Hardmetal began with the discovery of hard carbides of tungsten at the end of the 19th century. The idea of mixing tungsten carbide with a metal of lower melting point, e.g., cobalt, and the launching of hardmetals by Krupps in 1927 started the present world-wide industry. New alloys were developed and the field of application widened, but customers and their workers accepted the new material reluctantly because of its price and great hardness. During the last war, the importance of hardmetal for machining much-needed components grew, and its use for armor piercing shot was an important factor in the outcome of the war. After 1945, the expected decrease in demand to pre-war levels did not materialize and processes changed to those of large-scale production.