Carbide is an excellent tool and structural materials, which are extremely versatile, involving almost all areas of the various sectors of the national economy and modern technology. It is estimated that in 2000 the world’s total production of 42,000 tons of carbide, trade in more than 10,000 tons, trade volume reached $ 10 billion. WC-Co is one of the largest output, the most widely used of a class of carbide, the annual market demand worldwide in more than 20,000 tons. Only cutting tools, more than $ 2 billion demands around the world each year..
Currently, the USA Company has been successful production of printed circuit boards with micro drill empty Nanocrystalline WC-Co composite powder and wear experiments show that: the use of nano-WC-Co composite powder prepared drill bit wear rate is 30%-40% lower than the standard microcrystalline, its life is about 2.9 times than the standard drill. According to Japanese industry statistics, computer circuit board processing industry, this year would be required carbide twist drill 60 million (about 180 million), the demand for the world’s nearly 400 million annually, and with the rapid development of technology of microelectronics and information, the market showed a rising trend. In addition to the preparation of micro-drill, the nano-composite powders as well as wide range of applications, including a variety of cutting tools, rock drilling teeth, mold, wear-resistant parts, bearings as well as special-purpose tools. Among these tools, only the preparation of nanocomposite powders used in order to maintain their sharp cutting edge.
New research shows that: nano-WC-Co composite powder used as a wear-resistant coating material shows very good results, the use of rapid melting, thermal spray coating technology to prepare for rapid cooling, making nano-structural properties of the powder is maintained, thereby significantly carbide wear-resistant coating to improve the performance. University of Connecticut Dr.Maurice Gell led by a team of university, industry, research institutions and naval coalition of scientists and engineers have huge research team, Office of Naval Research Science and Technology Affordability Initiative and DODDual Use S & T Program support, is working to nano-WC-Co powders for thermal spraying ships, aircraft and army vehicles.
Tungsten is the main raw material for the preparation of nano-WC-Co composite powder, is a rare metal. Only the world’s rich Chinese tungsten ore resources, about 52% of the world’s total reserves, accounting for 25% of Western developed countries, the United States accounted for only 5.9 percent, more than one hundred other countries split the remaining 17.1% of tungsten ore reserves. Undoubtedly, this is the most favorable conditions for our basic research and development of nano-WC-Co composite powder and alloys. As of 1998, China’s annual output reached 7,000 tons of carbide, tungsten metal production accounts for 76% of world production, tungsten exports about 80% of the international market, ranking first in the world. However, a long time, we only cheap exports of tungsten and tungsten ore resources of primary products, but never in Western Europe, Japan, the United States and other countries import large quantities of carbide deep-processing products.
HongWu nano tungsten carbide cobalt parameters are as follows:
Composite powder ratio is: WC-CO 90/10, 88/12, 94/6
Purity more than 99%, an average particle size of 200nm, grain size less than 50 nm
C is less than 0.09% of free oxygen content of less than 0.25%, the remaining content of less than 0.4% of impurities