In modern manufacturing, Carbide Inserts, with their superior hardness, wear resistance and cutting properties, have become an indispensable key tool in the field of metal processing. Its manufacturing journey is like a carefully choreographed technological feast, starting from the selection of raw materials, through a number of complex processes, and finally cast a precise and efficient finished blade.

First, the careful selection of raw materials

When it comes to making good quality Carbide Inserts, the choice of raw materials is crucial. Its main components include hard phase tungsten carbide (WC) and bonded phase cobalt (Co), and some special formulations may also add other carbides such as titanium carbide (TiC), tantalum carbide (TaC) or Niobium Carbide (NbC).

Tungsten carbide as a hard phase, giving the blade extremely high hardness and wear resistance. The particle size and distribution uniformity have a significant effect on the blade performance. In general, the use of submicron or even nanoscale tungsten carbide powder can make the blade maintain high strength while having a more delicate microstructure, thereby improving the sharpness and durability of the cutting edge. For example, in precision mold processing, the cemented carbide blade prepared by nano tungsten carbide powder can effectively reduce the roughness of the machined surface and improve the accuracy and service life of the mold.

Cobalt, as the bonding phase, plays the role of tightly binding tungsten carbide particles together. The level of cobalt content directly determines the toughness and strength of the blade. The higher cobalt content makes the blade more ductile, suitable for intermittent cutting or processing high hardness materials to withstand greater impact conditions; The lower cobalt content can improve the hardness and wear resistance of the blade, which is suitable for continuous cutting and machining tasks with high surface quality requirements. Therefore, according to different application requirements, precise control of cobalt content is a key link in the manufacturing process.

In addition, for carbide inserts with other carbides, such as TiC, which can further enhance the wear and heat resistance of the blade, TaC and NbC help to improve the oxidation resistance and cutting stability of the blade at high temperatures. The types and proportions of these additives need to be scientifically deployed according to the specific processing requirements to optimize the overall performance of the blade.

Second, powder mixing and ball milling

After selecting the appropriate raw materials, the next step is to evenly mix and ball mill the various powders. The purpose of this process is to make the hard phase and the adhesive phase fully contact and evenly disperse, forming a mixed powder with good uniformity.

In the process of ball milling, the powder and the grinding ball collide and friction with each other under the rotating action of the ball mill. In order to prevent the powder from being contaminated or oxidized during the ball milling process, inert gas protection, such as argon or nitrogen, is usually used. Parameters such as ball milling time, ball material ratio and ball mill speed need to be precisely controlled. Longer milling time helps to improve the mixing uniformity of the powder, but it may also lead to excessive fine powder particles, increasing production costs and energy consumption. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the best milling process parameters through a lot of experiments and optimization.

The particle morphology and particle size distribution of the mixed powder after ball milling were significantly improved. At this time, the powder presents a state of agglomeration, which is ready for the subsequent molding process.

Third, molding process: give the blade preliminary shape

The evenly mixed powder needs to be pressed into a blade blank with a specific shape and size through a molding process. Common molding methods include pressing and injection molding.

Pressing is the most widely used forming technology. The mixed powder is placed in a special mold and molded under certain pressure. Factors such as pressure, pressing speed and holding time will affect the density and strength of the blade blank. Higher pressure can bind the powder more tightly together and improve the density of the blank, but too high pressure can cause defects such as cracks or delamination of the blade. Therefore, during the pressing process, the pressure parameters need to be precisely adjusted according to the shape, size and material formulation of the blade. For example, for blades with complex shapes and large sizes, step pressing or two-way pressing methods are usually used to ensure the density uniformity and quality stability of the blank.

The injection molding principle is suitable for manufacturing carbide inserts with complex shapes and high precision requirements. In this method, the mixed powder is mixed with an appropriate amount of binder to make the injection material with good fluidity, and then the injection material is injected into the mold cavity by the injection machine. After injection molding, the body needs to be degreased to remove the binder and then sintered. Although the injection molding process is relatively complex and costly, it is able to manufacture complex shape blades that are difficult to achieve with traditional pressing methods, such as blades with fine internal cooling channels or special curved structures, providing more tool options for high-end manufacturing.