Why has tungsten carbide become a “super material” for industrial manufacturing?
If you are looking for a material that is as hard as diamond and durable enough to withstand extreme environments, tungsten carbide is definitely your ideal choice.
Are you curious: Why is it called “industrial teeth”? What secrets are hidden behind its mysterious dark gray? More importantly, how to choose a truly durable tungsten carbide?
Today, starting from the actual needs of customers, we will take you to thoroughly understand this “hard-core material” and recommend the products of Puwei Cemented Carbide Co., Ltd. to help you reduce costs and increase efficiency.
1. What is tungsten steel alloy?
When you need to cut steel plates, drill through rocks or make precision molds, ordinary steel may wear out in a few hours. But with tungsten steel alloy, it can work continuously for hundreds of hours – that’s why it is called “industrial teeth”!
1. Ingredients revealed: the secret formula of hardness
The “hard core strength” of tungsten steel alloy comes from two core ingredients:
Tungsten carbide (WC): 80%-95%, with a hardness close to natural diamond (Mohs hardness 9.5), more than 3 times that of steel!
Metal binder (cobalt/nickel): 5%-20%, tightly bond tungsten carbide particles like glue, while giving the material toughness.
2. Manufacturing process: extreme performance of high temperature and high pressure forging
Ordinary metals are formed by melting, but tungsten steel alloy is sintered at 1500℃ high temperature + 100MPa high pressure.
This process allows tungsten carbide particles to form a “skeleton structure”, which is both hard and impact-resistant – just like building a building with steel bars and concrete, which is both strong and earthquake-resistant!
2. What color is tungsten steel alloy?
If you see tungsten steel alloy for the first time, you may wonder: Why is it not as shiny as stainless steel, but presents a unique dark gray or even metallic gray-black? This is closely related to its composition and structure:
1. Cause of color: the “true color” of tungsten carbide
Tungsten carbide itself is a dark gray crystal, which accounts for the vast majority of the alloy, thus determining the overall color tone of the material.
After polishing, the surface will show a metallic luster, but will not turn into bright silver (unless plated).
2. The relationship between color and performance
The more uniform the dark gray: it means that the sintering process is stable, the tungsten carbide is evenly distributed, and the wear resistance is better.
Partial whitening or color difference: it may be uneven distribution of the binder, which will lead to reduced toughness.
The secret of Puwei cemented carbide quality control:
Through nano-level particle size control (tungsten carbide particles ≤ 0.5μm) and vacuum sintering technology
Puwei’s PW series alloy surface presents a uniform dark gray metallic color, and the density is as high as 14.5g/cm³ (the industry average is only 14.0g/cm³) – this means less pores and higher strength!
3. How durable is tungsten steel alloy?
| Performance Indicators | Ordinary steel | Tungsten steel alloy (PW-90) | Advantage multiple |
| Hardness (HRA) | 60-65 | 90-92 | 1.5times |
| Compressive strength (MPa) | 400-600 | 3500-4000 | 6-8 times |
| Wear resistance (wear volume) | 100% | 12% | More than 8 times more durable |
| Temperature resistance (℃) | 600℃ softening deformation | 800℃ Maintain strength | High temperature resistance increased by 33% |
4. How to choose the right tungsten steel alloy?
Different working conditions require different proportions of tungsten steel alloy. Puwei Cemented Carbide Co., Ltd. has developed three “special treatment” star products to address customer pain points:
1. PW-90 series: the king of high hardness and wear resistance
Composition: WC 90% + Co 10%
Applicable scenarios:
Precision stamping molds (life increased by 5 times)
Oil drill bits (feeding speed increased by 30%)
Ceramic blades (sharpness maintained for 200 hours)
Customer feedback:
“Use PW-90 as a tile cutting knife, work continuously for 8 hours without changing the knife, and the scrap rate will drop from 3% to 0.5%!” – Manager Li of a building materials processing plant
2. PW-80 series: high toughness and impact resistance expert
Composition: WC 80% + Co 20%
Applicable scenarios:
Mining rock drill bits (impact resistance increased by 50%)
Cold heading dies (can withstand 100,000 impacts/minute)
Woodworking tools (no chipping when cutting)
Experimental data:
Under an impact load of 30MPa, the fracture resistance of PW-80 is 2.3 times that of ordinary alloys!
3. PW-95 series: ultra-precision corrosion-resistant trump card
Composition: WC 95% + Ni 5%
Applicable scenarios:
Medical devices (ISO 13458 biocompatibility certification)
Chemical valves (resistant to pH1-13 acid and alkali corrosion)
3C product CNC tools (surface roughness Ra＜0.1μm)
Tungsten steel alloy is not a “material” but a “long-term investment” – when you choose Puwei, you are not only buying a product, but also a revolutionary improvement in production efficiency!
