Carbide – Uses and Applications
One of the most commonly used chemicals in industries is carbide. One sector that benefits a lot from carbide is the manufacturing industry. Most of the important products in manufacturing are made using carbide. The chemical composition of carbide enables for these various uses. Strength of carbide stemming from its elements make it attractive for use in manufacturing.
Various industries use carbide for varied uses. First of all, carbide is used in the manufacture of acetylene. The reaction of carbide with water generates acetylene. The acetylene produced is then used in producing polyvinyl chloride. Polyvinyl chloride is cheaper than many oils hence the reason why companies opt for it. Companies therefore opt for it to save on production costs.
Carbide is a big component of the steel industry the world over. There is a type of carbide tooling that is called carbide die. This die is largely used in steel production. Steel work is well accomplished using carbide dies due to their strength. Carbide is known to be several times harder than steel hence it can be used to make arguably the hardest metal on earth. To select the method of making steel from carbide first know the purpose of the steel product being made.
Carbide dies used in steel making fall into three categories. The first category consists of cold forming dies. This dies are used when one to use high speed in making steel equipment. Many parts of mechanical equipment are formed using these types of dies. Fasteners in the automotive industry are mostly derived from steel made using cold forming dies. The same can be said for screws, bolts and nuts.
In the second category we have the carbide drawing die or extrusion die. The most common type of steel for this die is stainless steel. To achieve desired results, tungsten carbide is used since it can hold enormous pressure. Using pressure, the steel maintains its stainless characteristic. Products of carbide drawing die include rods and pipes used in the construction industry.
Finally, we have specialty dies. As the name suggests, specialty dies are used in the manufacture of special items using steel. Just like the other types, tungsten carbide is used in this process. Specialty dies can be further categorized into three. Swaging dies, shaving dies and thread dies are the three sub-categories. These dies often remove any defects on the surface of steel hence enabling for creating of special equipment using the steel. One application is the making of threads in bolts and screws. In general carbide is quite vital in the manufacturing industry. You are guaranteed strength and durability for your products if you use carbide.