Tungsten Heavy Alloy PRECISION MACHINING
Tungsten Heavy Alloy (WHA) Machining. Leading companies purchase Elmet-made tungsten heavy alloy material for applications such as ballast weights, radiation shields, boring bars, ordnance components and other components requiring high density and good ductility.
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With over 80 years of experience and formerly as part of the Royal Philips group, Elmet is a global leader in tungsten, tungsten heavy alloy and molybdenum refractory metal machining and fabrication. As technologies advance, component and assembly specifications become more stringent; machining and fabrication techniques must support demanding precision requirements and increasingly complex geometries.
At Elmet Technologies, we pride ourselves in offering our customers sophisticated WHA (tungsten heavy alloy) machining and fabrication capabilities that have been honed over decades of experience with two of the most challenging materials to machine: molybdenum and tungsten. We operate more than 70 machines dedicated to supporting your precision machining and fabrication requirements. Below is a brief list of some of our current capabilities. Please contact Elmet with your requirements for machining and fabrication.
Refractory Metal Machining
- Molybdenum (Mo) Machining
- TZM Machining
- Mo-La Machining
- Tungsten (W) Machining
- Tungsten Heavy Alloy Machining
- Tantalum Alloy Machining
- Lanthanum Alloy Machining
Equipment Capabilities
- CNC VMC (3-, 4-, and 5-axis), HMC (4-axis), Twin Spindle Lathe (3-axis), Swiss Screw (9-axis), and Bed Mill Machines
- Grinding, Lapping, and Polishing
- Threading
- EDM, Laser, Water Jet Cutting
- Gun drilling
- Spinning
- CMM, vision inspection, etc.
- And much more
Fabrication & Assembly
- Welding, soldering, brazing
- Riveting
- Metal Forming, Folding and bending
- Punching and stamping
- Complex assembly
Examples of Fabricated Parts
Furnace Components
Many high-temperature industrial furnaces use molybdenum (moly) components for elements, element supports, power terminators, and process fixtures. Hot Isostatic Press (HIP) construction requires shells fabricated from molybdenum sheets. These are used to support the heating elements, and may also act as shielding. Likewise, flat heating elements made from moly sheet are used in vacuum and hydrogen furnaces.
Ion Implant Semiconductor Tool Parts
Silicon wafer processing relies on the use of ion implantation systems that inject ions at high energy directly into silicon wafer surfaces. The ion plasma source is energized via tungsten electrodes which operate within fabricated tungsten arc chamber.
Lamp Components
The use of molybdenum as leads and supports and the use of core tungsten components have long been central to the success of the lighting industry. Cut, welded and formed molybdenum and tungsten wire and rod parts are essential for the production of economical glass-to-metal sealed parts in lamp construction. For certain high-intensity discharge lamps, anodes and cathodes are machined from molybdenum and tungsten rod.
Sintering Boats and Carriers
Elmet has industry-leading expertise and experience in the precision machining, forming, and fabrication of molybdenum sintering boats and carriers. Leading companies purchase Elmet-made boats, carriers and other fabrications for a diverse array of applications including nuclear fuel sintering, evaporative deposition, and high-temperature furnace.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND AS-SINTERED MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
STANDARD WHA GRADES for Machining
Grade | ET90 | ET90NM | ET92.5 | ET92.5NM | ET93 | ET95 | ET95NM | ET97 |
ASTM B-777 | Class 1 | Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 2 | – | Class 3 | Class 3 | Class 4 |
| AMS 7725E | Class 1Type 2 | Class 1Type 1 | Class 2Type 2 | Class 2Type 1 | – | Class 3Type 2 | Class 3Type 1 | Class 4 Type 2 |
MIL-T-21014D | Class 1 | Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 2 | – | Class 3 | Class 3 | Class 4 |
| W content, wt.% | 90 | 90 | 92.5 | 92.5 | 93 | 95 | 95 | 97 |
Ni content, wt.% | 7.0 | 8.9 | 5.3 | 6.7 | 5.6 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 2.1 |
| Fe content, wt.% | 3.0 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.9 |
Density, g/cm3 | 17.0 | 17.0 | 17.5 | 17.5 | 17.7 | 18.0 | 18.0 | 18.5 |
| UTS, ksi | ≥ 110 | ≥ 110 | ≥ 110 | ≥ 110 | ≥ 110 | ≥ 105 | ≥ 105 | ≥ 100 |
UTS, MPa | ≥ 758 | ≥ 758 | ≥ 758 | ≥ 758 | ≥ 758 | ≥ 724 | ≥ 724 | ≥ 689 |
| YS, ksi | ≥ 75 | ≥ 75 | ≥ 75 | ≥ 75 | ≥ 75 | ≥ 75 | ≥ 75 | ≥ 75 |
YS, MPa | ≥ 648 | ≥ 648 | ≥ 648 | ≥ 648 | ≥ 648 | ≥ 648 | ≥ 648 | ≥ 648 |
| Elongation, % | ≥ 5 | ≥ 5 | ≥ 5 | ≥ 5 | ≥ 5 | ≥ 3 | ≥ 3 | ≥ 2 |
Hardness, HRC | ≤ 32 | ≤ 32 | ≤ 33 | ≤ 33 | ≤ 33 | ≤ 34 | ≤ 34 | ≤ 35 |
| Mag. perm. | > 1.05 | ≤ 1.05 | > 1.05 | ≤ 1.05 | > 1.05 | > 1.05 | ≤ 1.05 | > 1.05 |
Critical Note:
- Other alloy compositions and properties may be available as a special order
- All WHA products are compliant with EU RoHS Directive 2002/95/EC, 2011/65/EU and with REACH Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006
- All WHA defense products are compliant with section 871 of the FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act, codified at 10 U.S.C. 2533c, and the January 28, 2019 acquisition directive from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense. Click here for a link to the NDAA guidance.
- All raw materials for Elmet’s WHA rod products are obtained from certified conflict-free sources
STANDARD PRODUCT SIZES
Blocks, sintered | 6.0” x 4.8” x 2.3”4.6” x 3.4” x 2.1” 7.0” x 2.3” x 2.0” 6.0” x 1.5” x 1.5” | 150 mm x 120 mm x 57 mm 120 mm x 86 mm x 54 mm 180 mm x 58 mm x 51 mm 150 mm x 39 mm x 38 mm |
Rods, sintered | 0.5 to 1.0” in diameterLengths up to 24” | 12.7 to 25.4 mm in diameter Lengths up to 610 mm |
Rods, swaged | 0.25 to 1.0” in diameterLengths up to 48” | 6.35 to 25.4 mm in diameter Lengths up to 1219.2 mm |
Plate, hot rolled | 0.25 to 1.0” in thicknessWidths and lengths up to 24” | 6.35 to 25.4 mm in thickness Widths and lengths up to 610 mm |
Note: other sizes and properties available as special order
