US Synthetic Bearings Site

Consumables

High-quality diamond powder (dry) used to process dies is provided to customers with in-house die shops. More

Carbide Dies

Tungsten carbide is a chemical compound containing the elements tungsten and carbon. Dies made of tungsten carbide are traditionally used in the wire drawing industry.

Carbide dies are widely-used and provide an economical savings (upfront) for wire drawing, compared to PCD dies. Typically pricing for carbide dies is much less than PCD dies, however the life of a carbide die is substantially less than a PCD die. With carbide, die changeovers vastly increase and additional monitoring is needed. Here are a few situations where carbide is a viable solution:

When evaluating the effects of various die geometries, carbide dies would provide a simple and cost effective solution.
When consistent diameter and ovality are not critical, carbide dies are a good alternative to PCD.

Tungsten carbide dies can be fabricated in a wide range of sizes from extremely small (.020 in) to very large (.500 in).

Carbide dies may be a more cost effective method of wire drawing, but for superior wear resistance and wire surface finish and unmatched quality, US Synthetic's PCD dies provide a much better option.