Tag Archives: SH70

Sandvik launches Power Carbide to highlight rock tool capabilities

Sandvik has chosen to gather its range of rock tools with cemented carbide into a new group called Power Carbide.

The range comes with a combination of strength, hardness, toughness and wear resistance. All of these properties significantly enhance both drilling performance and cost effectiveness, Sandvik said.

Sandvik was the first company to produce rock tools with cemented carbide, which is one of the most successful composite engineering materials ever produced, it said.

Marie Lundbäck, R&D Manager Hard Materials, Rock Tools, Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology, said the introduction of PowerCarbide enables the company to showcase the importance of carbide grades in drilling operations. “Our key strengths in this area lie in our innovations in advanced material compositions and production processes,” she said.

Sandvik’s leading position in the cemented carbide tool market is down to a focus on R&D, continuous investments and close customer collaboration, according to the company. Sandvik also controls its entire production chain – from its own tungsten mine to the production of drill bits – which is unique in the market, it said.

Lundbäck said: “As we have the most comprehensive range of advanced carbide tools, we can offer our customers tailored solutions to meet their specific drilling needs. At the same time, we are able to contribute to a more sustainable future through our unique global carbide recycling system.”

The Sandvik PowerCarbide family currently consists of the grades DP55, DP65, GC80, SH70, XT49, XT70 and XT90. New grades will be launched and added to the family as Sandvik continues to develop the range, it said.

Sandvik extends grinding intervals and service life with new rock drill carbide grades

Sandvik has launched what it calls the most significant carbide innovation in the rock drilling industry for decades, with the two new additions to its PowerCarbide family.

The two new carbide grades extend grinding intervals and service life by up to 30% compared with standard carbides, according to the company.

The GC80 (Gradient Carbide) and SH70 (Self-Hardening) PowerCarbide grades give users several other benefits, such as lower cost per drilled meter, less time for changing bits and improved safety.

Robert Grandin, Product Manager for Underground Top Hammer at Sandvik Rock Tools, said: “Sandvik was the first company in the drilling history to manufacture rock tools with cemented carbide, and we are working continuously on developing new and more advanced solutions. The new PowerCarbide grades are based on an improved knowledge about the wear of the drill bit in different types of rock.”

The GC80 is developed for abrasive ground conditions with high silica levels in the rock, Sandvik said. A new, unique method makes it possible to produce buttons that are wear-resistant on the outside, while the centre provides a toughness that pushes the service life and grinding intervals even further.

The SH70, developed for hard, competent ground, is a grade with homogeneous properties throughout the material. It is called “self-hardening” because the enhanced deformation hardening makes it more wear resistant as you drill. “The surface hardness is continuously ‘refilled’, which means that the hard top never wears off,” Sandvik says.

Sandvik says it has more laboratory capacity and human resources for cemented carbide development than any other company in the industry.

Grandin added: “Controlling the whole chain, all the way from our own tungsten mine to the production of drill bits, is a unique enabler for developing groundbreaking rock tools. Since we have the most advanced range of carbides, we almost certainly have something in our product range that is perfect for each customer’s conditions.”

Earlier this month, Sandvik introduced a new drilling tool system, the Alpha 360, and what it believes to be the fastest drill bit in the industry, Speedy bit.