Method of producing metal carbide grade powders and controlling the

Abstract

A method for producing metal carbide grade powders which comprises forming a wax mixture consisting essentially of in percent by weight about 5 to about 15 paraffin oil, with the balance being an esterified wax and paraffin, heating the wax mixture to a temperature above the melting point to melt the wax mixture and maintain it in the molten state, forming a powder-wax mixture consisting essentially of metal carbide powder, a binder metal, and the wax mixture while heating to a temperature above the melting point of the wax mixture to maintain the wax mixture in the molten state to result in a uniform distribution of the wax mixture on the carbide and binder metal particles, forming a slurry of the powder-wax mixture and water, attritor milling the slurry at a temperature below the melting point of the wax mixture, and removing water and agglomerating to produce metal carbide grade powder wherein a densified article made therefrom exhibits less linear shrinkage than articles made from carbide grade powder absent the esterified wax. The shrinkage decreases as the content of esterified wax in the wax mixture increases.