Nano-crystalline Cemented Carbide Technology in China

Recently, Xiao Dongshan, academician of the Connecticut Branch of the U.S. Academy of Engineering, as well as a top Chinese expert in nano materials, will cooperate with a company in Hunan Province to tackle the problems in nano-crystalline cemented carbide technology.

Possessing advantages like high hardness, strong wear resistance, high intensity, and good toughness, cemented carbide has been widely used in diamond cutting tools, such as turning tools, diamond router bits, boring tools, diamond drill bits, etc. It is also applied in various application fields, such as non-ferrous metals, plastics, chemical fiber, graphite, glass, and steel. 

The wear resistance and toughness of cemented carbide with conventional structure are mutually exclusive, and coordinating the contradiction has been the focus of cemented carbide research. It has been discovered that under conditions where the content of cemented carbide bonding agent is fixed, when the crystal size of tungsten carbide is lower than 0.8μm, not only will the hardness of cemented carbide be improved, but also the intensity. With further reduction in crystal size, the increase in hardness and intensity become more obvious. This is called nano-crystalline cemented carbide technology. Cemented carbide cutters with both high hardness and intensity have extraordinary performance when hard and brittle materials, such as cold cast iron. Nano-crystalline superfine cemented carbide has unparalleled performance that it can meet processing demand for special applications, such as new materials. It is suitable for manufacture of heavy duty and sharp tools and molds with good inflexibility. PC (Printed Circuit) board, V-CUT cutters, diamond router bits, just to name a few.

For a long time, China has been encouraging investment in cemented carbide technological research. In 2015, China has improved the export rebate rate of cemented carbide from 9% to 13%. Besides that, cemented carbide materials need tungsten and cobalt, which are regarded as strategic metal products and have been controlled by the country. Tungsten and electrolytic cobalt have been sold on the Fanya Metal Exchange. 

Author: Liwei Chu
Copyright: iAbrasive.com--Abrasives & Diamond Tools Market