Abstract: The invention relates to a process for producing a hard metal batch by drying a wet slurry -3- which is produced by wet-milling the hard material and binder metal fractions desired in the finished batch to the desired grain size, using water as liquid phase. According to the invention, the wet slurry -3- is applied to a moving carrier belt -1- with a solids content of from 75% by weight to 95% by weight and in a layer thickness of from 0.2 mm to 2 mm. As it passes through a drying zone -4-, the wet slurry -3- is heated, over the course of in total from 1 minute to 7 minutes, to a maximum temperature in the range from more than 100° C. to 150° C. The time which it takes for the wet slurry -3- to be heated to more than 100° C. is in a range from 15 seconds to 2 minutes. The hard metal batch which has been dried in this manner is then cooled to room temperature and if necessary comminuted.

Abstract: A hard metal granulate is produced by wet milling and spray drying in a spray tower using pure water as the liquid phase. The spray tower is configured and operated in such a way that a ratio of the quantity of water added via the slurry (in liters per hour) to tower volume (in m3) is between 0.5 and 1.8 and in that a maximum of 0.17 kg of slurry is atomized per m3 of incoming drying gas. The slurry has a solid particle concentration within a range of 65-85% by weight. Under these conditions, the addition of a water-soluble, long-chain polyglycol to the slurry prior to spraying previously required in order to prevent oxidation of the hard metal granulate is no longer necessary.

Abstract: A hard metal grade powder is produced from hard material, metal binder, and non-water-soluble pressing aid components, by forming a slurry containing the components and pure water as a liquid phase and then drying the slurry. Here, the hard material and metal binder components are first milled in water, to form a slurry. Then the pressing aid components are added to the slurry in the form of an emulsion produced with the aid of an emulsifier with the addition of water.

Abstract: A hard metal grade powder is produced from hard material, metal binder, and non-water-soluble pressing aid components, by forming a slurry containing the components and pure water as a liquid phase and then drying the slurry. Here, the hard material and metal binder components are first milled in water, to form a slurry. Then the pressing aid components are added to the slurry in the form of an emulsion produced with the aid of an emulsifier with the addition of water.

Abstract: A hard metal granulate is produced by wet milling and spray drying in a spray tower using pure water as the liquid phase. The spray tower is configured and operated in such a way that a ratio of the quantity of water added via the slurry (in liters per hour) to tower volume (in m3) is between 0.5 and 1.8 and in that a maximum of 0.17 kg of slurry is atomized per m3 of incoming drying gas. The slurry has a solid particle concentration within a range of 65-85% by weight. Under these conditions, the addition of a water-soluble, long-chain polyglycol to the slurry prior to spraying previously required in order to prevent oxidation of the hard metal granulate is no longer necessary.

Abstract: The invention concerns the use of a WC—Co cutting metal alloy for a component or a tool insert, which is shaped from a corresponding cutting metal blank by means of an electrical discharge processing method. The WC fraction in the carbide phase of the cutting metal alloy is more than 90 wt %; the binder phase consists mostly of cobalt and is 8 to 15 wt % with reference to the cutting metal alloy. 0.1 to 3 wt % of one or more metals from the group Re, Ge, Ga, Ir, Os, Pd, Ag, Au, Pt, Te, Sb, Rh, and Ru, with reference to the binder phase, are dissolved in the binder phase.

Abstract: The invention concerns a gas carburizing method for production of fine-grained tungsten carbide (WC) powder in installations for fluidized bed reaction starting from free-flowing tungsten or tungsten oxide-containing powder with an average particle size d50>10 &mgr;m in a single process step with a specific process temperature and process gas mixture with a carbon activity <1 and as close as possible to 1. The method is suitable for particularly economical WC production on an industrial scale.