What is cemented carbide?

Cemented carbide is an alloy composed of hard metal carbide and iron based metal, and the most typical composition of cemented carbide is WC-Co alloy.
As basic characteristics, cemented carbide has high hardness, elastic modulus, compression strength, thermal conductivity, specific gravity, and low thermal expansion coefficient.
Due to this, cemented carbide is commonly used in machining tools and press dies that require wear resistance.
Read more about cemented carbides from the link below.

>>What is cemented carbide? See the specialties and grades

Types and applications of cemented carbide

Function of cemented carbide can be broadly divided into 2 categories: cutting and wear resistance.
Cemented carbide for cutting can be divided into 3 types, P type (for steel), M type (general purpose),
and K type (for cast iron), depending on the material of the workpiece.
There are different types of wear-resistant cemented carbides, finely classified according to binder phase type, WC grain size and hardness.
In addition, there are more subdivided types due to the use of trace additives.

Types of cemented carbide based on hardness and toughness

The basic hardness and toughness of cemented carbide for wear resistance are determined by the WC particle size and the amount of metallic binder.
This shows how each factor affects the physical characteristics of cemented carbide.

(1) Changes in hardness and toughness of cemented carbide due to changes in the amount of Co.
-Metallic binders such as Co have the role of connecting hard material WC.
Higher Co ratio is associated with higher toughness of cemented carbide, but lower hardness.

(2) Changes in carbide hardness and toughness due to change in WC particle size
-The finer the WC grain size of cemented carbide is, the finer the carbide structure, the less likely plastic deformation occurs, and the higher the hardness, but the thinner the binder phase and the lower the toughness.

(3) Hardness and toughness combining changes in WC particle size in Co amount.
-Cemented carbide achieves properties of hardness and toughness from the combination of WC grain size and Co amount.

Press processing applications and required carbide properties

-Physical properties of cemented carbide must be selected according to the content of the processing.
Examples of press processing include guides, drawing, ironing, punching, shearing, bending, coining and others.
The required physical properties of cemented carbide are different.

Please contact us for material selection and processing of cemented carbide.

So far, the physical properties and applications of cemented carbide are explained only in terms of hardness and toughness, but other factors of cemented carbide composition include the influence of the metal binder type, the influence of added carbides, and various other physical properties such as corrosion resistance and resistance to galling of the workpiece. Carbide Material/Carbide Processing Solution Navigator makes it possible to select the appropriate carbide material for the intended application and perform appropriate processing by conducting a thorough physical property investigation.
If you have any problems with the use of cemented carbide, please feel free to contact us.