Cemented Carbide Binder Phase for Abrasion-Resistant PCB Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cutting tools, particularly those used for drilling holes in printed circuit boards, face increased abrasion and breakage due to the growing difficulty in cutting advanced materials like those in 5G printed circuit boards, which require higher heat resistance.
Innovation Solution
A cemented carbide composition comprising tungsten carbide grains and a binder phase with specific volume and mass percentages, including cobalt and additional elements like silicon, phosphorus, germanium, tin, rhenium, ruthenium, osmium, or platinum, without segregation at grain or grain-phase interfaces, enhancing hardness and interface strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cemented carbides are used for cutting advanced materials, then the cutting tool can process basic materials, but the tool experiences increased abrasion and breakage when cutting heat-resistant materials like 5G printed circuit boards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the binder phase by incorporating specific elements (B, Si, P, Ge, Sn, Re, Ru, Os, Ir, Pt) in controlled amounts. This modifies the physical and chemical properties of the binder phase to enhance its resistance to abrasion and breakage when cutting heat-resistant materials, directly resolving the contradiction between maintaining tool life and resisting harmful factors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite binder phase by combining cobalt with multiple alloying elements that provide complementary properties. This composite structure synergistically enhances both the toughness and wear resistance of the binder phase, allowing the cutting tool to maintain reliability while resisting abrasion and breakage during processing of advanced materials.
2Strength
If the binder phase contains high cobalt content for toughness, then the cemented carbide achieves good impact resistance, but the hardness and wear resistance may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adjusts the composition parameters of the binder phase by adding specific alloying elements to the cobalt matrix. These elements modify the physical and chemical properties of the binder phase, enabling it to achieve both high toughness (from cobalt) and enhanced wear resistance (from alloying elements), thus resolving the contradiction between impact resistance and wear resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite binder phase structure where cobalt provides the metallic matrix for toughness while dispersed alloying elements provide hard phases for wear resistance. This composite approach allows simultaneous achievement of impact resistance and wear resistance that cannot be obtained with pure cobalt alone.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a cemented carbide comprising a plurality of tungsten carbide grains and a binder phase, wherein the cemented carbide comprises the tungsten carbide grains and the binder phase in a total of 89% by volume or more, the cemented carbide comprises 1.5% by volume or more and 23% by volume or less of the binder phase, the binder phase contains 40% by mass or more of cobalt, the binder phase further contains at least one first element selected from the group consisting of silicon, phosphorus, germanium, tin, rhenium, ruthenium, osmium, iridium, and platinum, the first element is not segregated in a first interface region between the tungsten carbide grains that are adjacent to each other, and the first element is not segregated in a second interface region between the tungsten carbide grain and binder phase that are adjacent to each other.