Carbide powder, generally between 70-97% of the total weight, is mixed with a binder metal, usually cobalt or nickel. This mixture is then compacted in a die and sintered in a furnace. The carbide particles form a metallurgical bond with the binder in the sintering process.

Material properties are influenced by the grain size, by the relative proportions of binder and carbide, or by addition of other elements. Grain size is strongly correlated with hardness. Finer grain size means higher hardness at a given binder content. The proportion of binder content controls the resistance to deformation and wear. At a given grain size, a larger proportion of binder will result in a tougher material, which is more susceptible to wear.

Our Pick Up Tools and Die Ejection Systems are mainly made of Tungsten Carbide grades with submicron grain sizes to offer the highest wear resistance.

Material Description Hardness ESD Surface Resistance (Ω) Service Temperatures (Deg C)
Carbide, K15 HV30 1740 Conductive (< E2) >800
Carbide, K30 HV30
1450 - 1570
Conductive (< E2) >800
Carbide, M30 HV30
1570 - 1600
Conductive (< E2) >800
Carbide K40 HV30
1315 - 1350
Conductive (< E2) >800
Carbide, MG30 HV30
1350-1400
Conductive (< E2) >800

The listed grades (K15-40) have submicron grain size, in a range of 0.5-1.0 um. This provides the high hardness seen, with K15 the hardest grade, with smallest grain size, and K40 the least hard with largest grain size.Tungsten Carbide-Cobalt (WC-Co) cemented carbides have low electrical resistance with a typical value of 20 μΩ cm.

Consequently, it is a good conductor having a value of about 10% of the copper standard. The maximum application temperature of WC–Co cemented carbides is 800 – 900°C. Above this temperature softening of the binder phase leads to tool failure.

The Tungsten Carbide grades used for our Pick Up Tools and Die Ejection Systems offer the highest rate of temperature and wear resistance out of all available materials.

Tungsten
Carbide

WC

LINE
High Wear
& High Temp
Resistance
  • Carbide, K15
  • Carbide, K30
  • Carbide, M30
  • Carbide K40
  • Carbide, MG30
Superalloy

SA

LINE
All-Round
Superior
Performance
  • Haynes 25 (L605)
  • Inconel Alloy 625
  • Inconel Alloy 718
  • Incoloy Alloy 925
  • Nitronic 50
  • Nitronic 60
  • Titanium Grade 2
  • Stellite 6
  • Stellite 31
Stainless
Steel

SS

LINE
Balanced
Properties
  • 15-5 PH
  • 17-4PH
  • SUS 430F
  • SUS 420
  • SUS 440C
  • SUS 316
  • SUS 301
  • SUS 304
  • SUS 303
Tool Steel

TS

LINE
High
Strength
  • CPM-10V
  • SKD 11
  • SKH 51
  • Mirrax 40
  • ASP 23
  • Stavax
  • XW 10
  • XW 42
  • Assab 718 - HH
  • Assab 718 - HH
  • HSS
  • DF2
  • DF3
  • Ramax HH
  • Rochling 2315
Non Ferrous
Metals

NF

LINE
Special
Applications
  • Aluminium 7075
  • Aluminium 6061
  • Copper
  • Brass
  • Hovadur K350
Performance
Engineering
Plastics

SP

LINE
Advantageous
Performance
& Value
  • Torlon 4432 (PAI)
  • Torlon 4301 (PAI)
  • Torlon 5030 (PAI)
  • Torion 7130 (PAI)
  • Vespel SCP5050 (P)
  • Vespel SP 21 (PD)
  • Vespel SP1 (PI)
  • ESD Semitron 520
  • ESD Semitron 420
  • ESD Semitron 410C
  • ESD Semitron 225
Engineering
Plastics

EP

LINE
Economical
And Versatile
  • Acrylic/ Polycarbonate
  • TECAFORM SD
  • Delrin ESD
  • Delrin White
  • Delrin Black
  • POM
  • PEEK
  • PEEK HT
  • PEEK GF 30%
  • PEEK CF 30%
Rubber

R

LINE
Geometric
Flexibility
ESD Protection
  • NBR
  • NBR (Soft)
  • NBR (Hard)
  • NBR (Coated)
  • HPR
  • HPR (Soft)
  • HPR (Hard)
  • UPR
  • CR (ESD)
  • CR