You can obtain the best prices if the material is free from any steel, cermets (ceramic inserts) and excess cutting fluids. It also helps if you segregate the products as follows:
- Carbide Cutting tool inserts
- Solid Carbide Rotary Tools
- Carbide Drills
- Carbide Reamers
- Carbide Endmills
- Carbide Slot Drills
- Tungsten Carbide Rods and Strips
- Carbide Wear Parts (free from braze contamination)
- Other Carbide Tips (Saw Tips, Glass and Tile Cutting Wheels, Drill Tips etc)
- Braze Contaminated Tungsten Carbide Products
If you have heard a lot about tungsten carbide but are unsure of what it is or what benefits it could bring to your or your business, stick around. Tungsten carbide should be viewed as a chemical compound, formed in an inorganic way, which hosts the same number of tungsten atoms and carbon. It some ways, this helps to explain the name, being a balanced mix of tungsten and of carbon but many people will just refer to tungsten carbide and carbide.
Tungsten carbide has a great number of uses but taken at its simplest level, it is available in a powder, grey in colour. However, this powder can be taken and pressed which is then processed into a variety of shapes. These shapes can provide the foundation for many products including male jewellery, tools, abrasives and even industrial machines.
The fact that tungsten carbide is such a versatile compound means that it carries a great number of benefits and uses. The physical elements brought together and maintained by tungsten combined are quite rare but this only helps to make it a better foundation for so many products. Some of the biggest strengths of tungsten carbide lies in the fact that it is very durable and can resist wear and tear. With respect to tungsten carbide being cut or engraved, this means that there is just a limited number of materials available that can do the job. If you are looking to engrave or professionally cut tungsten carbide, a diamond or a diamond abrasive will be one of the best ways to get the job in an efficient and effective manner.
Tungsten carbide holds a high tensile strength but this means that it can become fragile or unreliable under extreme pressure. Anyone interested in tungsten carbide’s point of melting should note that it comes out at 2,870 °C which is equivalent to 5,200°F. In order to be able to boil tungsten carbide, the temperature levels have to be even higher, which means you would be looking at a heat of around 6,000 °C or 10,382 °F.
One of the most ways to create this compound is done by reacting carbon and tungsten at a temperature level of between 1,400 to 2,000 °C which is the equivalent of 2,552 to 3,632 °F. One of the major uses of tungsten carbide comes with industrial use with tools for cutting and even mills being made of the material.
Plenty of modern day uses with tungsten carbide
As you would expect, the fact that tungsten carbide is able to withstand large temperatures and sustained and incessant use makes it a reliable tool that businesses can use on a day to day basis. The material is also heavily favoured by military groups and organisations and is commonly found in ammunition which is intended to pierce through armour. Tungsten carbide is hailed as a fantastic alternative to uranium. The hard capability and high density levels of tungsten carbide make it an ideal replacement for uranium stocks which are becoming scarcer and more expensive all the time.
Aside from military uses, tungsten carbide has developed a strong following in the sports industry with many products being created from this material. Again, the strength and durability of tungsten carbide has a huge impact and one of the best uses of the compound lies in hiking poles. The poles will commonly have a carbon tip which can help climbers to achieve more traction on the various terrains they will come across when hiking.
