Tungsten – the black gold
Focus on one of the hardest metals in the world
Tungsten is a chemical element with the symbol W and the atomic number 74. It is known internationally as tungsten. This extremely dense metal is a grey powder in its pure state; the sintered material is not deformable when cold and at normal temperature tungsten has a brittle consistency. Carbon and oxygen give tungsten its enormous hardness and also its brittleness, thanks to which the element is easy to process. The density is similar to that of gold. At 19.25 grams per cm³, tungsten is one of the heaviest metals.
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Tungsten’s properties
Good to know
Tungsten is irreplaceable when high temperatures stress the material. At temperatures between 1,000 and 1,600°C, semi-finished products obtain their basic shape by means of forging, round hammering or rolling. Work pieces with very low tolerances can be made by a subsequent surface grinding operation. Alloy additives can be used to influence the chemical, physical and mechanical properties of our Litty semi-finished and finished parts.
Tungsten use
Used in many ways, tungsten has special properties. Among metals, tungsten has long been a household name, namely because of its use in light bulbs. The metal’s high heat resistance brought about a breakthrough in the development of artificial light sources. A light bulb’s filaments were made of tungsten wire.
Tungsten in metal processing
As an alloying element for steel, cutting tools, casting moulds and much more. Tungsten is also indispensable in mechanical engineering, medical technology and many other industries. In addition, tungsten is used in the construction sector, in high-temperature furnace construction and in electrical engineering. And of course in welding electrodes, which are also available from Litty.
Purchase quality tungsten from Litty
Our tungsten products are available as semi-finished products, near-net-shape or as finished parts. Our delivery spectrum includes:
Best advice
When providing semi-finished products, we are not bound by the usual standard dimensions. Even during the project planning phase, we are available to advise you and define cost-optimised dimensions together with you so as to keep wear and tear, and thus your product costs, as low as possible.
FAQs
The melting point is 3,422 °C.
It will weigh 1 kilo
It is found, for example, in the vibration alarm of mobile phones, in electric cars, as a flywheel mass, for die-casting moulds, in the jewellery industry, but also in drilling and milling inserts of industrial machines in automobile production. Many industries process tungsten. You’d like to find out more?
