A powder material includes: an atomized powder of an Ni-based alloy containing inclusions, in which a number of particles of the contained inclusions is 100 particles or less per 10,000 particles of the atomized powder. The Ni-based alloy may include at least one additive element selected from Al, Ti and Nb, and the inclusions include at least one of oxide and carbonitride of the additive element.

A cermet contains hard phase particles containing Ti and a binding phase containing at least one of Ni and Co, and 70% or more (by number) of the hard phase particles have a cored structure containing a core and a peripheral portion around the core. The core is composed mainly of at least one of Ti carbide, Ti nitride, and Ti carbonitride, and the peripheral portion is composed mainly of a Ti composite compound containing Ti and at least one selected from W, Mo, Ta, Nb, and Cr. The core has an average particle size α, the peripheral portion has an average particle size β, and α and β satisfy 1.1≦β/α≦1.7.

A cermet contains hard phase particles containing Ti and a binding phase containing at least one of Ni and Co. 70% or more of the hard phase particles have a cored structure containing a core and a peripheral portion around the core. The core is composed mainly of at least one of Ti carbide, Ti nitride, and Ti carbonitride. The peripheral portion is composed mainly of a Ti composite compound containing Ti and at least one selected from W, Mo, Ta, Nb, and Cr. The core has an average particle size α, the peripheral portion has an average particle size β, and α and β satisfy 1.1≦β/α≦1.7. The hard phase particles in the cermet have an average particle size of more than 1.0 μm.

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.

The present invention relates to a method of making a cemented carbide comprising mixing in a slurry a first powder fraction and a second powder fraction, subjecting the slurry to milling, drying, pressing and sintering. The first powder fraction is made from cemented carbide scrap recycled using the Zn recovery process, comprising the elements W, C, Co, and at least one or more of Ta, Ti, Nb, Cr, Zr, Hf and Mo, and the second powder fraction comprising virgin raw materials of WC and possibly carbides and/or carbonitrides of one or more of Cr, Zr, W, Ta, Ti, Hf and Nb. The first powder fraction is subjected to a pre-milling step, prior to the step of forming the slurry, to obtain an average grain size of between 0.2 to 1.5 μm.

The present invention relates to a method of making a cemented carbide comprising mixing in a slurry a first powder fraction and a second powder fraction, subjecting the slurry to milling, drying, pressing and sintering. The first powder fraction is made from cemented carbide scrap recycled using the Zn recovery process, comprising the elements W, C, Co, and at least one or more of Ta, Ti, Nb, Cr, Zr, Hf and Mo, and the second powder fraction comprising virgin raw materials of WC and possibly carbides and/or carbonitrides of one or more of Cr, Zr, W, Ta, Ti, Hf and Nb. The first powder fraction is subjected to a pre-milling step, prior to the step of forming the slurry, to obtain an average grain size of between 0.2 to 1.5 μm.

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 μm 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 μm. A maximum height of the cutting edge may be 2 to 30 times the maximum height in the second surface.

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 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.