An introduction to carbide tools
These days, carbide inserts are widely used in different types of sheet metal tools for both manual and CNC cutting. Depending upon the use of the product, they are available in different shapes and sizes. However, the price of the carbide inserts vary from a model to another. Generally, the size of an insert is measured by measuring the largest circle that completely fit on the insert. This size is generally called as inscribed circle and they generally have sizes as follows: ¼, 3/8 , ½ or ¾ inch. If you are a sheet metal tool user, then you may have worked with several carbide inserts, depending upon the design and the metal to provide required shapes. For a sheet metal worker, it is obligatory to know the manufacturing processes that are involved in the production of these inserts.
We all know that carbide inserts for sheet metal tools are available in different ranges, and each grade is designed for specific mechanical purposes. However, most of these grades are made from a special combination of tungsten carbide and cobalt. They are generally known as cemented carbide. The role of a cobalt here is to hold the particles tightly and the presence of tungsten improves the hardness of the materials. Hardness of the insert is mainly managed by the tungsten grain size. Generally, during the time of manufacture, they use three to five micron size of tungsten for better hardness and about one micron for lesser harden inserts. However, workers generally decide the harness of the insert just by considering the quality of the work. For better cutting they use very hard inserts and for soft cutting they use smaller inserts. However, better control over the sheet metal tools is required for a proper cutting.
The manufacturing of a carbide insert begins after deciding the hardness of the insert. The raw materials such as carbon, cobalt and tungsten are mixed properly with adequate amount of water and alcohol, making a thick paste. The mixture is then moved to a special dyer that generally evaporates all the liquid presence out from the mixture. The mixture is then transported to special carbide inserts shaped dies for manufacturing the product by placing it in a high-heat furnace. The presence of polymer that is added before putting the dies, already melted out at this moment. This is generally processed to shrink the size of the insert.
For many sheet metal tools, it is obligatory to use coated carbide inserts. For industrial use, people generally used coated inserts to lower the wear and tear of the inserts. This is highly recommended while cutting hard metals and running a high-speed machine. However, care should be taken while choosing an insert coating for your sheet metal tools. These days, there are several different ways to get an insert coating. So, choose a dealer that can provide you better information that is required for your particular requirement. Generally, they run a special test to identify the best coating for your insert. In other cases, a sincere supplier will provide you the right product for your cutting tools.
The right knowledge about carbide inserts? will help you choose the right ones for your sheet metal tools .
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