Tungsten Electrodes - Why 2% Lanthanated Tungsten Rules

2% lanthanated tungsten electrodes carry more amperage than the rest and they ball evenly on alternating current. Not all tungsten electrodes ball evenly and not all of them can handle the amperage.

With all the different types of tungsten electrodes available, like pure tungsten, ceriated, lanthanated, thoriated, and zirconiated and rare earth types, what is the best tungsten to use?

That's a big question....but

    If you are interested in an all purpose tungsten electrode that can be used for steels as well as aluminum and magnesium,...
    If you are looking for an electrode that carries more amperage than all the rest so that you can use a smaller diameter electrode...
    If you are interested in an electrode that does not give off radioactive dust when sharpened...

Then 2% lanthanated tungsten are the clear choice

    Pure tungsten balls up at relatively low amperage and often requires using one size larger electrode than others.
    1.5% lanthanated is supposed to be comparable to 2% thoriated but our tests indicate otherwise.
    2% thoriated hold up well to high amperage but don't ball up evenly on AC...and reportedly, give off radioactive dust when ground.
    Zirconiated electrodes don't carry much more current than pure tungsten.

Unless you want a drawer full of different types of tungsten, one for every situation, just get some 2% lanthanated tungsten and call it a day.

At 200 amps on AC current and 100 hz, our tests showed that 2% lanth electrodes performed better than all the rest.

Tungsten Manufacturer & Supplier: Chinatungsten Online - http://www.chinatungsten.com
Tel.: 86 592 5129696; Fax: 86 592 5129797
Email: sales@chinatungsten.com
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