WC–Co alloys have enjoyed great practical significance owing to their excellent properties during the past decades. Despite the advantages, however, recently there have been concerns about the challenges associated with the use of Co, i.e. price instability (the major incentive for alternative binder development), toxicity and properties degeneration. Thus, the current study applies towards summarize the current knowledge of the impacts of different binders partial or total substitution of the traditional cobalt binder highlighting the influences of metal, intermetallic compound, ceramics (metal oxide) binders on the sintering behavior as well as mechanical properties of WC-based alloys, so as to provide reference for those who would like to enhance the performance of cemented carbides with better reliability advancing them to further wide applications and prepare the alloys in a way that is environment friendly, harmless to human health and low in production cost. It is concluded that the alternative for cobalt in tungsten carbide cemented carbide is economically and technically feasible. Strict control of the chemical composition of the binder coupled with taking into careful account the effects of sintering process and subsequent treatments is of great importance to improve the sintering behavior and tailor mechanical properties of tungsten carbide-based hardmetals.

Chip morphology and its formation mechanisms, cutting force, cutting power, specific cutting energy, tool wear, and tool wear mechanisms at different cutting speeds of 100–3000 m/min during dry face milling of Ti-6Al-4V alloy using physical vapor deposition-(Ti,Al)N-TiN-coated cemented carbide tools were investigated. The cutting speed was linked to the chip formation process and tool failure mechanisms of the coated cemented cutting tools. Results revealed that the machined chips exhibited clear saw-tooth profile and were almost segmented at high cutting speeds, and apparent degree of saw-tooth chip morphology occurred as cutting speed increased. Abrasion in the flank face, the adhered chips on the wear surface, and even melt chips were the most typical wear forms. Complex and synergistic interactions among abrasive wear, coating delamination, adhesive wear, oxidation wear, and thermal mechanical–mechanical impacts were the main wear or failure mechanisms. As the cutting speed was very high (>2000 m/min), discontinuous or fragment chips and even melt chips were produced, but few chips can be collected because the chips easily burned under the extremely high cutting temperature. Large area flaking, extreme abrasion, and serious adhesion dominated the wear patterns, and the tool wear mechanisms were the interaction of thermal wear and mechanical wear or failure under the ultra-high frequency and strong impact thermo-mechanical loads.