The TZM sheet is the ultimate material for creating high-performance isothermal forging fixtures and turbine disk molds
In the fields of aerospace, energy and high-end manufacturing, the demand for high-performance metal components (such as nickel-based superalloy turbine discs and blades) is increasing day by day. The manufacturing process of these components is extremely demanding, especially the isothermal forging process, which places nearly extreme requirements on the performance of the mold materials. Among many candidate materials, TZM plates have become the preferred material for manufacturing isothermal forging fixtures, mold liners and supporting components due to their outstanding comprehensive performance.
What is a TZM plate?
A TZM plate is a type of high-temperature alloy sheet made from a base of molybdenum (Mo), with the addition of titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), and trace amounts of carbon (C). The name "TZM" is derived from these three main alloying elements (Titanium, Zirconium, Molybdenum). The plate is produced through powder metallurgy and subsequent hot rolling or forging processes. TZM has achieved a significant performance improvement over pure molybdenum:
The TZM plate has a higher recrystallization temperature: it has been raised from approximately 1000°C for pure molybdenum to approximately 1400°C, enabling it to maintain a stable structure at high temperatures.
The TZM plate exhibits outstanding high-temperature strength: at temperatures above 1000°C, its resistance to creep and strength far exceed those of most superalloys and tool steels.
The TZM plate has excellent thermal conductivity: it can quickly transfer heat from the mold surface, ensuring the uniformity of the forging temperature and improving product quality.
The TZM plate has a relatively low thermal expansion coefficient: it has excellent dimensional stability and can minimize deformation to the greatest extent during repeated thermal cycles, thereby extending the service life of the mold.
Isothermal forging is an advanced precision forging technology. Its characteristic is that the mold and the billet maintain a basically constant temperature throughout the deformation process (usually the same as the forging temperature of the billet, up to 1100°C or even higher). This poses a huge challenge for the mold material: extreme high-temperature environment: The mold is exposed to extremely high temperatures for a long time, requiring the material to have extremely high high-temperature strength and hardness to prevent itself from collapsing or deforming. Resistance to creep: Under the combined effect of high temperature and continuous pressure, the material will undergo creep (slow plastic deformation).
The mold must have extremely high creep resistance to ensure the long-term accuracy of the forged part size. Resistance to thermal fatigue: During the production process, the mold undergoes repeated heating and cooling cycles, generating thermal stress, which is prone to causing thermal fatigue cracks to form and expand. Excellent thermal conductivity: Ensuring the uniform temperature of the mold cavity, so that the deformation of the billet is coordinated and consistent, avoiding tissue defects.
The TZM alloy sheet perfectly meets all these requirements. Its extremely high recrystallization temperature and high temperature strength make it "as solid as a rock" at the isothermal forging temperature; the excellent creep resistance of the TZM plate ensures the long-term stability of the mold cavity; the good thermal fatigue resistance of the TZM alloy plate significantly extends the service life of the tooling; and the high thermal conductivity ensures the consistency of the forging process. Therefore, the mold liners or supports processed with TZM sheets are the key guarantee for the production of high-quality and high-precision turbine discs and blades.
In the molds used for manufacturing turbine discs and blades, TZM sheets are typically applied in two core forms:
Insert: As the cavity part that directly contacts the hot billet. Due to the high-temperature properties of the TZM plate, it can produce complex and precise surface shapes, and maintain stable dimensions during long-term use, ensuring that each forging meets the strict design requirements.
Support Structure: As the supporting and reinforcing components of the mold. Under the immense forging pressure, the TZM support pieces provide strong back support for the entire mold system, preventing overall deformation of the mold, and their thermal conductivity helps manage the temperature field of the entire mold.
Mosten Alloy can produce TZM sheet, TZM block, TZM foil, TZM rod, TZM wire, TZM processing workpiece according to customer demand.
