Frequently Asked Questions
At Endurance Carbide, our goal is to deliver wear parts of the highest quality on time in order to keep your business up and running.
Since 1961, we have been producing high-quality, American-made parts that utilize the superior properties of tungsten carbide. In our efforts to provide the best customer service possible, we have collected some of the most common questions we receive so you can familiarize yourself with our company before placing an order.
Since 1961, we have been producing high-quality, American-made parts that utilize the superior properties of tungsten carbide. In our efforts to provide the best customer service possible, we have collected some of the most common questions we receive so you can familiarize yourself with our company before placing an order.
What are the advantages of using carbide tooling?
There are many properties of tungsten carbide that make it the best choice for your business. Some of these include:
- Strength: Ring and plug gauges made of carbide last 40 times longer than steel in checking operations. Additionally, carbide tools resist abrasion during machining and stamping.
- Accuracy: The long-lasting cutting edge of carbide parts helps maintain accuracy during punching operations to ensure components that meet your exact specifications.
- Reduced Friction: Carbide bushings, drills and reamers have the same coefficient of thermal expansion. This means that when you use them in tandem, the amount of friction is reduced and the life of the tool is extended.
What are the cost benefits of carbide tooling?
Due to superior strength, carbide wear parts offer a number of clear advantages over other options. Its durability allows you to replace wear parts less frequently, saving you money in the long term and reducing downtime during production runs. In addition, the wide variety of carbide tools offered by Endurance Carbide and our policy of blanket quotes and orders allow you to place orders from a single source, which saves on shipping costs and reduces complications.
What should I know about carbide grades?
What are the possible applications for each grade of carbide?There are varying grades of carbide that depend on the percentage of cobalt in the compound, each with their own specific uses. The lowest percentage of cobalt, indicated by industry codes C-2 or C-3, are extremely hard and durable, and equipped for light impact. This makes them useful for plug gages, wear parts, blades and other applications. On the other end of the scale is the C-17 designation, which has the highest percentage of cobalt and is built for extremely high impact. These tools can be used for swaging dies, heavy draw dies and extreme punch applications. For more information about the various levels of carbide, see our application guide.
What are your production capabilities?
With a combination of highly advanced manual and CNC machines at our Saginaw, MI facility, Endurance Carbide is able to meet your exact specifications for precision wear parts. We produce parts to tolerances as low as 0.00002. Each tungsten carbide precision wear part that we manufacture has different size capabilities based on your product configurations.
- Punches: 0.010 point diameter
- Bushing ODs: 4.00
- Ring gages: 0.060 – 3.500
- Plug gages: 0.060 – 3.500
- Dies: Up to 4″
Can you create custom-made parts?
Yes. With more nearly 60 years of experience accommodating customers in a variety of industries, we have the expertise needed to accommodate almost any custom order. Additionally, we will take great care to protect your proprietary designs when crafting parts to your specifications. Call 989.777.7950 to request a quote for custom parts.
What is the standard delivery time?
We recognize the importance of reducing the amount of downtime for your company so you can get back to work as soon as possible. Because of this, we strive to get parts to you in a timely fashion. On ANSI standard bushings, the standard delivery time is four to five weeks. For questions about specific components and custom orders, please contact us directly.
What happens if there is an emergency?
We always attempt to provide an immediate response in the event of an emergency. Please call 989.777.7950 during our business hours, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday through Friday, and we will return your call as soon as possible.
More Questions?
Make Endurance Carbide your one-stop shop for all your carbide part needs. We fully believe in the quality of the tools we provide and passing the benefits of using carbide on to you. If these topics don’t fully answer your questions, feel free to contact us, and we will be happy to provide you with additional information.