Gesinterter Hartstofformkoerper und Verfahren zu seiner Herstellung

The invention relates to a hard material which can be sintered to form shaped elements and a process for its production. Said hard material consists of one or more hard material phases of carbides, nitrides, and/or carbonitrides of metals of the IV, V and/or VI subgroups of the periodic system of elements. According to the invention, said hard material also contains < 2% by mass of binding metal phase, oxicarbide compounds of hard material(s) and traces of silicon in the form of silicon and/or silicon compounds. The hard material according to the invention is produced by means of conventional powder-metallurgy process steps, whereby in the technological production process according to the invention, silicon and/or one or more silicon compounds are also added.