Advances in sintering of hard metals

Among the various advances in the processing of cemented carbides, this study emphasizes on the strategies to reduce the sintering time and improving the properties. It has been shown that the cycle time for consolidating metal cutting grades can be reduced by as much as 70% by employing a fast dewaxing-rapid sintering approach. For mining and metal-forming grade hard metals, a thermal-cycling approach during sintering leads to a more homogeneous and less contiguous microstructure, which results in an enhanced toughness without compromising the wear resistance. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.