'Zero radius' laser forming of tungsten carbide/superabrasive cutting edges and teeth

“我们将使用创新的增材制造技术，从根本上更新锯片硬齿的形成工艺。最常用的齿尖材料是碳化钨。在一个典型的尖端刀片不到1%的高价值磨损材料的使用。其余部分在制造过程中被加工掉，或者留在基体上，当锋利的边缘磨损时被丢弃。最先进的碳化钨镶齿（TCT）目前是通过将预成型的碳化钨刀片焊接到钢带上，然后将其研磨成锋利的边缘而形成的。需要操作单个刀片意味着目前无法制造细齿金属切削刀片（每英寸6齿）。磨削过程对环境造成浪费--材料、能源和冷却液。我们的新工艺使用微激光金属沉积（micro-LMD）技术对刀尖材料进行处理，形成坚硬的切削刃，从而避免了操作和焊接TCT刀片的需要。在LMD中，粉末（例如碳化钨）的射流被引导到表面，同时被聚焦的激光束熔化到表面中。我们已经获得了两项关于通过LMD制作牙齿的专利。我们与分包商ManuDirect合作，在试验台上对微型LMD进行了试验，并在牙齿上实现了硬表面，证明了它们的切割能力。这些牙齿的边缘仍然是圆的;我们还不能形成锋利的“零半径”切割边缘。然而，一旦我们能够做到这一点，我们将创造一个近净形的牙齿，减少或消除后续的磨削需要，甚至允许激光锐化。我们的工艺也应该适用于所有类型的刀片和其他金属陶瓷组合。然而，由于碳化钨是最广泛使用的磨料，它是我们最初的重点。最大的机会将是在细齿金属切削刀片（>6 TPI），目前没有可能使用TCT刀片和传统的螺旋刀片钝容易。此外，我们看到了木材切割锯片的机会，它在成本和性能方面处于TCT和TCT之间的差距。主要合作伙伴是磨料锯片的制造商和出口商，将通过其客户群开发这一过程。该财团包括一个粉末供应商，英国在这一领域的领先大学和一个分包商，是微型LMD设备的专家。"

"We will use innovative additive manufacturing to radically update the process for forming hard teeth on saw blades. The most commonly used tooth tip material is tungsten carbide. In a typical tipped blade less than 1% of the high value wear material is used. The rest is machined off during the manufacturing process or left on the base and discarded when the sharp edges are worn.State-of-the-art tungsten carbide tipped (TCT) teeth are currently formed by welding pre-formed tungsten carbide inserts to steel strip and then grinding these to a sharp edge. The need to manipulate individual inserts means that fine-toothed metal-cutting blades ( \>6 Teeth Per Inch) cannot currently be manufactured. The grinding process is environmentally wasteful - of materials, energy and coolant.Our new process uses micro laser metal deposition (micro-LMD) of the tip material to form the hard cutting edge, thus avoiding the need to manipulate and weld TCT inserts. In LMD, a jet of powder (eg tungsten carbide) is directed at a surface while being simultaneously melted into the surface by a focused laser beam. We have obtained two patents on tooth-making via LMD. With our subcontractor ManuDirect we have experimented with micro-LMD in a test rig and have been able to achieve hard surfaces on teeth and proved their ability to cut.The edges of these teeth are still rounded; we are not yet able to form a sharp 'zero radius' cutting edge. However, once we are able to do so, we will have created a near-net-shape tooth, reducing or eliminating the need for subsequent grinding, or even permitting laser sharpening.Our process should also be applicable to all types of blade and other metal-ceramic combination. However as tungsten carbide is the most widely used abrasive it is our initial focus. The greatest opportunity will be in fine-toothed metal-cutting blades ( \>6 TPI) where there is currently no possibility of using TCT inserts and conventional bimetal blades blunt easily. In addition, we see an opportunity for a wood cutting saw blade that sits in the gap between bimetal and TCT in terms of cost and performance.The lead partner is a manufacturer and exporter of abrasive saw blades and will exploit the process through its customer base. The consortium includes a powder supplier, the UK's leading university in this area and a subcontractor that is expert in micro-LMD equipment."