Ecological, sustainable and economical

• It couldn’t be simpler - we organise every step of the process for you
  
  We repurchase your cemented carbide, based on the current market price and supply quantity-specific containers and transport solutions free of charge. Our optimised recycling processes guarantee an increased yield rate of the secondary raw materials.

• There are two different methods for reducing the carbide end-product to the basic material for recycling:
  
  First the thermal zinc process, resulting in a powder which contains over 99% of the tungsten carbide in its original form, along with metallic cobalt and other additives such as grain growth inhibitors.
  
  Secondly, there is a chemical process where cobalt results as a separate by-product and very little energy is used. For both processes we work closely with our partner company Global Tungsten & Powders (GTP) in the USA.

As soon as we receive the worn indexable inserts and tools, they will be transported to our recycling facilities to be recycled into powder. Two methods are used for reprocessing: thermal zinc recycling, and a chemical process.

Thermal zinc recycling process

The zinc process involves the processing of hard metal scrap together with zinc on graphite boats in a special furnace. During the process the molten zinc reacts with the cobalt binder phase of the hard metal. There is a volume expansion associated with this reaction and as a result the cemented carbide swells to a porous cake. The cemented carbide inflates and disintegrates into thin layers, leaving a porous mass of tungsten carbide and cobalt. After the reaction has gone to completion the zinc is distilled off and recovered so that it can be used again. After the treatment of the scrap in the furnace the porous cake is milled into powder. Subsequently, fine milling and homogenisation is carried out to obtain a high quality tungsten carbide-cobalt powder.

By contrast with chemical processes, in the zinc process no chemical conversion of the tungsten carbide and the binder metal takes place. As a result, the original tungsten carbide grain size does not change, and the cobalt binder metal is also recovered. Since the zinc process is only a physical-mechanical modification without change of the chemical composition, the use of graded and clean production scrap is necessary to guarantee a regrind of sufficiently high quality.

• Thermal treatment of used carbide with zinc
• Recycled powder contains over 99% of the tungsten carbide in its original form
• More cost-efficient in comparison with chemical processes
• Environmentally friendly, as no chemical liquids are used  

The chemical process

All components of the used carbide are dissolved into their atomic constituents and, after refinement, extraction, crystallisation and subsequent powder metallurgical thermal treatment, are converted back into the raw products. The energy input required for the process is very low. Cobalt results as a separate by-product of the process.

• Individual solutions
  
  Together, we optimise your cycle from sales to scrap return, from production to repurchasing, in a long-term partnership.

• Certified quality
  
  We have developed processing methods, certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standard, to convert carbide products after use to recyclable powder. This means that you can always rely on the outstanding quality of our carbide grades.

•  Social and ecological responsibility
  
  Help to conserve the earth’s valuable and limited primary resources by acting mindfully! Recycling limits the consequences of intensive mining, such as air, water and soil pollution, as well as the excessive use of energy. With a balance of up to 75% energy savings and 40% reduction of the total CO2 output, this proves the high efficiency of recycling in terms of energy and environment management.