How to Produce the Carbide Substrate of PDC Cutters

The PDC cutters are widely used in mining, oil, and gas drilling industries. As we know, the structure of the PDC cutter consists of two parts, one is a diamond layer, and the other is a carbide substrate. The PDC cutters combine with the diamond in high hardness and carbide substrate in impact resistance. A high-quality PDC cutter needs not only good technology, but also premium raw material. The carbide substrate plays an important role in it. Today we’d like to share how the carbide substrate was produced.

Cemented carbide ( tungsten carbide) is a hard material made by fine particles of carbide cemented into a composite by a binder metal. Cemented Carbides get their hardness from the Tungsten Carbide grains and their toughness from the bonding produced by the cementing action of the Cobalt metal. By varying the amount of Cobalt, we can change the hardness, wear resistance, and toughness (shock or impact resistance) of the carbide to provide optimum performance for your specific application. The carbide grade for PDC cutter substrate varies from YG11 to YG15.

The main production process of carbide substrate is as below:

Formula as to grade: Firstly, the WC powder, cobalt powder, and doping elements will be mixed according to the standard formula by experienced Ingredients. For example, for our grade UBT20, it will be 10.2% Cobalt, and the balance is WC powder and doping elements.

Powder wet milling: The mixed WC powder, cobalt powder and doping elements will be put into wet milling machine. The wet ball milling will last 16-72 hours as to different production technologies.

Powder drying: After milling, the powder will be spray dried to get dry powder or granulate. If the forming way is extrusion, the mixed powder will be mixed again with Adhesive.

Mould pressing: This mixture powder is placed in a mold and pressed with high pressure to the shape.

Sintering: At bout 1380℃, the cobalt will flow into the free spaces between the tungsten carbide grains. The sintering time is about 24 hours depending on different grades and sizes.

ZZbetter has strict control for the raw material of diamond grit and carbide substrate. That is why we can produce high-quality PDC cutters for you.

ZZbetter has a full range of sizes of PDC cutters for your selection. Fast delivery within 5 days to save your time. The sample order is acceptable for testing. When you need to refurbish your drill bit, ZZbetter can offer you the PDC cutter at the soonest.

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.