Material Comparison for Relink Extrusion Tools
Relink offers extrusion tips, dies, and wire guides with inserts in different materials to suit various production volumes, speeds, and budget requirements. The choice of material significantly impacts tool performance, longevity, and overall cost efficiency. Key materials include natural or polycrystalline diamond (PCD), tungsten carbide, and high-grade steel or special alloys (e.g., Hastelloy for corrosive environments). Below is a detailed comparison to help you select the optimal tooling for your application.
Material Comparison Table
| Property | Cemented Carbide (Tungsten Steel) | High-Speed Steel (HSS) |
| Material Composition | WC + Co (Cobalt binder) | Fe-based steel + W, Mo, Cr, V, etc. |
| Hardness | Very High (≈ HRC 70+ or HRA 80+) | High (≈ HRC 60-66) |
| Wear Resistance | Excellent | Moderate |
| Heat Resistance | Retains hardness well at high temperatures | Loses hardness rapidly at high temperatures |
| Key Characteristics | Hard, wear-resistant, heat-resistant, but brittle and expensive | Tough, easy to sharpen, inexpensive, overall performance is slightly lower |
| Primary Applications | High-speed cutting, high-wear molds, heat-resistant parts | General-purpose cutting, drill bits, milling cutters, small-batch machining |
| Cost | High initial cost, but long service life | Low initial cost, shorter service life |
| Manufacturing Process | Powder metallurgy, pressing and sintering, precision grinding | Melting/Forging, heat treatment, grinding |
Extrusion tip options
| Tip insert material | Steel Tip | Solid Carbide Tip | Carbide Insert Tip | Diamond Insert Tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size range availability (1) | ||||
| Min. | .039”[1.0 mm] | .047”[1.2 mm] | .0276”[0.6 mm] | .0098”[0.25 mm] |
| Max. | 4.921”[125 mm] | .315”[8.0 mm] | .197”[5.0 mm] | .1575”[4.0 mm] |
| Approx. relative durability (2) | ||||
| Non-ferrous | < 1x | 1x | 1x | 17 – 500x |
| Ferrous | < 1x | 1x | 1x | 4 – 70x |
Recommendations
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Choose Diamond for maximum uptime and efficiency in continuous high-speed operations.
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Choose Carbide for optimal cost-performance balance in most standard cable production.
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Choose Steel/Alloys for specialty applications or lower-volume runs.
Relink experts can assist in selecting or customizing the right material combination for your specific needs.