What are tungsten carbide blades used for?
Tungsten carbide has been used in industrial cutting applications for nearly a century. In such a setting, where cuts are controllable and repeatable, its high durability and wear resistance allow it to outperform steel tools, cutting faster and leaving a better surface finish on machined parts.
What blades are used in microtome?
Microtomes use steel, glass or diamond blades depending upon the specimen being sliced and the desired thickness of the sections being cut. Steel blades are used to prepare histological sections of animal or plant tissues for light microscopy.
Can tungsten be used for blades?
Tungsten carbide is an ideal material to forge blades out of because thanks to its hardness and other properties, a much finer yet more durable edge can be fashioned once the blade has been formed. Carbide blades need far less sharpening than those made of stainless steel or titanium.
What is the difference between high and low profile microtome blades?
Low Profile vs. Standard low profile blades are used for routine thin tissue samples. This is typically great for pathology and histology facilities, biologists cutting thin tissue samples for immunohistochemistry or H&E staining, and freeze biopsy sections. High profile blades are good for thicker sections.
How do I choose a microtome blade?
To produce quality segments, they need to choose a suitable microtome knife. Without the proper blade, scientists risk ruining their most vital samples. Choosing the best microtome blade mainly depends on the specimen being studied and the thickness of the segment you need.
Is tungsten carbide good for blades?
With optimum grade selection, submicron grain size tungsten carbide blades can be sharpened to a razor edge without the inherent brittleness frequently associated with conventional carbide. Although not as shock-resistant as steel, carbide is extremely wear-resistant, with hardness equivalent to Rc 75-80.
Is tungsten carbide waterproof?
Tungsten carbide, which is an alloy of tungsten and carbon, is extremely inert and will not react with humidity or air. The result is a great waterproof material that is perfect for wedding bands. So if you are wondering if you can wash your hands while wearing a tungsten wedding ring, the answer is yes.
Can tungsten carbide blades be sharpened?
Tungsten Carbide Blades With optimum grade selection, submicron grain size tungsten carbide blades can be sharpened to a razor edge without the inherent brittleness frequently associated with conventional carbide. Although not as shock-resistant as steel, carbide is extremely wear-resistant, with hardness equivalent to Rc 75-80.
What is cemented tungsten carbide?
Cemented tungsten carbide is made by sintering (at high temperature) a combination of tungsten carbide powder with powdered cobalt (Co), a ductile metal that serves as a “binder” for the extremely hard tungsten carbide particles.
Why is carbide used in blades?
As a practical matter, the production of extremely sharp, acutely angled cutting edges dictates that a fine grained carbide be used in blade applications (in order to prevent large nicks and rough edges).
What is the hardness of carbide?
Although not as shock-resistant as steel, carbide is extremely wear-resistant, with hardness equivalent to Rc 75-80. Blade life of at least 50X conventional blade steels can be expected if chipping and breakage is avoided.