TUNGSTEN METAL POWDER PRODUCTION--GEMERAL--1

1.General

The manufacture of tungsten metal powder is a crucial step in tungsten metal and alloy production, since the powder properties significantly affect the properties in subsequent operations, such as pressing, sintering, and metalworking. Between 70 to 80% of tungsten worldwide is produced via powder metallurgy and thus passes through this important stage. In the past, advances in powder technology have greatly contributed to the development of tungsten and its alloys, as well as today’s high standard of product quality. Powder grades are tailormade for the subsequent applications, and the powder industry is facing a competitive market where the stringent fulfillment of exacting demands is an important part of business success.

The powder is characterized by chemical (purity), physical (grain size, size distribution, shape, agglomeration, etc.), and technological properties (fluidity, compaction density, etc.), which are influenced by the production process and which can be controlled—to a certain extent—by the process parameters.

Today, production of tungsten metal powder is accomplished almost exclusively by the hydrogen reduction of high-purity tungsten oxides. Reduction of the oxides by carbon, common in the early years of metal production, is presently used only for the production of tungsten carbide (direct carburization). The hydrogen reduction of tungsten halides (Axel Johnson process) has not become established on a large scale.

The common starting materials are tungsten trioxide (WO₃) and tungsten blue oxide(WO3-X), the latter being the most widely used material. Tungstic acid (H2WO4) is used only for selected metal grades.

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