Machining of WC-Co Composites - A Review

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This article aims to present a review on the machining of tungsten carbide-cobalt composite material. WC-Co based materials are extensively used where the demand for high performance materials exists because these have the distinguished set of properties such as high hardness, superior wear resistance, high mechanical strength and good dimensional stability. Due to these excellent properties, it serves most applications in the field of tool and die making. Machining of the WC-Co materials is very difficult with conventional machining processes and results in poor surface finish, low material removal rate, high machining cost. Among all non-conventional machining processes, thermal energy based processes such as Electrical discharge machining, Wire EDM are most widely used to machine these materials. The machining of WC-Co is also affected by various factors such as the cobalt content and grain size and presence of other carbides. This paper attempts to critically review all these aspects of the machining of WC-CO composites.