Important Terminology

Product Availability

The majority of the products listed in this guide are available worldwide; however, some products are only available on a regional basis. Regional products may be obtainable outside of the specified region as a special order. For further information, please refer to the appropriate material product data sheet or contact us.

In our data sheets, those items designated as Stock are warehoused and available for immediate shipment or for shipment within a few days. Please note that not all Metco Joining & Cladding warehouses may have supplies on hand or in sufficient quantities, whereupon we will make every effort to accommodate your needs as quickly as possible. Lead time to shipment for items marked Special Order will be provided at the time of order placement. Minimum order quantities may apply.

Powder Particle Size Distributions

With few exceptions for OEM specifications, the powder materials in the materials e-guide and the associated Metco Joining & Cladding material data sheets reflect nominal powder particle size distributions such that most of the powder by weight is within the stated size range for that product, with only a small amount being coarser or finer.

In general, particle sizes that are greater than or equal to 45 μm are measured by sieve analysis (ASTM B214) and particle sizes less than 45 μm are measured by laser diffraction (Microtrac). Please refer to the data sheet for further information. Customer specifications for that material product may reflect significantly different nominal size distributions, depending on the criteria used by the customer and the measurement methods chosen.

Welding & Cladding Processes

In general, weld overlay processes follow definitions from the American Welding Society (AWS), unless noted otherwise.

BMAW	Bare Metal Arc Welding
Bulk Powder Welding *	A weld cladding process using a highly alloyed powder in combination with a mild steel wire and applied using submerged arc welding.
EHLA *	High Speed Laser Cladding
FCAW	Flux Cored Arc Welding
GMAW	Gas Metal Arc Welding (MIG)
GTAW	Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (TIG)
LC *	Laser Cladding (generally conventional)
MMAW *	Manual Metal Arc Welding: Also known as SMAW (Shielded Metal Arc Welding) or MMA (Manual Metal Arc) or "Stick Welding".
OA	Open Arc Welding: Welding without shielding gas or flux.
OAW	Oxy Acetylene Welding
Spray/Fuse Welding *	Welding by means of using a powder and fusing the powder simultaneously during application using the OAW process.
PTA *	Plasma Transferred Arc Welding
Puddle Welding *	Alternative term for Spray/Fuse Welding.
SAW	Submerged Arc Welding
SMAW	Alternative AWS term for MMAW

* not defined by or not as defined by AWS

Tungsten Carbide Characteristics

Carbide blend materials, as well as many products in this guide that incorporate blends of tungsten carbide additives, have been manufactured using different methods to achieve specialized results in various applications:

CTC: Cast and crushed tungsten carbide having a blocky shape, (W2C-WC), 2000 to 2300 HV0.1. Alternate designations for CTC are FTC or WSC.
CTC-S: Spherical cast tungsten carbide, dense, spheroidal particles manufactured using a unique process, high density and hardness, 2700 to 3100 HV0.1. Alternate designations for CTC-S are FTC-S or WSC-S.
MTC: Macrocrystalline tungsten carbide having a blocky shape with low decarburization during processing, results in higher wear resistance,
CTCP: Cemented tungsten carbide pellets are agglomerated and sintered carbide with small amounts of a cobalt or nickel matrix and having a spheroidal shape, 1400 to 1600 HV0.1.
SCTC: Sintered and crushed tungsten carbide of angular to blocky shape, 1400 to 2300 HV0.1, dependent on particle size.
Tetrahedral Cemented Carbide: Very large and sharp-edged carbides for cutting applications, 1300 to 1600 HV0.1.

Symbols

The following Chemical Symbols are used in this guide:

Al	Aluminum	Co	Cobalt	Mn	Manganese	Ta	Tantalum
B	Boron	Cu	Copper	Nb	Niobium	Ti	Titanium
C	Carbon or Carbide	Fe	Iron	Ni	Nickel	W	Tungsten
Cr	Chromium	Mo	Molybdenum	Si	Silicon	Zn	Zinc