Different Manufacturing Methods of Tungsten Carbide and HSS

What is Tungsten Carbide

Tungsten carbide is the material combining tungsten and carbon. Tungsten was discovered as wolfram by Peter Woulf. In Swedish, tungsten carbide means “heavy stone”. It has very high hardness, which is only less to diamond. Because of its advantages, tungsten carbide is popular in modern industry.

What is HSS

HSS is high-speed steel, which is used as a cutting tool material. HSS is suitable for power saw blades and drill bits. It can withdraw high temperatures without losing its hardness. So HSS can cut faster than high carbon steel, even under high temperatures. There are two common high-speed steels. One is molybdenum high-speed steel, which is combined with molybdenum, tungsten and chromium steel. Another is cobalt high-speed steel, in which cobalt is added to increase its heat resistance.

Different Manufacturing

Tungsten carbide

The manufacturing of tungsten carbide starts by mixing the tungsten carbide powder and cobalt powder in a certain proportion. Then mixed powder will be wet milling and drying. The next procedure is to press tungsten carbide powder into different shapes. There are several methods to press tungsten carbide powder. The most common one is molding pressing, which can be finished automatically or by a hydraulic pressing machine. Then the tungsten carbide has to be put in the HIP furnace to be sintered. After this procedure, the manufacturing of the tungsten carbide is finished.

HSS

The heat treatment process of HSS is much more complex than tungsten carbide, which must be quenched and tempered. The quenching process, due to poor thermal conductivity, is generally divided into two stages. First, preheat at 800 ~ 850 ℃ to avoid large thermal stress, and then quickly heat to the quenching temperature of 1190 ~ 1290 ℃. Different grades should be distinguished in actual use. It is then cooled by oil cooling, air cooling, or charge cooling.

It is clear to find that tungsten carbide and high-speed steel have many differences in manufacturing, and they consist of different raw materials. When we are choosing a tool material, it is better to choose the one that suits our condition and the application.

If you are interested in tungsten carbide products and want more information and details, you can CONTACT US by phone or mail at the left, or SEND US MAIL at the bottom of the page.