Provided is a cemented carbide suitable for use as a material in the manufacture of a punch for metal forming and in particular for the manufacture of metal beverage cans. The cemented carbide may include a hard phase that includes WC, a binder phase and a gamma phase. The gamma phase may include metal carbides in combination with metal nitrides or metal carbonitrides. A quotient of the average grain size of WC/the average grain size of the gamma phase may be in a range of from 0.5 to 1.5.

The present disclosure relates to a cutting tool including a cemented carbide substrate having WC, gamma phase and a binder phase. The substrate is provided with a binder phase enriched surface zone, which is depleted of gamma phase, wherein no graphite and no ETA phase is present in the microstructure and wherein the binder phase is a high entropy alloy.

A cemented carbide including an eta phase and a Ni—Al binder is provided. The Ni—Al binder includes intermetallic y′-Ni.sub.3Al-precipitates embedded in a substitutional solid solution matrix of Al and Ni. A weight ratio Al/Ni of between 0.03 to 0.10, wherein a total amount of Ni and Al is between 70 to 95 wt % of the total binder A method of making a cutting tool is also provided.

A cemented carbide including an eta phase and a NiAl binder is provided. The NiAl binder includes intermetallic y-Ni.sub.3Al -precipitates embedded in a substitutional solid solution matrix of Al and Ni. A weight ratio Al/Ni of between 0.03 to 0.10, wherein a total amount of Ni and Al is between 70 to 95 wt % of the total binder A method of making a cutting tool is also provided.

A method for surface treatment of a metal material in a powder state is provided, the method including obtaining a powder formed from a plurality of particles of the metal material to be treated; and subjecting the powder to an ion implantation process by directing a beam of singly-charged or multi-charged ions towards an outer surface of the particles, the beam being produced by a source of singly-charged or multi-charged ions, whereby the particles have an overall spherical shape with a radius (R). There is also provided a material in a powder state formed from a plurality of particles having a ceramic outer layer and a metal core, the particles having an overall spherical shape.

Provided is a hard sintered body which exhibits excellent high temperature oxidation resistance and has a high hardness at a high temperature. In the hard sintered body, a binder phase is contained at from 8.8 to 34.4 mol % and the balance is composed of a hard phase and inevitable impurities. The binder phase contains iron aluminide containing FeAl as a main component and alumina that is dispersed in iron aluminide and has a particle size of 1 m or less. The hard phase is composed of at least one kind selected from carbides, nitrides, carbonitrides and borides of Group 4 metals, Group 5 metals and Group 6 metals in the periodic table, and solid solutions of these. This hard sintered body is obtained by mixing and pulverizing a binding particle powder containing an iron aluminide powder composed of at least one kind selected from FeAl.sub.2, Fe.sub.2Al.sub.5 and FeAl.sub.3 and a hard particle powder composed of at least one kind selected from carbides, nitrides, carbonitrides and borides of Group 4 metals, Group 5 metals and Group 6 metals in the periodic table and then sintering a mixed powder thus obtained.

The cutting insert may include a substrate including a first surface, a second surface, and a cutting edge. The substrate may include a hard phase and a binder phase, and the hard phase may include a first hard phase and a second hard phase. In X-ray diffraction analysis, a peak of the first hard phase may be observed on a higher angle side than a peak of the second hard phase. The second hard phase in the second surface may include a compressive residual stress of 150 MPa or more. A maximum height (Rz) in the second surface may be 0.2 to 1.5 m. A maximum height of the cutting edge may be 2 to 30 times the maximum height in the second surface.

A cermet tool includes from 75-95 volume % of a hard phase and from 5-25 volume % of a binder phase. The hard phase has a first hard phase with a core portion of (Ti, Nb, Mo) (C, N) and a peripheral portion of (Ti, Nb, Mo, W) (C, N) or (Ti, Nb, Mo, W, Zr) (C, N), a second hard phase with both a core portion and a peripheral portion of (Ti, Nb, Mo, W) (C, N) or (Ti, Nb, Mo, W, Zr) (C, N), and a third hard phase of (Ti, Nb, Mo) (C, N). The ratio of Nbs/Nbi is from 0.8 to 1.2, where Nbs is a maximum Nb amount in a surface region and Nbi is an internal Nb amount in an internal region. The ratio of Ws/Wi is from 1.0 to 1.5, where Ws is a maximum W amount in the surface region and Wi is an internal W amount in the internal region. The area ratios A1, A2, and A3 of the respective hard phases are from 75 to 95 area % for A1, from 4 to 24 area % for A2, and from 1 to 24 area % for A3.

Cutting elements having accelerated leaching rates and methods of making the same are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method of forming a cutting element includes assembling a reaction cell having diamond particles, a non-catalyst material, a catalyst material, and a substrate within a refractory metal container, where the non-catalyst material is generally immiscible in the catalyst material at a sintering temperature and pressure. The method also includes subjecting the reaction cell and its contents to a high pressure high temperature sintering process to form a polycrystalline diamond body that is attached to the substrate. The method further includes contacting at least a portion of the polycrystalline diamond body with a leaching agent to remove catalyst material and non-catalyst material from the diamond body, where a leaching rate of the catalyst material and the non-catalyst material exceeds a conventional leaching rate profile by at least about 30%.

A hierarchical composite wear component includes a reinforced part and a non-reinforced part, the reinforced part including a three-dimensionally interconnected network of periodically alternating millimetric ceramic-metal composite granules with millimetric interstices. The ceramic-metal composite granules have at least 52 vol % micrometric particles of titanium carbide embedded in a first metal matrix, the porosity of the ceramic-metal composite granules being lower than 5 vol %. The three-dimensionally interconnected network of ceramic-metal composite granules is embedded in a second metal matrix. The volume content of ceramic-metal composite granules in the reinforced part is 45 to 65 vol %. The composition of the first metal matrix is substantially different from the second metal matrix. The second metal matrix has the ferrous cast alloy present in the millimetric interstices of the reinforced part. The millimetric interstices additionally include at least 1 vol % of micrometric carbide particles.