Products

Sintered Preforms

From simple to highly complex, our preforms lead the industry in metallurgical and dimensional quality. Available in a wide range of shapes and sizes, these American made products meet the most exacting specifications while significantly minimizing stock removal.

As General Carbide USA have been producing sintered preforms for so long now, and because of their investment in high value high tech machinery and research and development, they lead the world in producing sintered preforms of the absolute highest metallurgical and dimensional quality.

Through their investment in people, as well as machinery, you can now choose from a diverse range of shapes and sizes of sintered carbide preforms, tungsten carbide preforms, hardmetal preforms...call them what you will...for all applications.

Contact us now and find out how you can have complete peace of mind about the supply and quality of your sintered preforms.

The Process

Carbides parts are produced quite like any other, it's a mixture of the materials and the process that makes it second only to diamond in its hardness.

Once the various components, such as tungsten, cobalt and a binder are mixed it is cold pressed into a preform shape and formed using a lathe, milling machine or the like.

The preform is then placed in a sinter-HIP furnace (HIP stands for Hot Isostatically Pressed), which puts it under tremendous pressure and heat, which compacts the part and rids it of any imperfections, air bubbles and other flaws or weaknesses. With deficiencies removed, the material has greater integral strength, which makes it perfect for use in high stress applications.

The Six Stages of Sintered Preforms

  • Cemented carbide powder is mixed with a binder such as cobalt, nickel, or tantalum. In some cases more than one binder is used.
  • Billet is pressed.
  • Carbide preform is rough machined.
  • Preform undergoes additional machining.
  • Holes and apertures machined in the preform.
  • Piece is sinter-HIPped under pressure in the furnace.

General Carbide|UK • Unit 6 Prospect Way • Royal Oak Industrial Estate • Daventry Northants NN11 8PL UK • Tel: 44 (0) 1327 300595 • Fax: 44 (0) 1327 300862