In the carbide industry, valuable materials such as tungsten carbide and cobalt are used, for example, in indexable inserts, drills and milling cutters. These raw materials are expensive, sometimes scarce and only available in a few regions. Recycling of used carbide products is therefore becoming increasingly important.
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A tried and tested process is thethermal zinc process: In this process, hard metal scrap is heated together with zinc in a furnace. The furnace
heated in an oven. The zinc diffuses into the cobalt binder, causing the carbide to disintegrate and transform into a porous, easily crushable mass. After the zinc evaporates, a powder structure remains, which serves as the starting point for new hard metal products.
Industry:
Procedure:
Solution:
Temperature resistant soft felt development and short-term realization of a sealing concept between the crucible and the connector using .
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Conclusion:
One customer’s process uses two separate pots connected by a hollow connector. One contains zinc and the other hard metal scrap. The weak point of the system was the transitions between the hoops. Crucibles and connector: Zinc vapor can escape uncontrollably, with negative consequences for process reliability, material yield and system components.
The existing design did not allow for a permanent seal. A reliable, easy-to-implement solution was needed at short notice and without system conversion.
The aim was to provide a functional seal between the connector and the crucible without changing the existing system. The requirements were
Graphite Materials impressed with its quick and non-binding consultancy and developed a suitable concept based on temperature-resistant soft felt within a few days. soft feltflexibly adapted to the geometry and placed in the transition area.
By using a soft felt gasket it was possible to significantly improve the sealing of the system. Based on the process parameters and component geometry, a simple but highly effective solution was developed that not only reduces zinc loss but also extends the service life of the system components.
Soft felt seals on crucibles (red)
