What is Cemented Carbide?

Q.　What is different between cemented carbide and steel?

A　The biggest difference is hardness. Cemented carbide is harder than steel. In addition, Young’s modulus is about three times and coefficient of thermal conductivity is about half in comparison with steel. Therefore, cemented carbides with high wear resistance, small thermal deformation and little elastic deformation, are widely used for forging dies which require high precision dimension and so on.

Q.　What are the applications of Cemented Carbide?

A.　Mainly used for cutting tools (for cutting metal) and molds (for deformation processing).

Q.　What is the advantage of Cemented Carbide?

A.　Cemented carbide could extend tools and molds life due to its excellent wear resistance.

About Shape and Appearance

Q.　Why do different grade have different colors?

A　The color depends on the content of binder metal. The color of grades with much content of binder metal is lighter gray.

Q.　What is the biggest size that Cemented Carbide could be processed?

A.　The biggest sizes we can process depend on grades, round shape (ODxLxID), block shape(WxLxH), machining shape etc. Please feel free to contact us for details.

Q. I think cemented carbide can be processed into complicated shape, but please advise what kind of shape is difficult to process.

A.　The shapes that is difficult to process depend on grades, sizes, round and block shape etc.
Please feel free to contact us for details.

Process and Surface Treatment

Q.　What kind of material could be used to process Cemented Carbide?

A　Usually conduct grinding process by using diamond wheel and EDM process by using wire or electrode.

Q.　Is it possible to coat for cemented carbide?

A　Yes. There is a big difference between CVD coating and PVD coating. We have records of both coating methods.

Main disadvantage

Q.　What is the blow hole?

A　The blow hole is an air space exists inside of cemented carbide, and is also one of material defects called “Pore”.
Hardness and transverse rupture strength characteristics would be deteriorated as long as the air space exists.

Q.　What is η phase?

A　Cemented carbide contains WC-Co as the main components. It becomes fragile weather the C content is more or less.
η phase is that when C content becomes less, Composite carbide （W3Co3C）will precipitated in alloy. So that the characteristics of transverse rupture strength and compressive strength etc. are deteriorated.

Handling

Q.　What are the cautions in handing cemented carbides?

A　The defects of cemented carbides can be caused by impact or the like when dropped.
Therefore, please confirm and check if there are defects such as cracks or chippings when the package gets opened.

Q.　Does cemented carbide oxidize?

A　Yes.
Surface of mirror finished cemented carbide becomes clouded if it is left for long time under a high humidity environment.

Q.　Does cemented carbide affect the natural environment and health?

A　Please kindly refer to the SDS as below.

SDS PDF 〉