Welding Tungsten Carbide

Welding tungsten carbide is generally used to mean the joining of tungsten carbide to steel without the use of braze alloy, and it may or may not be true welding.

Welding tungsten carbide is achieved by using tungsten carbide parts such as saw tips that have a special surface enhancement.  A tungsten carbide saw tip with a large amount of surface cobalt can be induction “welded” reliably and easily.  There is a great saving in the cost of braze alloy and the cost of pretinning.

There are two parts in welding tungsten carbide.  The steel saw body and the prepared tungsten carbide saw tip.  The prepared tip has a surface prepared with something such as cobalt. This pure cobalt surface is fairly magnetically responsive.  The steel heats up fastest but the tip also heats up as well.  The difference here is the amount of heat transference from the steel to the tip.  The steel then flows onto and around the tungsten carbide part.  The steel alloys with the cobalt on the surface.  It forms a very strong bond.