USE OF COMPAX DIES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLUX-CORED WELDING WIRE.

Until recently, tungsten carbide dies have been considered the optimum material for drawing flux-cored welding wire because the product diameters generally have required dies in a size range beyond the practical limits of natural industrial diamonds. The introduction of Compax synthetic diamond die material, with its projected availability in larger sizes, holds promise for dies that will exhibit significantly longer life than carbide dies in the drawing of flux-cored welding wire. Initial tests indicate that a die life 30 times that of a carbide die may be common in this application.