According to international market research report, in 2014-2019, the global high purity alumina market compound annual growth rate will increase nearly 28%. As we known, alumina often referred to as smelter grade alumina (SGA) primarily because it is often used as a raw material for producing aluminum. Alumina mainly be used for aluminum process, only 10% for non-metallurgical alumina market, namely for industrial use.

High purity alumina refers to the minimum purity of 99.99%, and it is high-end products of non-metallurgical alumina market. High purity alumina is a white powder having uniform and easy dispersion particle, stable chemical property, moderate high-temperature shrinkage, good sintering property, high conversion rate, low sodium content and other good property. It is raw material for heat, wear and corrosion products production. Currently, it is used in LED, semiconductor, phosphor, sapphire crystal preparation and other fields.

Alumina as raw materials for sapphire single crystal oxide production, with sapphire single crystal applications broaden, the alumina market demand is also growing. Tungsten crucible made sapphire single crystal applications currently on the market are as infrared transparent window materials, microelectronics substrate body, laser matrix, optical components and other purposes.

A study shows sapphire crystal as LED substrate material benefits from the rapid development of LED lighting systems market demand having further expansion, which makes the market demand of sapphire single crystal raw material alumina also having a greater degree of expansion. In 2015 alumina demand growth rate reached 16%. In addition, sapphire crystal applications in the smart phone, making the alumina in this area the growth rate reached 20%. If consider the future use in the mobile phone market, the future demand for alumina and sapphire crystal equivalent to the current needs of the tens times.

US Apple company (Apple Inc.) purchased a large number of sapphire glass, and proposed the "electronic device housing ceramic protective glass" patent. This patent describes the technology in detail of how to install sapphire glass in iPhone. iPhone6 ​​/ 6s launched in 2015 failed using sapphire screen, but Apple Inc did not stop research the application of sapphire glass on the phone. According to the patent released by Apple Inc shows that the company is planning a new sapphire screen technology. In addition, the company also plans to add reinforced ceramic material in the housing frame, such as ceramic fibers or other material. Many people speculated that iPhone7’s phone screen will likely use sapphire screen.

The chemical composition of sapphire crystal is alumina (α-Al2O3), and it is composed of three oxygen atoms and two aluminum atoms by covalently bonded type. Sapphire crystal widely used in smart phones, mainly because the sapphire crystal has many good characteristics such as high hardness, high temperature, wear resistance, chemical corrosion resistance and chemical stability and so on.

Tungsten products as the important material in sapphire growth furnace for sapphire single crystal production quality have a greater impact. Tungsten crucible is an important carrier of sapphire single crystal growth furnace, mainly because tungsten crucible has high purity, high density, crack-free, smooth inner and outer walls and other features. In addition, tungsten is an insoluble and refractory metal which is hard to react with aluminum. Thereby it can produce sapphire single crystal with good performance. Using Kyropoulos method to nurture sapphire single crystal in sapphire growth furnace was heating alumina by tungsten crucible to above 2050 ℃, then gradually lower the melting temperature, crystallized to be finished.

When Apple announced its much-anticipated Apple Watch back in September 2014, people got very excited about the concept of an Apple-designed smartwatch. Fast forward to today, the Apple Watch has been on sale for quite some time and with 2016 drawing ever closer, people are starting to think about the next-generation Apple Watch, the Apple Watch 2.

Apple is said to be exploring more variations of the Apple Watch, beyond the Sports, Steel and Edition tiers available with the first-gen Apple Watch. It's said that the company is planning to introduce new models that should sit between the most expensive steel Apple Watch (£949) and the cheapest Apple Watch Edition (£8,000).

It's looking to attract customers willing to pay between £1,000 and £8,000 for an Apple Watch, however, it's unsure as to how the new tiers will differ from current models.

It's been suggested that the new tier could feature more advanced bands or new materials including tungsten, palladium, titanium or even platinum. Long ago tungsten has been applied in the bracelet of watch which is super tough to prevent surface scratches, also it is rust proven. It’s high density make the watch itself solid but lighter.