Cemented carbides are a class of hard materials used extensively for cutting tools, as well as in other industrial applications. It consists of fine particles of carbide cemented into a composite by a binder metal. Cemented carbides commonly use tungsten carbide (WC), titanium carbide (TiC), or tantalum carbide (TaC) as the aggregate. Mentions of "carbide" or "tungsten carbide" in industrial contexts usually refer to these cemented composites. The cobalt content could vary from 5% to 23% base on application. 8% to 12% are the most common for cutting tools. Ruthenium is used to replace cobalt as a perfered binder for the best cutting performance.
Produces aluminum oxide layer at high temperature which reduces thermal conductivity, transferring heat into the chip. Excellent in dry machining, machining titanium alloys, inconel, stainless alloys and cast iron. Not recommended for use in aluminum and aluminum alloys.
