Tungsten carbide cutting tool materials

A binderless high-purity tungsten carbide cutting tool material made by a sintering procedure comprising the steps of:

• providing an ultrafine, stoichiometric tungsten carbide powder with a specific surface area of more than 4 m2/g and a non-oxide purity of equal to or better than 99.9%;
• and
• avoiding any contamination by nickel, cobalt, iron of said tungsten carbide powder during any manipulation or powder processing prior to sintering;
• and
• providing a vacuum or inert atmosphere during the sintering process thus maintaining the oxygen partial pressure below 10−1 Pa within the sintering environment;
• and
• applying an external mechanical pressure of less than 200 MPa to said tungsten carbide powder batch being sintered;
• and
• consolidating and bonding said tungsten carbide powder batch being sintered into a strong body by applying heat generated by
• an electric current passing through said tungsten carbide powder batch, or
• microwaves, or
• induction
• within said powder batch, wherein at least a significant part of the heat is generated within said tungsten carbide powder batch, providing a maximum temperature therein in the range of 1500 to 1900° C.