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Sanalloy’s cemented carbide thehidden linchpin of many industries

www.sanalloy.co.jp/en

Sanalloy is leveraging its expertise to develop next-generation cemented carbide products to meet the demandsof ever-changing industries.
tomers’ ever-evolving industries. For example, the rise ofelectric vehicles (EVs) in the automobile sector has prompted
the firm to develop its P Seriesof cemented carbides, which
are better suited to working
with the lighter materials used
to make EVs.

“We focus on quality
first, not business.”
Seiji Yamamoto, President,
Sanalloy Industry Co., Ltd.
Founded in 1963, initially as
the Sanyo Alloy Research Institute, the Japanese company
Sanalloy is a leading specialist
in the production of cemented
carbides – heavy metal alloys
whose hardness is second only
to that of diamonds. Cemented
carbides are the ideal material with which to create thecutting, drilling, molding andwelding tools used in a range ofmanufacturing industries, andSanalloy’s extensive portfolioof clients – both in Japan andabroad – includes automobile,
aircraft, electronic applianceand steel producers. “Our customers are companies involvedin advanced industrial production, and are all companies thatdemand a high level of quality,
both domestically and internationally,” says President Seiji
Yamamoto.

Based in Fukusaki, Hyogo
Prefecture, Sanalloy not only
adheres to a strict quality commitment – “it’s our highest priority,” Mr. Yamamoto says – butis also dedicated to remaining
at the cutting edge of its cus-

Coefficient of friction for copper
alloy“Copper and aluminum alloys,
which are lightweight new soft
materials, have problems suchas easy surface adhesion when
cemented carbide is used in themanufacturing process, due totheir high affinity with cobalt
and nickel, the binding metalsof cemented carbide,” Mr. Yamamoto says. “The P Series hasa reduced coefficient of friction
without compromising conventional mechanical properties,
and has excellent resistance toseizure and wear against softmaterials. A lower coefficientof friction suppresses the frictional heat generated duringmachining, and thus suppresses
seizure.” He adds: “The P Series
is a hard material, yet resistant to chipping. Conventionally, when a material is hard,it cracks easily; the P Series
is a product that combines theproperties of being hard butresistant to cracking.”

Working process of FSW(Friction Stir Welding)
Sanalloy’s dedication to innovation has also led it to create

the FSW7 cemented carbide,
which is specifically designed
for tools used in friction stirwelding, a ground-breaking
method of welding that harnesses friction to join two metalcomponents, rather than having
to melt them together. “OurFSW7 cemented carbide forfriction stir welding tools has
excellent rigidity, wear resistance, oxidation resistance andseizure resistance at high temperatures,” Mr. Yamamoto says.
Another state-of-the-art Sanalloy product, TNE40, is an example of the company’s willingness to diversify from its corebusiness to meet customers’varied needs. A cermet rather
than a cemented carbide, it
provides particularly effective
heat resistance. “We conducteda test to measure the rate ofweight change before and after
leaving a tool at 900°C for onehour,” Mr. Yamamoto says. “Theweight change rate of cemented carbide after the test was111%, whereas that of TNE40
was 100%, showing almost nooxidation. This indicates it’s analloy with excellent oxidation
resistance and is suitable forwear-resistant applications athigh temperatures.”

Comparison of corrosion weightloss of hydrofluoric acid aqueoussolution
The MBN alloy is also representative of Sanalloy’s ability
to branch out. “Plastic products
are used in various industrial
fields such as automobiles,
home appliances, office automation equipment and medi-

cal care, and many are massproduced by injection molding,”
Mr. Yamamoto explains. “Especially in the injection molding of fluoroplastics, resins
containing hard particles, etc.,
high corrosion and wear resistance are required for parts
used inside machines, but there
was a history of corrosion andwear progression even in ourNA20, which is one of the mostcorrosion-resistant cementedcarbides. To meet this demand,
we developed a new corrosion
and wear-resistant alloy, theMBN alloy, which is completelydifferent from cemented carbide, and succeeded in its massproduction.”
Despite Japan’s declining
population, Sanalloy’s domestic sales are rising, Mr. Yamamoto notes. Business is also
on the up internationally, andthe company is committed toan ongoing process of global
expansion. “We have overseas
sales and production bases in
Asian countries such as South
Korea, Thailand, Malaysia andChina,” Mr. Yamamoto says.
“Currently, policies linking theeconomy and security of eachcountry are emerging, and weplan to expand our sales andproduction bases in accordancewith the policies of each country. As regions that we’ll placeparticular emphasis on in thefuture, we’re focusing on North
America and India.”