| In every machining system, one simply can't ignore | | | | 3. Industrial Uses of Carbide |
| the important role that cutting tools play. Oftentimes, | | | | In the 20th century, carbides have been used for a |
| the quality of a finished product would rely on the | | | | lot of industrial applications. Carbides used in industrial |
| quality of the cutting tools. The quality and the | | | | applications are often called cemented carbide |
| performance of cutting tools would also directly | | | | products and are classified in three major grades: |
| affect a machining system's overall productivity. It is | | | | - Wear grades |
| because of their importance that manufacturers | | | | Used primarily in dies, machine and tool guides |
| would take into consideration several criteria before | | | | - Impact grades |
| eventually buying a piece of cutting tool for their | | | | Higher shock resistance carbide products used for |
| machining system. Included in these criteria are the | | | | dies, particularly for stamping and forming |
| tools ability to last long under rigorous operating | | | | - Cutting tool grades |
| conditions and their capability to perform at very high | | | | Carbide tools used for cutting |
| speeds. Also important is the tool's resistance to | | | | 4. Carbide Cutting Tools |
| wear and tear, including resistance to breakage, edge | | | | Cutting tool grades of carbides are further subdivided |
| and flank wear, cratering or top wear, chipping, | | | | into two groups: cast-iron carbides and steel-grade |
| built-up edge (BUE), deformation, and thermal | | | | carbides. As their name implies, cast-iron carbides are |
| cracking. | | | | specifically made for cutting cast-iron materials. These |
| 1. Kinds Of Tools | | | | carbides are more resistant to abrasive wear, |
| As the demand for better cutting tools increase, | | | | protecting the carbide cutting tool from edge wear |
| cutting tool suppliers also continuously develop | | | | due to the high abrasiveness of cast-iron. Steel-grade |
| products that can pass manufacturers' demands. | | | | carbides, on the other hand, are specially made to |
| Through the years, a lot of materials for the | | | | resist cratering and heat deformation that may be |
| manufacture of cutting tools have been | | | | caused by the long chips of steel on higher cutting |
| experimented upon; some have passed the | | | | speeds. Whichever grade of carbide is used in a |
| standards while others were simply dropped. Today, | | | | carbide cutting tool, the main carbide material used in |
| there are only two types of cutting tools heavily | | | | its manufacture is tungsten carbide (WC) with a |
| favored in the machining industry: high speed steel | | | | cobalt binder. Tungsten carbide is well known for its |
| (HSS) cutting tools and carbide cutting tools; and it | | | | hardness and resistance to abrasive wear. Cobalt, on |
| seems that carbide cutting tools have slightly | | | | the other hand, is used to further toughen the tool's |
| overtaken the other in popularity. So, what | | | | surface. |
| advantages do carbide cutting tools have over their | | | | 5. Other Variants |
| HSS counterparts? Considering their lead in popularity, | | | | Aside from tungsten carbide and cobalt, other alloying |
| it is clear that the benefits of carbide cutting tools | | | | materials are added in the manufacture of carbide |
| outnumber that of HSS cutting tools. And we'll | | | | cutting tools. Among them is titanium carbide and |
| understand these benefits better if we know what | | | | tantalum carbide. Titanium carbide helps the carbide |
| carbide really is. | | | | cutting tool to resist cratering while tantalum carbide |
| 2. What is Carbide? | | | | can reduce heat deformations in the tool. Also |
| In chemistry, carbides refer to any group of | | | | commonly used in the cutting industry today are |
| compounds made up of carbon and one other | | | | coated carbide cutting tools. Aside from the basic |
| element that can be a metal, boron, or silicon. There | | | | carbide materials, titanium carbide, titanium nitride, |
| are actually many compounds belonging to this group, | | | | ceramic coating, diamond coating or titanium |
| among the more popular of which includes: | | | | carbonitride are used as coating materials. The |
| - Calcium Carbide | | | | different coating materials aid the carbide cutting tool |
| - Aluminum Carbide | | | | differently, although they are generally used to |
| - Silicon Carbide | | | | further toughen the cutting tool. |
| - Tungsten Carbide | | | | 6. |
| - Iron Carbide | | | | |