ANC manufactures a wide array of blended tungsten carbide-cobalt powders under the ANBlendTM trade name, including ready-to-press grade powders and zinc reclaimed powders.
Ready-to-Press Grade Powders
ANC’s grade powders are produced from either all virgin raw materials or a mixture of virgin and zinc reclaimed material, as well as additions of titanium carbide (TiC), tantalum carbide (TaC) and niobium carbide (NbC), when necessary to meet grade requirements. These formulations allow for flexibility in the customization of grades and ensure that our customers get exactly what they need. Unlike many spray dried powders, we use 2% standard paraffin as a binder with no other additives, so extended debinding time during sintering is not necessary.
Grade powders are available in lot sizes up to 1,800 kilos in two forms: “pelleted” - made with a proprietary agglomeration process, these powders offer ease of compaction using traditional pressing methods, improved sinterability, and low porosity; and “unpelleted” – simple, waxed powder for use in isostatic pressing operations.
We offer all our standard grades in these forms, as well as grades specially-formulated to customer specifications. ANC powders are made with stoichiometric percentages of carbon, but custom specifications for carbon are encouraged to accommodate for the different sintering conditions and methods employed by our customers. Since our raw material production is done in house, we are uniquely positioned for strategic partnerships.
Zinc Reclaimed Powders
For nearly 20 years, ANC has produced reclaimed hardmetal powders through the zinc process, and we believe we make the highest quality zinc reclaimed powder available. Starting material (hard scrap carbide) is cleaned and hand sorted prior to processing to eliminate contamination and ensure consistent grain size and composition, and strict quality control methods are employed to ensure purity throughout the process.
We offer seven standard grades of zinc reclaimed powder, and we can custom blend powders to exact specifications. We have the capability of producing lots of powder in quantities up to 7,500 kilos, and particle size can be specified by our customers.
All ANC powders come with their own certificate of analysis, which includes results of both chemical and physical analyses of the material, and are guaranteed to meet the required specifications. Powders are packaged in sealed polyethylene bags inside of either 50-kilo or 200-kilo steel drums, depending on customer preference.
Our experienced technical staff is available to discuss your powder requirements and help you choose or design the grade that will work best for you.