The application of tungsten wire in additive manufacturing
Due to its high melting point (3422°C), high strength (tensile strength can reach over 3000 MPa), and excellent corrosion resistance, tungsten wire has significant applications in additive manufacturing (3D printing), especially suitable for the production of high-precision, high-temperature, and high-maintenance components. Its main application directions include electron beam melting (EBM) and laser selective melting (SLM) printing. In the EBM process, tungsten wire is used as the raw material, and in a vacuum environment, it is melted layer by layer by an electron beam to manufacture complex structure components with high density (>99.5%), such as the first wall material of nuclear fusion devices and rocket nozzles. In the SLM process, high-power fiber laser is used to melt tungsten powder, suitable for the production of precise medical components and high-temperature molds. Compared to traditional machining, 3D printing can manufacture complex internal flow channel structures, significantly reducing material waste.
Tungsten wire can also be used in arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), where it is deposited layer by layer through tungsten inert gas protection welding (TIG) or plasma arc welding to manufacture large high-temperature resistant components, such as combustion chamber liners for aircraft engines and nuclear reactor shielding components. This process has a high deposition rate (up to 2 kg/h), but the surface roughness requires subsequent machining. Additionally, the tungsten wire can be used as an reinforcing phase in composite printing with other metals, such as tungsten-copper composites for high thermal conductivity and high-temperature resistant components, and tungsten-steel composites for enhanced wear resistance. In the medical and radiation shielding fields, 3D-printed tungsten collimators can be customized with complex structures to improve radiotherapy accuracy, and the high density of tungsten makes it an ideal radiation shielding material, which can be used to manufacture lightweight hollow structures such as nuclear fuel transportation containers.
Although tungsten wire has many advantages in additive manufacturing, it still faces some challenges. Its high hardness and brittleness can easily cause printing cracks, and optimizing process parameters (such as preheating to above 800°C) is needed to solve this problem. Additionally, tungsten wire and tungsten powder are relatively expensive (about $300 - $500/kg), which limits their large-scale application. In the future, nano-tungsten powder printing technology is expected to improve printing accuracy and density, hybrid manufacturing technology can combine 3D printing and machining to enhance surface quality, and AI process optimization can predict the best printing parameters through machine learning, reducing defects. Overall, tungsten wire is mainly used in the manufacturing of key components in high-temperature, high-maintenance, and high-radiation environments in additive manufacturing. With the development of multi-material printing and intelligent process optimization technologies, its application scope will further expand, especially in high-precision fields such as aerospace, nuclear energy, and medicine.
Mosten Alloy can produce tungsten sheet, tungsten block, tungsten foil, tungsten rod, tungsten tube, tungsten processing workpiece according to customer demand.
