ADVANCED MATERIALS BOOST MANUFACTURING OP[ERATIONS AND PROCESSES

摘要

Vehicle manufacturers, amongst others, can now benefit from better cutting tools, dies and electrodes that have their origins in armour-plated tanks. They are made from improved high-performance titanium diboride materials using a patented high-energy chemical reaction process first developed for armoured vehicles in the USA. One of the latest achievements in the advanced materials field is a unique product offered by Advanced Engineered Materials called Advanced TiB2. This superior material is a substantially amorphous, nonpyrophoric pure powder produced by a proprietary continuous process. It is twice as hard 'as silicon nitride, weighs about two-thirds less than tungsten carbide and has a higher melting point than silicon carbide. Advanced TiB2 can be formed into dense shapes without special environmental requirements, sintering aids or other additives. There are no carbide contaminants at the grain boundaries. The resulting small grain size and high aspect ratio provide radically improved mechanical and physical properties and an especially high surface area, it is claimed.