Tungsten / Tungsten carbide
Tungsten has a low coefficient of thermal expansion, as well as good thermal and electrical conductivity. Important applications are as high temperature furnace component, in medical applications and in thin film technology. Tungsten carbide is characterized by its extreme hardness.
We offer a range of tungsten and tungsten carbide powders of different grain sizes.
Element | Product name | Grain sizes | Purity [%] | Apparent density [g/in3] | Grain form/Manufacturing process | Additional information |
Tungsten | FAST-W-100 | 2.8-3.2 µm (FSSS) | >99.95 | 45-65 | irregular / reduced | |
Tungsten Carbide | FAST-WC-100 | 1 - 1.45 µm (FSSS) | >99.8 C ≤ 0.06 | - | unregelmäßig / carburized from W | |
Tungsten Carbide | FAST-WC-200 | 2 µm (FSSS) | >99.8 C ≤ 0.06 | 45 | angular / carburized from W | |
Tungsten Carbide | FAST-WC-300 | 30 - 50 µm (FSSS) | >99.8 C ≤ 0.06 | - | angular / carburized from W |
Additional specifications upon request
Tungsten (W) is a transition metal and has the highest melting temperature of all metals. The refractory metal is further characterised by its high density. The latter is also responsible for its English naming: “tungsten” originates from Sweden and consists of “tung” and “sten”, which translates to “heavy rock”.
The earth’s continental crust contains about 1 ppm tungsten. It does not occur as a native metal, but is mostly in form of oxides, with the most prominent tungsten minerals being wolframite ((Mn,Fe)WO4) and Scheelite (CaWO4). The latter can be easily detected under UV light because of its strong blue-whitish fluorescence.
In addition to its high melting temperature, tungsten exhibits a low thermal expansion coefficient, as well as good thermal and electrical conductivity. The most famous application for tungsten is its usage as filament in light bulbs. Other applications are high temperature furnace components, for medical applications and in thin-film technology.
Its low diffusivity paired with high electrical conductivity make it attractive for the use in thin-film transistors, like in TFT-LCD screens.
Today about 65% of the tungsten worldwide is processed to tungsten carbide (WC). It has a density of 15.63 g/cm3 and a melting point of 2870 °C. It is extremely hard with a Mohs’ hardness of 9 to 9.5, only outdone by cubic boron nitride and diamond. It forms the basis of a range of cemented carbides which are widely used for cutting tools.