Tungsten Powder Applications: A Comprehensive Guide

INTRODUCTION

Tungsten powder is a versatile and important industrial material that is widely used in many fields due to its high melting point, high hardness and excellent electrical conductivity. From industrial manufacturing to high-tech industries, tungsten powder is used everywhere. This comprehensive guide will detail the characteristics of tungsten powder, its production process, major application areas, and future trends.

Casting tungsten carbide powder is mainly used as reinforcement material for surfacing oil drilling tools, building material machinery, grain machinery and other parts susceptible to wear and tear such as turning tools and drills. Nano tungsten carbide powder as a high technology content of high-performance powder materials, is the main raw material for the production of nanocrystalline tungsten carbide, tungsten powder as raw material with plasma synergistic ball milling activation of carbonization method of the special process method of preparation, a large number of used in the production of high-strength, high hardness, high toughness, and wear-resistant, heat-resistant, corrosion-resistant and other advantages of the cemented carbide and a variety of hard surface materials, the content of the technology has the advanced and It is advanced and universal in technical content.


Basic Characteristics of Tungsten Powder

1. Physical Properties

Melting point: 3422°C, the highest known melting point metal in nature.

Density: 19.3 g/cm³, belonging to high-density metal.

Hardness: 7.5 on the Mohs scale, extremely hard.

2. Chemical properties

Antioxidant properties: Exhibits good resistance to oxidation at room temperature.

Chemical stability: resistant to corrosion by most acids and alkalis.


3. Production process of tungsten powder

Raw material preparation

The production of tungsten powder starts from tungsten ore, mainly including scheelite (CaWO₄) and wolframite (FeWO₄).

4. Production steps

Beneficiation: Extraction of tungsten concentrate by gravity separation and flotation processes.

Chemical treatment: The tungsten concentrate is converted into ammonium paratungstate (APT).

Reduction process: APT is reduced to tungsten powder using hydrogen gas at high temperature.

5. Quality Control

Particle size: Control the particle distribution according to the application requirements.

Purity: Ensure the tungsten content reaches over 99%.


Main application areas of tungsten powder

1. Metal Processing

Tungsten powder is commonly used in the production of tungsten alloys and tungsten carbide. These materials have high strength and wear resistance and are widely used in cutting tools, molds, and engineering structures.

Cemented Carbide: Tungsten powder combined with cobalt carbide is used to manufacture tools with high temperature resistance and high strength.

Tungsten-copper alloys: With excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, they are used in electrical switches and heat sinks.

2. Aerospace

Due to the high density and high melting point of tungsten powder, it is widely used in aerospace:

Manufacture of rocket nozzles.

Used as counterweights for spacecraft.

3. Electronics

The high electrical conductivity of tungsten powder makes it suitable for a wide range of applications in the electronics industry:

Manufacture of electrical contacts.

As a diffusion barrier in semiconductor components.

4. Medical field

In the medical field, tungsten powder is used:

Manufacture of radiation shielding materials.

High-density containers for radiation therapy.

5. 3D Printing

With the development of additive manufacturing technology, tungsten powder, as a key material for 3D printing metal powder, is getting more and more attention.

Advantages and limitations of tungsten powder

6. Advantages

High heat resistance for extreme environments.

Excellent corrosion resistance.

High density, suitable for shielding and counterweight parts.

7. Limitations

Difficulty in machining: difficult to machine due to high hardness.

High cost: Complex extraction and production processes, resulting in higher prices.

Future development trend of tungsten powder

8. Technology improvement

Development of nano tungsten powder: improve material properties and expand new applications.

Production process optimization: reduce energy consumption and improve economy.

9. Emerging applications

Shielding materials in the nuclear industry.

High-efficiency electrode materials in the new energy field.

Miniature conductive components in artificial intelligence hardware.


Tungsten powder is a high-value functional material with an irreplaceable position in industry and science and technology. With the continuous progress of technology, its application fields will continue to expand. In the future, the research and development of tungsten powder will not only inject new vitality into traditional industries, but also promote the rapid development of emerging industries.