Tungsten alloys, known as heavy alloys, are 90–97% tungsten with other metals added to increase the alloy’s ductility. Tungsten alloys are determined by manufacturers separately and cannot be standardized like steel or aluminum alloys. Therefore, there is no real naming standard for them. Tungsten alloys have the greatest melting point of any metal, good high-temperature strength, excellent creep resistance, great thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, and electron emission performance. Read More…
Leading Manufacturers
Leading Edge Metals & Alloys, Inc.
Torrance, CA | 877-455-5362Leading Edge Metals & Alloys offers tungsten products to a number of industries, including aerospace, electronics, magnetic shielding, and medical. We are leading experts in our field and we go out of our way to make sure our customers receive only the very best.
Mi-Tech Tungsten Metals, LLC
Indianapolis, IN | 800-624-1895Our quality tungsten-based metals such as our alloys and composites are the focus of our specialties, and have been for 30 years. Mi-Tech provides tungsten supplies such as tungsten bar, tungsten metal alloys, tungsten metal composites, and tungsten powder of the highest quality. We are a main supplier to electrical device rebuilders & to OEMs. We stock most commonly used sizes & materials.
Metal Associates
Pompton Plains, NJ | 800-838-1978Our company offers a diverse selection of tungsten items. We have highly trained and competent engineers who can successfully create you a metal solution regardless of how big or small. The expertise of our staff is unmatched.
Metalmen Sales Inc.
Long Island City, NY | 800-767-9494Metalmen provides worldwide distribution of all stainless steel. With our wide range of products, we offer expert market advice and complete metalworking as a custom response supplier serving industry.
Types of Tungsten Alloys
Tungsten Nickel Copper
The tungsten nickel-copper alloys have great mechanical strength and excellent electrical conductivity and are simple to produce. They can shield from radiation and have great thermal stability. Tungsten nickel-copper alloys are less ductile than nickel-iron alloys. However, they are not magnetic, making them a good substitute in some contexts. Oncology instruments, electrical sensor shields, guidance system components, and military technology use tungsten nickel copper.
Tungsten Carbide
The most significant tungsten alloy is tungsten carbide. It is also known as a tungsten-cobalt alloy because it consists of tungsten, carbon, and cobalt. Tungsten carbide (also referred to as "industrial teeth") is hard, strong, and corrosion-resistant. Cutting tools, blades, cobalt tools, and wear-resistant components are all made with carbide.
Carbide is currently used extensively in the aerospace and military industries. Demand will continue to increase with future developments of high-tech weaponry and technology.
Tungsten Nickel Iron Alloy
Tungsten nickel-iron alloys are superior in ductility, strength, and density. These alloys can endure extremely high temperatures, have good machining properties, and have a thermal conductivity five times greater than die and punch steels. If these alloys are intended to be used in magnetism-sensitive procedures, such as medical imaging equipment, it is crucial to understand that iron makes them magnetic. Tungsten nickel-iron alloys are resistant to elastic deformation and, therefore, ideal for glass-to-metal sealing. These alloys work well for radiation shielding, ballasts, bearing assembly, defense applications, and balance weights.
Applications of Tungsten Alloys
- Permanent magnets: Tungsten steel is used to create permanent magnets. A metal's or alloy's magnetic characteristics are highly sensitive to microstructure. When tungsten is present in steel in these proportions, for instance, it stabilizes the martensite phase, which has higher ferromagnetism than the ferrite (iron) phase due to its greater resistance to magnetic domain wall motion, although tungsten is not a ferromagnetic element.
- Industry: Tungsten is primarily used to manufacture tungsten carbide (WC), one of the toughest carbides. Tungsten carbide is used by metalworking, woodworking, mining, petroleum, and construction industries to create wear-resistant abrasives and cutting instruments such as knives, drills, circular saws, dies, milling, and turning tools. About 60% of the world's tungsten consumption is currently attributed to this industrial use.
- Jewelry: The jewelry industry produces rings made of sintered tungsten carbide, tungsten carbide/metal composites, and metallic tungsten. Nickel is used as the metal matrix in WC/metal composite rings rather than cobalt because it takes on a higher sheen when polished. Tungsten carbide is ceramic, even though producers and merchants occasionally refer to it as a metal. Rings constructed of tungsten carbide are exceptionally abrasion resistant and will maintain a burnished polish longer than rings made of metallic tungsten. However, tungsten carbide rings are fragile and may break when struck hard.
