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.
Titanium nitride (TiN) coating is wear resistant, inert & reduces friction. Used on cutting tools punches etc improving tool life 2-10x over uncoated tools
