Sintered Cemented Carbide Articles with Selective Binder Deposition

The patent applies local quality by differentiating binder application across different regions of the article. The bottom and top portions receive binder on their entire surfaces, while the middle portion receives binder only on outer parts (within a predetermined distance from the outer surface). This creates a non-uniform binder distribution pattern that prevents excessive binder accumulation in the middle region, thereby achieving more uniform overall binder phase distribution in the sintered article.

The patent reduces porosity and breakage risk by applying binder locally rather than uniformly. By restricting binder application in the middle portion to only outer regions, the resulting green body has reduced overall porosity while maintaining structural integrity. This local quality approach creates a more dense structure that is less prone to breakage during debinding and allows for reduced debinding time.

The patent changes the key parameter of binder distribution from uniform to non-uniform. By controlling where binder is applied (entire surface for bottom/top portions, outer parts only for middle portion), the process enables use of powder compositions with lower metallic binder phase content. This parameter change in binder application strategy makes it possible to process and manufacture articles from powders that would be too brittle for traditional manufacturing, while achieving higher hardness in the final sintered article.