As China tightens its exports and wars rage on multiple continents, tungsten is in short supply. Surging demand from the defence, aerospace, semiconductor, and energy sectors is making the resource scarce.
As the cost of tungsten powder rises, it pushes up the price of carbide. Maximizing the tool life of current inserts, drills, and mills and using a proper regrinding effort, when possible, can help.
The difference between a tool with long tool life and one with a short tool life has never been as important as it is now.
As part of Canadian Metalworking’s continuing coverage of the carbide crunch, Editor Joe Thompson asked De Boer Tool Technical Sales and Application Specialist Matthew DeBoer to weigh in. De Boer Tool, Mississauga, Ont., manufactures standard and custom-engineered solid-carbide cutting tools.
Thompson: What is behind the rapid rise in the cost of APT, a raw ingredient needed to produce tungsten carbide?
DeBoer: Tightened APT export controls driven by Chinese government policy, combined with increased demand from industries such as defence, are driving significant cost increases across the market.
At the same time, elevated purchasing activity by manufacturers, including cutting tool producers to secure supply, is placing additional strain on the supply chain, increasing the risk of shortages and further exacerbating pricing pressures. This combination of constrained supply and defensive buying behaviour is creating ongoing volatility, making both pricing and lead times increasingly difficult to predict.
Pour lire la suite : https://www.canadianmetalworking.com/canadianmetalworking/article/cuttingtools/the-carbide-crunch-continues
