February 2007 features

Diamond coat hones the cutting edge
Diamond-coated carbide blades sharpened by plasma
processing can be sharper and harder than the original
carbide. With lifetimes extended by factors of up to 60
these durable blades have obvious advantages for the
plastics, paper and metals industries, among others...

The promise of nano hardmetals can be spoiled by impurities
The improved starting powders that produce the longer life tools demanded by the industry are themselves dependent on improvements in the technologies used to make them...

German PM industry puts in impressive performance in 2006
Europe’s biggest economy showed significant signs of recovery in 2006 with record factory orders, trade surplus, and falling unemployment. This was reflected in the mood of the autumn’s landmark 25th Hagen Symposium, which was attended by a record number of delegates and highest ever number of exhibitors. Bernard Williams reports …

How hardmetals react to wear: Nano is not always the best
Hardmetal PM specialists are coming to realise the importance
of microstructure in terms of the development of useful
industrial materials and the tooling that is made from them …