Aim: Present activities conducted in connection with Flintstone.

Replacing critical raw materials in tools for metal cutting and mineral processing

Critical raw materials are materials which EUs member countries lack or in short supply of but which are essential for the products and production conducted within the union. Regular inventory is made of the availability and needs of these resources. A long and a short list containing 54 and 20 raw materials respectively has been presented by the EU commission.

Two very important critical raw materials are tungsten and cobalt which are the most important elements during the manufacture of tooling for industrial production and mineral processing. During almost 100 years cemented carbide, i.e. a composite consisting of tungsten carbide and cobalt, has dominated as tool material for metal cutting applications. Without tungsten the industrial development would be thrown back 100 years in development based on efficiency, competitiveness and environmental impact. A shortage of tungsten would bring about a major shift in the whole of our society. No product, within all product segments, are direct or indirectly dependent on the availability of tungsten.

There are 3 strategies for handling critical raw materials: 1) Ensure the availability, 2) Reduce the use, and 3) Replace with non-critical raw materials.

The Flintstone project funded by Horizon 2020 aims to develop replacement materials for tungsten and cobalt in tool applications for metal cutting and mineral processing.

Flintstone has been ongoing for 3 years and a large number of new tool materials have been developed in conjunction with the development of new methods for research and development. The workshop will present all these results which also are published in approximately 50 scientific publications.

More information will follow soon!