The Complete Guide to Tungsten Carbide Inserts: Why They Outperform High-Speed ​​Steel in Cutting Ab

1. The core advantages of tungsten carbide cutting Inserts

Tungsten carbide inserts (also known as cemented carbide inserts) are cutting tools made from tungsten carbide (WC) as the hard phase and cobalt (Co) as the binder phase, through powder metallurgy and pressure sintering. They have a Vickers hardness of over 2600 HV and a Mohs hardness of approximately 9–9.5, second only to diamond.

Compared to traditional high-speed steel (HSS) inserts, tungsten carbide inserts have the following significant advantages:

Wear resistance is improved by 2-3 times : when cutting highly abrasive materials such as stainless steel, titanium alloy, glass fiber, and carbon fiber, the service life is significantly extended.

Excellent red hardness : It retains most of its hardness even at high temperatures of 500–800°C, while HSS softens significantly at around 600°C.

Single-setup life : When machining difficult-to-cut materials, the continuous life of tungsten carbide inserts is about 3–5 times that of HSS inserts.

2. Typical Application Scenarios

Tungsten carbide inserts are widely used in the following industries and materials: