Tungsten can be used to make cutting tools, but it generally requires alloying with other materials.
1. Properties of Tungsten
Tungsten is a metal with high density, high melting point, and high hardness. Therefore, it is widely used in the manufacture of equipment and instruments used in high-temperature, high-pressure, and high-load environments. Tungsten steel, in particular, boasts exceptional hardness, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance, making it widely used in cutting tools, molds, drill bits, and other applications.
2. Tungsten as a Cutting Tool Material
Due to its high hardness, high melting point, and high density, tungsten can theoretically be used to make cutting tools. However, pure tungsten is inherently brittle, easily fractured, and offers limited cutting performance, making it unsuitable for use alone in cutting tools. Currently, the industry generally uses tungsten steel or tungsten alloys to make cutting tools. Tungsten steel is an alloy of tungsten and steel, typically containing 6% to 18% tungsten, with the remainder being carbon and iron. Tungsten alloys are alloys of tungsten with other metal elements, commonly including cobalt, nickel, and copper.
3. Comparison of the Advantages and Disadvantages of Tungsten Steel and Tungsten Alloy Cutting Tools
Tungsten steel cutting tools offer excellent hardness and wear resistance, but they are also brittle and prone to breakage. Tungsten alloy cutting tools are comparable in hardness to tungsten steel, but offer greater toughness and impact resistance, making them suitable for machining large volumes, complex shapes, and difficult-to-cut materials. Therefore, tungsten alloy cutting tools are increasingly used in modern manufacturing.
4. Applications of Tungsten Alloy Cutting Tools
Tungsten alloy cutting tools have a wide range of applications, including coal mining machinery, oil drill bits, automotive manufacturing, aerospace, shipbuilding, and machine tool processing. Tungsten alloy cutting tools offer high precision, high speed, wear resistance, and long lifespan, and are adaptable to machining a wide range of materials, holding them up for broad market prospects.
