Do you want to know the meaning about P、M、K、N、S、H for cemented carbide?

What do P, M, K, N, S, H stand for in cemENTED carbide? This is an entry-level question, but we still get some questions from our customers, so I'm going to write an article to answer them for you.

P:
The cutting range of hard alloy in the P class refers to steel, and it is also the most widely used material. Contains: quenching and tempering steel, hard steel, low carbon alloy steel, high carbon alloy steel, die steel, etc. If you would like us to recommend the most suitable brand to you, it would be best if you could provide the type and hardness of the processed materials when you inquire.

M:
In the M type, the range refers to stainless steel, which is also a kind of metal material that we use more. Stainless steel materials include ferrite and martensite, and cast steel materials include martensite and austenite.

K:
Hard alloy hardness in the K cutting range refers to iron, with the development and progress of science and technology, with less and less ferrite. Pearlitic gray cast iron, ductile cast iron, pearlitic ferrite forgeable cast iron.

N:
Class N refers to uncured aluminum, refined alloy, cast alloy, a copper alloy including easy cut steel, brass, electrolytic copper.

S:
S class refers to iron-based high-temperature alloy, this kind of metal material is more used in aviation, high-speed iron material is very difficult to process material, super alloy material containing nickel based, cobalt based; Titanium base, titanium alloy class. In the past, we could only rely on imported cemented carbide for processing, but now with the rise of Chinese manufacturing and the upgrading of production equipment, a few Chinese brands have broken through this problem.

H:
Class H refers to the cutting hardness range in hardened steel, cast chilled cast iron, hardened cast iron, etc. When processing hard steel over 42HRC, we generally recommend the use of cermet and CBN to process, the processing effect of ordinary cemented carbide products is not good.

Classification of cemented carbide:

Commonly used cemented carbides with WC as the main component can be divided into the following three categories according to whether other carbides are added:

(1) tungsten cobalt (WC+Co) cemented carbide (YG) "as long as the processing of pig iron"

It is composed of WC and CO, has a high bending strength of toughness, good thermal conductivity, but poor heat resistance, and wears resistance, mainly used for processing cast iron and non-ferrous metals. Fine-grain YG type cemented carbide (such as YG3X, YG6X), in the same amount of cobalt, its hardness and wear resistance than YG3, YG6 high, strength and toughness are slightly worse, suitable for processing hard cast iron, austenitic stainless steel, heat resistant alloy, hard bronze, etc.

(2) WC+TiC+Co cemented carbide (YT) "Main processing of wrought iron"

Since the hardness and melting point of TiC are higher than that of WC, compared with YG, its hardness, wear resistance, red hardness, high bonding temperature, strong oxidation resistance, and TiO2 will be generated at high temperature, which can reduce bonding. But the thermal conductivity is poor, with low bending strength, so it is suitable for processing steel and other ductile materials.

(3) tungsten, titanium, tantalum, and cobalt (WC+TiC+TaC+Co)) cemented carbide (YWYS) "mainly processing heat-resistant steel, high manganese steel, stainless steel and other difficult to process materials"

The addition of TAC (NBC) based on YT cemented carbides can improve the bending strength, impact toughness, high-temperature hardness, oxygen resistance, and wear resistance. It can process steel, cast iron, and non-ferrous metals. Therefore, it is often called universal cemented carbide (also known as universal cemented carbide).