3D Printing Pure Tungsten Parts in the Medical Industry

Tungsten, also known as Wolfram, is a rare metal known for its highest melting point of all elements. In addition to excellent temperature resistance, the material also has strong abrasion resistance and chemical resistance. These good properties make it an ideal material for components that operate at extreme temperatures.

Pure tungsten does not have the hardness of composite materials, but its excellent heat resistance and radiation shielding properties are very useful in the nuclear and medical industries. The medical industry generally uses pure tungsten for MRI scans, collimators, and radiation shielding. But there is a problem: it is very brittle at room temperature, which means it is difficult to process using traditional techniques.

For simple collimators, radiation shielding and other products, powder metallurgy technology can be used to process, but for high precision and complex parts, using traditional technology is suffering. Therefore, the emergence of 3D printing has solved this thorny problem.

The principle of 3D printing is to use electrons accelerated in a vacuum to melt metal powder. By moving the electron beam, 3D components can be produced from metal by means of addition. This technology was originally developed for titanium alloys and materials that require high processing temperatures.

The tungsten metal powder is preheated before it is melted. This preheating procedure reduces the deformation and internal stress of the metal, making it possible to process materials that are easily broken at room temperature but deform when heated. The printed product basically does not need to be processed again, unless there are special requirements for precision or other requirements.

Tungsten provides characteristics rarely seen in 3D printing materials. It is non-magnetic, good at absorbing and shielding radiation, so that 3D printing pure tungsten parts can be widely used in the nuclear energy industry and medical industry. 3D printed tungsten collimator is one of them. Chinatungsten Online is a professional manufacturer of tungsten and molybdenum, which can provide 3D tungsten products.

• < Prev
• Next >