Wear parts are found in many different types of machines, equipment, and vehicles used in a range of industries. In contras to parts like panels, frame components, axles, fasteners, and other components that tend to last for the entire life of the equipment, wear parts are designed to eventually wear out and be replaced.
While replacement is unavoidable, wear parts should be designed to have the longest possible service life. This helps limit the downtime and expense that accompanies frequent wear part replacement.
Ultra-Met provides precision wear parts manufactured from strong, durable tungsten carbide. This material is commonly used for applications with abrasive, high-temperature, and physically stressful operating conditions. From mining and oil drilling to automotive manufacturing and beyond, tungsten carbide is a long-lasting choice for wear parts. Learn more about wear parts and Ultra-Met’s expertise in their design and manufacture.
What Are Wear Parts?
Wear parts are components in vehicles, equipment, and machinery that are designed to wear out and require replacement after a period of continuous use. Common examples of industrial wear parts include bearings, bushings, pins, seal rings, valve seats, valve stems, and shafts. They are typically parts that are frequently or constantly exposed to friction, heat, pressure, and physical stress. Wear parts will eventually erode or fail and need to be replaced with new ones.
The material used for wear parts greatly affects their service life and how quickly they need to be replaced. Tungsten carbide wear parts have the advantage of being incredibly strong, hard, sense, and corrosion resistant, which means they extend the time between replacements. This increases uptime and overall productivity.
Applications by Industry
Wear parts are found in many different types of manufacturing and industrial equipment. Some common examples are given by industry below.
- Mining, Oil, and Gas: Wear bars, drill bits, and flow control components.
- Aerospace: Cutting tools, bearings, bushings, components in landing gear and engines, sealing rings.
- Automotive Manufacturing: Punches, dies, and other cutting and drilling tools, pump parts.
- Manufacturing: Cutting blades, drill tips, stamping punches and dies, and valve components.
Press-to-Size Design and Customization
Ultra-Met uses CNC presses to mold wear parts from tungsten carbide powder metal blends. We work with many material grades and can also customize powder blends for specific applications. Our presses and precision molds are suitable for parts with simple or complex geometries.
Pressed “green” parts are sintered under a carefully-controlled atmosphere within a sintering furnace, and hot isotropic pressing (HIP) is also available for added density, if required. Completed parts are thoroughly inspected and can be polished, ground, or otherwise finished to meet customer specifications.
Material Property Considerations for Wear Parts
In addition to our many standard grades of tungsten carbide, Ultra-Met has the ability to customize blends to achieve optimal properties for specific applications.
Proprietary Grade Options
We offer a comprehensive selection of proprietary standard grades of tungsten carbide and other powder metal materials. We can also customize a blend to achieve the hardness, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and other properties your application calls for. Our metallurgists are committed to developing materials that meet you performance, manufacturability, and budget needs.
Binders
Binders are added to powder metal admixtures to improve particle adhesion, add green strength after compaction, and prevent constituent powders from separating. We offer a variety of binder options to customize tungsten carbide powder, including cobalt, nickel, hybrid blends, and more.
Structural Integrity and Grain Control
Grain size affects the wear resistance and strength of tungsten carbide components. Our sintering process can achieve fine-grained microstructures for superior mechanical properties and extended service life.
Performance Benefits of Tungsten Carbide for Wear Parts
Compared to other materials, tungsten carbide is extremely strong, hard, and resistant to corrosive elements.
Extended Wear Life
Tungsten carbide wear parts have an extended service life because this material holds up to high temperatures, friction, and physical stress. As a result, wear parts last longer and are replaced less often than those made from steel or other materials.
Abrasion and Corrosion Resistance
Because it is exceptionally hard, tungsten carbide resists abrasion, scratches, and surface damage. It is also resistant to corrosion from many chemicals, which makes it a suitable material for harsh operating conditions common in the energy, manufacturing, and mining sectors.
Mechanical Toughness and Strength
Ultra-Met’s metallurgists and engineers can develop powder metal blends for wear parts with maximum compressive strength and fracture toughness for a given application.
Wear Parts from Ultra-Met
The advantage of powder metallurgy manufacturing is the granular control it allows over material properties in finished parts. Our tungsten carbide wear parts improve performance and uptime in heavy equipment, machinery, vehicles, and manufacturing processes in many industries. We provide standard and custom molded abrasive-resistant components and custom wear inserts that are reliable and durable.
Request a quote to discuss your wear part application requirements, and to learn how Ultra-Met can help.