Sintering furnace and method of making cutting tools

US8889063B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Sandvik Intellectual Property AB · SE

Inventors

• Anders Karlsson · Gävle, SE
• Gunilla Anderson · Sollentuna, SE
• Peter Björkhagen · Storfors, SE
• Per Gustafson · Huddinge, SE
• Marco Zwinkels · Sundbyberg, SE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 19, 2008
• Grant date: Nov 18, 2014
• Expiry date: Dec 19, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B22F2999/00
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of making cutting tools comprising a substrate having a hard phase and a binder phase, the method comprising forming green powder compacts using powder metallurgical techniques, charging the green powder compacts, placed on one or several trays, in a furnace and sintering the green powder compacts wherein the furnace comprises an insulation package, at least three individually controlled heating elements located inside the insulation package including a vertical heating element, an upper horizontal heating element arranged in an upper part of the furnace, and a lower horizontal heating element arranged in a lower part of the furnace, wherein operating the at least three heating elements such that an average controlled cooling rate from a sintering temperature down to at least a solidification temperature of the binder phase is 0.1-4.0° C./min, and a sintering furnace operable to obtain a controlled cooling rate.