Cemented carbide is produced by mixing a metal carbide, such as tungsten, with a metallic binder material that is usually cobalt, nickel or a combination of both. This mixture is generally held together by an organic binder and formed into a desired shape, known as a preform.
The preform is then placed into a furnace for sintering, which melts the metallic binder material around the carbide particles. During sintering, the preform shrinks volumetrically about 40%. The last step is grinding the preform to its final dimensions.
