Tungsten carbide balls
Tungsten carbide balls are used where extreme hardness and wear resistance is required; in such applications as bearings, ball screws, valves, flowmeters. TC balls are also used for coining and pivots, detents and tips for gages and tracers. Decimal-inch size tungsten carbide balls are widely used for ballizing or hole sizing. TC balls are also used for gauging and checking.
Tungsten carbide itself is practically inert; any attack is usually on the binder. Since other materials are less expensive, the selection of tungsten carbide for corrosion resistance is usually not justified. In severely corrosive conditions, carbides with more resistant binders can be supplied for specific applications.