Topic: Materials Science

Researchers have developed a novel approach to producing tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co) cemented carbides using additive manufacturing and hot-wire laser irradiation. This method has the potential to significantly reduce material waste and production costs while maintaining the exceptional hardness of these materials.

New Manufacturing Method

WC-Co cemented carbides are widely valued for their extreme hardness, but traditional powder metallurgy methods consume large amounts of costly material and generate inefficient yields. The new approach uses additive manufacturing to deposit WC-Co only where it is needed, reducing material consumption and waste.

“Cemented carbides are extremely hard materials used for cutting tool edges and similar applications, but they are made from very expensive raw materials such as tungsten and cobalt, making reduction of material usage highly desirable. By using additive manufacturing, cemented carbide can be deposited only where it is needed, thereby reducing material consumption,” said corresponding author Keita Marumoto.

Achieving Defect-Free Industrial Hardness

The experiments showed that this additive manufacturing strategy can preserve the hardness and mechanical strength typically achieved through conventional manufacturing methods. The resulting material reached hardness levels above 1400 HV while avoiding defects or material breakdown.

Implications

The results provide a promising starting point for further development, with future work focusing on reducing cracking during fabrication and enabling the creation of more complex shapes. The approach has the potential to be applied not only to cemented carbides but also to other materials, paving the way for innovative applications.