Kennametal has introduced KAF82, an additive manufacturing tungsten carbide grade for custom hole-finishing tools with optimized cooling channels and complex geometries. The company calls it "the first additive manufacturing fully dense tungsten carbide grade of its kind to be commercialized at scale." It debuted at IMTS 2026 in Chicago.
The main claim is speed. Kennametal says tooling that traditionally took months to develop and produce can now be delivered in a matter of weeks. The company also says KAF82 tools match or exceed the performance of conventionally manufactured ones, and that the process uses less tungsten.
Kennametal makes the powder itself and does not sell it externally, so the grade is available only to its customers. The grade sits inside what the company describes as a fully vertically integrated additive capability that runs from powder production through sintering and finishing. "Because we engineer our own powders and control the entire process, we can push the boundaries of additive manufacturing," said Dr. Carlonda Reilly, vice president and chief technology officer at Kennametal.
For manufacturing engineers running hole-finishing operations, the practical change is in how fast a custom tool with internal coolant geometry can reach the machine. Kennametal lists rapid replacement of critical components among the grade's benefits and says shorter lead times help manufacturers respond to changing requirements.
Two major automotive OEMs have already put custom KAF82 tooling into their production lines, according to Kennametal. The company says the grade supports applications in aerospace and defense, energy, general engineering and transportation. Ed Rusnica, vice president of technology at Kennametal, described the shift as moving "from designing within constraints to engineering for performance."
KAF82 follows Kennametal's earlier additive work, where binder jet technology has been used for complex, high-wear applications that traditional methods could not produce.
