Fabrication of WC-TiC-Co Cemented Carbide at Different Heating Rate by Micro-FAST process

Abstract

As demands on miniature products increase significantly, a rapid prototyping and production system for highly flexible and cost-efficient production of micro components made from a wide range of materials is needed. In present work, the Micro-forming Fields Activated Sintering Technology (Micro-FAST) with the coupling effects of electrical and pressure fields as the dominant driving force, has been proved to be very successful in the fabrication of the nearly full-density micro-cylinder parts from WC-8Co-xTi-nC powders (x=4, n=2 or x=6, n=0). The influence of heating rate and composition of titanium and carbon has been investigated. Based on the analysis of the relative density, microstructure and mechanical properties, high density (up to 99.7%), fine grain sizes and good mechanical properties could be obtained by Micro- FAST to sinter WC-TiC-Co Cemented Carbide bodies under a low sintering temperature (1200 ℃).