Producing carbide slitter knives, renowned for their durability and precision, is a meticulous process that involves a series of precise steps. Here’s a concise ten-step guide detailing the journey from raw materials to the final packaged product.
1. Metal Powder Selection & Mixing: The first step entails carefully selecting and measuring high-quality tungsten carbide powder and cobalt binder. These powders are meticulously blended in predetermined ratios to achieve the desired knives properties.
2. Milling & Sieving: The mixed powders undergo milling to ensure uniform particle size and distribution, followed by sieving to remove any impurities and to guarantee consistency.
3. Pressing: Using a high-pressure press, the fine powder mixture is compacted into a shape resembling the final blade. This process, called powder metallurgy, forms a green compact that retains its shape before sintering.
4. Sintering: The green compacts are heated in a controlled atmosphere furnace to temperatures exceeding 1,400°C. This fuses the carbide grains and binder, forming a dense, extremely hard material.
5. Grinding: Post-sintering, the slitter knives blanks undergo grinding to achieve the precise circular shape and sharp edge. Advanced CNC machines ensure accuracy to micron levels.
6. Hole Drilling & Mounting Preparation: If required, holes are drilled into the knives body for mounting onto a cutter head or arbor, adhering to strict tolerances.
7. Surface Treatment: To enhance wear resistance and longevity, the slitter knives surface may be coated with materials like titanium nitride (TiN) using physical vapor deposition (PVD).
8. Quality Control: Each slitter knives undergoes rigorous inspection, including dimensional checks, hardness tests, and visual inspections to confirm it meets industry standards and customer specifications.
9. Balancing: For optimal performance, the slitter knives are balanced to minimize vibrations during high-speed rotations, ensuring a smooth cutting operation.
10. Packaging: Finally, the blades are carefully packaged to prevent damage during transportation. They are often placed in protective sleeves or boxes along with desiccants to maintain a dry environment, then sealed and labeled for shipment.
From raw metal powders to a meticulously crafted cutting tool, each stage in the production of tungsten carbide circular blades contributes to their exceptional performance in various industrial applications.
Post time: Jul-15-2024