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INTERNATIONAL TUNGSTEN INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
Information on tungsten: sources, properties and uses
An Important Partner in Compounds
Cemented carbide parts are frequently joined onto other materials, in particular steel. It is of utmost importance that the joining of the material compound can withstand the forces acting during application, and does not form the weak point of the part. In this regard, cemented carbides behave in exemplary fashion and allow all the important joining techniques, such as brazing, laser welding, pressure welding, or projection welding.
Even more, cemented carbides are used as a support for polycrystalline diamond or cubic boron nitride cutting tips, or as matrix alloy for diamond grit, used in rock drilling and oil mining. This partnership significantly expands the application field of cemented carbides to the range of super hard materials. Modern drill heads consist of a layer of polycrystalline diamond integrally sintered to a tough tungsten carbide substrate under high pressure and high temperature. Such PDC cutters (polycrystalline diamond compact) combine the high hardness and abrasion resistance of diamond with the impact resistance of cemented carbides and provide a faster, more durable and cost-effective drilling.