Thermal analysis aids sintering of hardmetals

Thermal analysis is a valuable route not only for improving our understanding of the basic mechanisms operating in the sintering of hardmetals, but also for optimizing the production of these materials. Gert Leitner, Klaus Jaenicke-Roessler, Tim Gestrich and Torsten Breuning of the Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Keramische und Sinterwerkstoffer in Dresden, Germany, have used these tools to investigate the dewaxing, outgassing and sintering of both normal-grained and fine-grained hardmetals.