Cemented carbides have a unique character as a result of their composite structure – a wear-resistant phase bonded together by a ductile binder metal – and are widely used across multiple industries such as metal cutting, agriculture, food, and oil and gas. Due to their inherent hardness, cemented carbides can be challenging to machine, not least in complex geometries. Leveraging their century-long materials expertise, Sandvik can now offer 3D printed cemented carbide on a commercial scale – based on a tailor-made powder attained through a proprietary process – with the design freedom, decreased material waste, and fewer replacements that come with additive manufacturing technology.

The product offering of the 4-flute solid carbide end mill is it is available in metric (57 sku) and inch (57 sku) standard diameters, straight and Weldon shanks and square-end, sharp edges, chamfers and corner radii designs are available.

Sandvik continues to expand their additive offering by introducing 3D printed cemented carbide – with superior wear-resistant properties. This is enabled by a unique powder, crafted through a patented process developed by the company’s leading experts along the additive value chain.

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Anders Ohlsson continues: “Cemented carbide is one of the very hardest, if not the hardest material available in 3D printed shape as of today. When implementing additive manufacturing into your business, you basically eliminate all previous design restrictions – enabling you to focus on designing components based on operational needs and requirements, without having to adapt to a specific shape or form. One example is this wire drawing nib from a recent R&D project in our workshop. The closed-loop spiral coolant channels enable efficient cooling of the nib, while the wire remains dry. This would have been impossible to achieve without additive manufacturing.”

“The most critical component in our process is working with powders that have the just-right properties. Above all, high density crucially impacts the quality achievable in terms of material properties and geometry. Sandvik has developed both a powder and a process that are unique. My view is that with commercial powders, you can make things that look cool – but don’t really work. Our powders are optimized to print components that look great, work well – and are fit for use in actual applications, demanding environments, and serial production. It’s also well worth mentioning the ability to 3D print cemented carbide speeds up our time-to-market rather dramatically. Prototyping used to take 6-12 months – and now our lead time to date is a matter of weeks”, comments Anders Ohlsson, Lead Product Manager at Sandvik Additive Manufacturing.

To launch VariMill Xtreme Widia Hanita will hold a webinar – Discover WIDIA Hanita VariMill Xtreme – on 21 January 2021 (2PM CET). To register for this webinar visit https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8464220142692582672

Target markets include the aerospace and energy industries as well as a host of general engineering industries.

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The coating of the tool is a Victory WS15PE grade and custom solutions are available. Regrinding is offered through the existing global centres.

1,346 polymer and metal AM companies and 143 end-users. Consumer products AM generated $2.6 billion in 2023. Segment expected to grow to $28 billion by 2033 at 26.8% CAGR. This new market study fro...

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“The main enabler behind us continuously building on our additive offering is the fact that at Sandvik, innovation never stops. Thanks to our longstanding experience in materials technology paired with our expertise along the additive value chain, made even stronger by our partnership with the BEAMIT Group, we can innovate at a speed few others can. This makes us uniquely positioned to drive the shift toward the industrialization of 3D printing, and prove sustainable manufacturing isn’t just possible – it’s already happening. 3D printing in cemented carbide is a natural next step for us having perfected these materials for decades, and we are very pleased to offer additively manufactured components that can revolutionize the performance throughout our customers’ businesses”, says Mikael Schuisky, VP and Head of Business Unit Additive Manufacturing at Sandvik.

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Engineered to excel in a variety of aggressive machining conditions the product design uses key features of the already successful VariMill I but enhances chip evacuation and corner stability to exceed performance expectations on a wide range of materials.

A key differentiator compared to other hard materials is the fact that these alloys are often brittle, to some extent – while cemented carbide, with its’ matrix structure consisting mainly of cobalt and tungsten carbide, is uniquely tough. Thanks to the extreme durability of the material, the printed components are well suited for most industries looking to optimize production efficiency – including those operating in challenging environments.

Key characteristics of VariMill Xtreme are its versatility whereby it is capable of machining a broad range of materials (steel, stainless steel, cast iron, super alloys), provides high-performance and tool life in a variety of operations including ramping, slotting, plunging, drilling, helical interpolation, dynamic milling, is productive with improved chip evacuation and increased edge/corner strength to reduce any risk of breakage while pushing the cutting parameters to the limit and exceeds expectations in aggressive cutting parameters.

Hanita is a solid end milling brand devoted to delivering high-performance tools for the most demanding operations and applications in the aerospace, energy and general engineering industries.

After the iconic VariMill I design, Widia Hanita are pleased to present the recently released VariMill Xtreme, the next generation of versatile high-performance end mills.

Key features of the VariMill Xtreme are a twisted end face, an asymmetrical divided flute and variable helix angle and a parabolic core.

With 160 years of leading materials expertise and the widest range of metal powders on the market, Sandvik has been working with cemented carbide since 1932. Today, Sandvik is a world leader in hard materials, providing, for instance, metal cutting and mining tools such as turning inserts, end-mills, and drill bits. Now, Sandvik is broadening its offering to also include 3D printed components in cemented carbide.

For more information contact Widatech on TEL: +27 11 450 2108, email: info@widatech.co.za or visit www.widatech.co.za

In their ‘Plan it, Print it, Perfect it’ approach to additive manufacturing, Sandvik states printing is just one of the seven steps you have to master to succeed with the industrialization of AM – and that obtaining the most optimal material, tailor-made for your AM process and end component, is the first and perhaps most important step.

“VariMill Xtreme will dominate the shop floor through productive output due to its versatile offering and ability to machine a broad range of materials in aggressive machining conditions” said a company spokesperson.