Tungsten teeth bite better on saws
High Velocity Oxy Fuel (HVOF) is a process of binding particles to a surface. The particles are accelerated at incredible speeds, in some cases as high as Mach 13. When bonding with the surface, they attain a bonding strength as much as 10 times stronger than other coating methods. A French company has adapted this technique to provide new coatings for saw blades using tungsten carbide. While some obstacles were encountered, the overall performances of these blades were improved. The goals of this BRITE EURAM 3 project were to develop coatings for saws that would provide economic, industrial and environmental gains. Economic gains were to be found in the reduction of blades used, decreasing intervention frequencies and to enhance the quality of sawn products. The industrial goals were to optimise sawing parameters and increase cutting capacities. The environmental benefits intended were to reduce noise pollution and cutting wastes. The project's findings resulted in improved feed speeds, increased service life and improved dimensional precision and surface quality of sawing. However, some parameters did not meet with expectations, but did provide an excellent basis for further research and development. For example, suitable coating of tungsten carbides had to be extremely thick and this could not be realised with the HVOF coating technique. While the materials need to be optimised, the developers are hopeful for the successful industrialisation of their process.
