Tungsten is a metal with unique properties making it an essential component in many industrial applications. Critical properties include - very high melting point, very high density, hardness close to diamond, thermally and chemically stable, excellent conductor, and environmentally benign.

The most important use is as tungsten carbide in hardmetals, used mainly for industrial drilling and cutting tools. Secondary uses are in electronics and specialist steels.

China accounts for over 85% of world tungsten mine production; western world supply is very limited.

USA, Europe and Japan consume ~55% of world tungsten, but produce only ~5%.

Chinese domestic demand has increased, and China has moved from a net exporter to net importer of tungsten concentrates. This increase in Chinese demand, combined with increased controls by the Chinese Government on their domestic tungsten industry and tungsten exports.

Concerns over security of supply of tungsten concentrates to western processors and industry end-users. This along with other factors have resulted in the EU categorising tungsten as a "critical raw material".

Chinese domestic consumption of tungsten is forecasted to grow by 5-8% annually between 2012 and 2016.

Growth markets for tungsten are still being identified, such as nickel-tungsten alloys that could replace chrome plating and nickel-tungsten alloys that could replace gold-nickel plating.

Tungsten, with essential applications in industry, aerospace and military, is a strategic commodity.  Stockpiles exist in the US and Russia. China and Japan have also indicated that they intend to build stockpiles and there has been some discussion of the possible creation of a European stockpile.

Tungsten Manufacturer & Supplier: Chinatungsten Online - http://www.chinatungsten.com
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Mott Corp says that its porous metal components and filters are available in a range of refractory metal alloys including zirconium, titanium, tungsten, molybdenum, and niobium.

Mott Corp can design porous components or entire filter assemblies using refractory metals to meet various flow control or filtration requirements, to meet tolerances and to a sub-micron particulate removal. 

Porous components in refractory metals have melting points from 2400°C to over 3400°C and thus can meet demanding filtration or flow control requirements. They are also refractory metals are electrically conductive and chemically inert and can be a suitable material of construction for many where higher operating temperatures are critical.

Tungsten Manufacturer & Supplier: Chinatungsten Online - http://www.chinatungsten.com
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You may have heard that a tungsten carbide ring is unbreakable. This would have some good and bad effects. Having a wedding ring that would never bend, crack, scratch, or get marred would be a benefit.

Tungsten carbide rings are not indestructible. In case of emergency, you can remove them with relative ease. Just don't drop your wedding band on a hard surface - any Tungsten Carbide wedding ring (no matter who makes it) is brittle. It will crack, chip or even shatter upon impact with a hard surface or object. It is also not a metal or even solid, as Wikipedia confirms.

Tungsten Carbide Manufacturer & Supplier: Chinatungsten Online - http://www.tungsten-carbide.com.cn
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You may know a few things about tungsten bands. Undoubtedly, you have heard that tungsten carbide rings have become the metal of choice for grooms throughout the nation. One of the main reasons this is so is due to its toughness. They resist scratching much better than any other metal out there. Few substances can scratch it. Diamonds are one of them. What some may find odd or shocking is that tungsten rings are not indestructible. Tungsten carbide rings can break! If a tungsten ring is dropped on a hard surface, it can break or crack.

Mens Tungsten Wedding Bands

JustMensRings.com has launched its annual Valentine’s Day Sale, featuring newly discounted prices and free shipping on over 600 styles of designer men’s rings, wedding bands and jewelry for men. With a variety of romantic gift options suitable for relationships at any stage, men’s love and sweetheart rings are already proving to be particularly popular with customers.

Jensen Beach, FL (PRWEB) January 08, 2013
Shoppers looking to save on the perfect Valentine’s Day gift are in luck: JustMensRings.com (JMR) has just commenced its annual Valentine’s Day Sale. With hundreds of deeply discounted styles now on offer, there is truly something for everyone: men’s wedding bands for the recently engaged, anniversary rings for husbands, men’s love and sweetheart rings for long-term couples and jewelry for men for newer romances.

Valentine’s Day is little more than a month away, and savvy shoppers are already stocking up on their favorite designs to avoid any last minute rush in February. Everyday low pricing is nothing new at JMR, but the Valentine’s Day Sale has further reduced pricing on over 600 styles of designer men’s rings, wedding bands and jewelry, for price tags that are well below wholesale. For the first time ever on the JustMensRings site, all sale items also enjoy free shipping across the United States.

One of the most popular items in the Valentine’s Sale section has proven to be men’s love and sweetheart rings. Often engraved with romantic words or phrases like “forever love,” “only love you” or “my one and only,” these decidedly romantic bands make for great pre-engagement rings and promise rings. Claddagh rings, a form of Celtic jewelry that feature an instantly recognizable motif of two hands clasping a crowned heart, are also a sought after sweetheart ring for new and old romances alike.

Of course, men’s wedding rings are also one of the primary picks for customers shopping the JMR Valentine’s Day Sale. For couples who became engaged over the holiday season, Valentine’s Day is often an ideal time for brides to present their husbands-to-be with their wedding bands. JustMensRings carries the U.S.-based designer brand Benchmark exclusively, and there are a significant number of Benchmark styles on sale to choose from, including men’s rings in precious metals like gold, platinum and palladium, diamond rings, and bands in affordable contemporary materials like titanium, tungsten, cobalt chrome, Argentium silver and ceramic (Seranite). For the more budget-conscious, there are plenty of affordable men’s rings and jewelry items to choose from as well, with many styles starting under $20.

“While the focus is generally on women on Valentine’s Day, men also love getting romantic gifts,” notes JustMensRings’ president and owner Roy Devine. “JMR’s Valentine’s Sale section is meant to take the guesswork out of finding the perfect Valentine’s gift for him.”

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There are many misconceptions and falsehoods about tungsten rings. Learn the truth about these durable, beautiful bands.

The truth of the matter is that there are a lot of falsehoods about tungsten carbide rings. Since they're newer to the market, many people are unfamiliar with tungsten carbide.

Many jewelers would like to dissuade you from considering a tungsten carbide ring, because they are not educated on them (or just don't sell them!). Here are a few of the myths we hear regularly and the truths about tungsten carbide rings that make them an excellent option.

Myth

Tungsten carbide rings cannot be removed in the event of an accident, and may cause your finger to be amputated.

Fact

Actually, if you're in an accident, a tungsten carbide ring is one of the safest rings to have on your hand! Because tungsten carbide rings are so dense, it is nearly impossible for them to deform or injure your finger in an accident. Wearing a tungsten carbide ring may even protect you. Rings made of silver, gold or even platinum may deform, becoming harder to get off or embedding in flesh. Hospitals have a number of ways to remove a tungsten carbide ring (depending on the accident) – none of which require amputation.

The durability and near-indestructability of tungsten carbide bands is why we say that if Superman were getting married, he'd want a Tungsten Pride wedding band.

Myth

Tungsten carbide rings should not contain nickel.

Fact

In truth, tungsten carbide wedding rings are not made from pure tungsten. Pure tungsten in its natural form is an ore, and does not polish up to the shine that people love about tungsten carbide rings. Makers of tungsten carbide rings need to combine tungsten ore in a powder form with various binders and sinter it all together at very high temperatures in order to achieve the desired result – a beautiful, polished and nearly indestructible tungsten carbide ring.

A nickel binder is the preferred formulation for tungsten carbide rings, as many other binders can cause your ring to discolor with wear. Many inexpensive rings use one of these lesser binders, and aren't pleasant to wear or look at!

Myth

Tungsten rings are only for men.

Fact

This couldn't be further from the truth! The same qualities that make tungsten carbide rings so great for men make them great for women as well. The strength and beauty of tungsten carbide matches well to a woman's own strength and beauty.

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By now, most people have become aware of tungsten rings. They know tungsten rings and tungsten wedding bands for their extreme scratch resistance, durability and unique designer-style, and that they have become the best option for men and women looking for a ring or wedding band tough enough for every day wear.

But while tungsten rings are now commonplace in wedding ceremonies all over the world, people are still asking, “what is the difference between tungsten and tungsten carbide?”

    The Story Behind Tungsten:

    Tungsten- Chemical Symbol is W and Atomic Number is 74
    also known as: Wolfram
    First identified in 1781 by Carl Wilhelm Scheele
    Tungsten literally means "heavy stone"

Here at Tungsten World, a difference between tungsten carbide vs. tungsten rings does exist.

Essentially, the main differentiation between tungsten vs. tungsten carbide is the fact that one is an element and the other an alloy. Tungsten is element 74 on the periodic table and is known for its dark-grey color, high density and hardness. However, tungsten is difficult to work with in its elemental state.

Enter tungsten carbide.

Tungsten carbide is analloy of elements including tungsten, nickel, tantalum, niobium, titanium and chromium. High quality tungsten carbide, like that used in our Tungsten Forever™ tungsten rings, is composed with a large percentage of tungsten, giving the alloy the inherent hardness and dark-grey color tungsten implies. By adding the other trace metals, the benefits of tungsten are maximized, and the resulting metal is able to be better worked into the many unique styles.

whether you want to call them tungsten rings vs. tungsten carbide rings, if you’re shopping with Tungsten World you’ll be getting the very best tungsten carbide products on the planet!

Tungsten Manufacturer & Supplier: Chinatungsten Online - http://www.chinatungsten.com
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LIKE that unnecessary third pork pie and the seasonal 9am glass of sherry, darts has become firmly wedged into my ever-increasing list of guilty Yuletide pleasures.

Christmas is a good get-out clause for virtually any out-of-character behaviour that good sense and wise judgement otherwise prevents. Quality Street for breakfast? Well it is Christmas. Port and Irn Bru aperitif? Well it’s only once a year.

That’s why it seems the perfect time of year for a fortnight-long festival of debauchery, or the PDC World Darts Championships as it’s officially known.

The arrow chucking provides me with yet another perfect excuse to brandish the festive “get-out-of-jail” card.

The appalling walk-on music and tacky dancing girls, the wall-to-wall fancy dress and primeval chants of the boisterous, boozed-up hordes. It assaults the senses like nothing else in sport.

The Alexandra Palace may have been created as a place of grandeur where the BBC broadcast its first TV transmission. But the splendour of the Ally Pally in late December is no place for finesse or understatement; it is a shrine to the lairy.

The scene can appear quite unsettling, particularly when the punters who have paid good money to attend seem too caught up in chanting to actually watch the on-stage action.

But on New Year’s Day even the crowd, intermittently at least, paid attention. The final pitted 15-time world champion Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor against the remarkable young pretender Michael Van Gerwen.

The darts the Dutchman produced in the first six sets were extraordinary. Utterly machine-like in their repetitive, pinpoint precision.

Suddenly the sport’s greatest-ever looked frail. The only thing that could stop MVG was himself, or more precisely, his mind.

Under the weight of Van Gerwen’s constant heavy scoring, Taylor was on the ropes as he helplessly watched his rival take aim at a double for a decisive 5-2 lead.

But at that moment it happened. The Dutchman fatally allowed himself a momentary glimpse of the winning line and it finished him.

Suddenly the unerring eye grew wayward. Taylor, as great champions of all sports can, spotted his rival’s weakness and exploited it without mercy or pity.

The Power stormed to the finish, and when his tungsten arrowed unerringly into the winning double 16, I surprised myself by bellowing to acclaim a stunning 16th world title.

And then things all went a bit flat. The ultimate point of celebration had also sparked the end of the party and the start of the hangover.

Just as when the Christmas tree comes down, and the dreaded return to work and routine looms, we have to face facts. It couldn’t last for ever. Or could it?

Just six days after the punters went home and the Ally Pally was busily restored to its stately glory, the gaudy, big-shirted circus rolled up in the unlikely surroundings of Surrey for the rival BDO World Darts Championships.

My pompous side would like to think my tastes are too refined for the festive goings-on at Frimley Green and the Alexandra Palace. That I find it all a bit too garish, obvious and outdated.

This is, of course, blatantly untrue. If I was being truly honest with myself, I’d love it.

Suspend reality, sink umpteen beers and join in the queasy larks. After all, it is Christmas.

Tungsten Manufacturer & Supplier: Chinatungsten Online - http://www.chinatungsten.com
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The 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform & Consumer Protection Act contains provisions for publicly listed companies in the US using minerals sourced from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and surrounding countries – an area familiar to our industry and long-plagued by violent conflict. A conflict that has claimed 5.5 million lives to date.

The minerals identified by law-makers as contributing to the violence are tantalum, tin, tungsten and gold. Provisions 1502-1504 of the Act require companies to exercise due diligence, identifying then declaring (publicly) whether they use raw materials implicated in perpetuating the conflict.

The mining sector in the Great Lakes Region of Africa is artisanal and hundreds of thousands depend on it for their livelihoods. The Dodd-Frank Act does not seek to discourage companies from doing business there, it simply sets a precedent that holds companies to account and encourages them to improve raw material traceability, backed up by regional initiatives like provision of labs equipped to carry out mineral “finger-printing”.

The provisions aim to cultivate an awareness in companies of where raw materials come from and give consumers the opportunity to decide whether to buy products from unregulated sources in DRC (the findings are filed and publicly available on company websites).

There are other benefits too. For the miner, an end to conflict and harassment and better prices for goods – especially if they participate in traceability schemes such as the NGO Pact to trace coltan, or the Washington-based Electronic Industry’s Citizenship Coalition’s chain of custody scheme for conflict-free smelters. It also means an end to a conflict that spills across borders traumatising millions and for for the governments involved tax revenues.

Closer to home in the EU there is activity too. The focus: resource sustainability (ensuring adequate future supply of natural resources) in a globalised world with an ascendant and acquisitive China leading the charge for natural resources globally.

Viewed through this lens these provisions in the Dodd-Frank Act are part ideology, part realpolitik: they’re about levelling the playing field to pressure all companies to consider the implications of sourcing from conflict-affected areas. And should they decide to continue doing business in such places, they get involved with the process of supporting artisanal miners and isolated communities while preventing militias from taxing resource flows. A true win-win.

Initiatives are being developed at industry level by various NGOs. In our industry, no stranger to conflict minerals, the RJC is taking the lead with companies signing up in droves.

The point here is that while it’s currently the concern of the automotive, aerospace, consumer electronics and diversified industrials, the more we do as an industry to address these issues before regulation comes the better we look, the lower the risk of controversy and the better prepared we will be to respond if eventually the jewellery industry is held up to the kind of scrutiny and regulation advanced in Dodd-Frank Articles 1502-1504. The jury may be out on how many of our customers care about such issues, but it would seem the time is rapidly approaching where we – designer, jeweller, gemmologist alike – may be forced to consider these issues in more detail.

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UK scientists have developed a cleaning technique that could solve a long-standing puzzle in the field of metrology – how to return the standard kilogram, against which all others are measured, to its original mass.

The base unit of mass, the kilogram, is defined by the International Prototype Kilogram (IPK) – a cylinder of platinum and iridium that was cast in 1879 and stored in a vault in the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris. Around 40 replicas were made and distributed around the world to use as a standard reference to produce weights and standardise mass. But following three periodic verifications, where copies were returned to Paris to check their mass against the original IPK, scientists discovered that their weights are drifting. 

These tiny changes – which are less than 100µg – are thought to be the result of surface chemistry increasing their mass due to atmospheric mercury contamination and the growth of a carbonaceous layer. It is also possible that nitrogen trapped when the prototypes were cast has since leached out.

However, there is another solution on the cards to solve the kilogram’s weight problem. Delegates at the 24th General Conference on Weights and Measures held in 2011 voted for a change in the definition of the kilogram. The idea is to define it in relation to the mass of a silicon atom or in terms of the Planck constant which, as far as experiments have revealed, are fixed.

The switchover is likely to happen in 2014 after more subatomic experiments. This would mean the primary standard would either be a silicon sphere or weight designed for use on a watt balance.

'In addition to platinum and gold alloys we are looking at several other materials with regards to next generation mass standards including nickel alloys, silicon, iridium, stainless steel and tungsten,' says Davidson. So even if the current IPK becomes obsolete, the new UV–ozone cleaning method could still prove useful for keeping the next generation of reference masses stable. 'The cleanliness of the standard is critical, particularly when transferring from air to vacuum where the change in the mass – mainly due to water sorption – will depend on how clean the surface is,' he adds.

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