Engineering company Sandvik announced it would broaden its offering to include 3D-printed components in cemented carbide.
Used in industries such as agriculture, oil and gas, metal cutting and food, cemented carbides possess inherent hardness, which can prove difficult to machine.
Sandvik’s 3D-printed cemented carbide is based on a tailor-made powder attained through a proprietary process.
Cemented carbide’s matrix structure consists mainly of cobalt and tungsten carbide and is uniquely tough. The extreme durability of the material makes the printed components appropriate for industries seeking to optimize production efficiency, especially in challenging environments.
“The most critical component in our process is working with powders that have the right properties,” said Anders Ohlsson, the lead product manager at Sandvik Additive Manufacturing. “Above all, high density crucially impacts the quality achievable in terms of material properties and geometry. Sandvik has developed a powder and a process that are unique.”
