Molybdenum | Alloys | Properties | Applications

Molybdenum is a versatile material used in many industries due to its exceptional properties and workability. Components made from pure molybdenum and its alloys can be engineered using various techniques such as:

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• Additive Manufacturing
• Powder Metallurgy
• Arc Melting – Extrusion
• Hot and Cold Rolling
• Stamping & Deep Drawing
• Machining & Fabrication

These methods are utilized to create plates and tubes, ultrathin molybdenum coatings, heat sinks, crucibles, furnace linings, and refractory electrodes. Elmet Technologies (formerly H.C. Starck Solutions) produces high-quality molybdenum metal powders and semi-finished products. If you want to learn more, contact our team today.

Molybdenum is the most commonly used refractory metal, known for its high mechanical strength and melting point. Pure molybdenum is a dense silver-white metal with a melting point of 2622°C. It possesses a range of other excellent properties, including corrosion resistance, high electrical and thermal conductivity, and a useful linear expansion coefficient over a wide temperature range.

Glass Melting Electrodes

In the 1950s, researchers discovered that molten glass conducts electricity, leading to the development of electric furnaces. Here, heat is supplied to molten glass by passing an electric current through submerged electrodes.

Glass melting electrodes encounter extremely high temperatures and aggressive chemical conditions. Molybdenum was found suitable for early electric furnaces due to its heat resistance, corrosion resistance, and high electrical conductivity (2×10⁷ S/m). Although materials like platinum, tin oxide, carbon, and nickel alloys like Inconel are used, they suffer from fragility and lower strength at required temperatures.

Molybdenum remains the preferred material for electric-boost, gas-fired furnaces, sometimes alloyed with a bit of zirconium to enhance corrosion resistance. Advanced coatings can also enable molybdenum materials to reach temperatures in air without oxidation.

Furnaces and Heat Treatment

Molybdenum's extreme heat resistance makes it suitable for refractory components in furnaces and vessels for heat treatment and material processing. Industries use molybdenum and its alloys to produce heating elements, crucibles, hot zones, and furnace racks that can withstand extreme temperatures. Molybdenum-lanthana (MoLa) alloys are a type of oxide-dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloys demonstrating improved resistance against high-temperature creep deformation. MoLa is ideal for applications needing dimensional stability and strength at temperatures beyond the capabilities of pure molybdenum or TZM alloy.

Forging Dies

Forging involves compressive force to shape heated metal using dies. These components must withstand intense heat and high compressive forces. Known for its high "hot strength," molybdenum is excellent for this application.

Isothermal forging dies made from molybdenum-based alloys like TZM or molybdenum-hafnium-carbide (MHC) offer strength, creep resistance, and high recrystallization temperatures for accurate and efficient die forging. Molybdenum's compatibility with various manufacturing techniques ensures precise forging dies for different applications.

Flat Panel Displays

Sputtering of molybdenum, where ions bombard a molybdenum target to eject atoms from its surface, enables creating thin molybdenum coatings. These coatings have numerous applications in electronics, including ultra-high-definition flat panel displays. Sputtering uses molybdenum's high specific impedance and membrane stress to enhance brightness, color, and contrast of LCD screens.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Moly-Reo Alloy. Our experienced sales team can help you select the best options for your needs.

Medical X-Ray Systems

Molybdenum is extensively used in medical equipment, particularly as components in high-energy X-ray tubes used for CT scanners. X-ray tubes are a highly evolved technology, and high-power densities push materials to their limits. Pressed, sintered, and forged molybdenum and molybdenum-titanium-zirconium alloy (TZM) are used to construct durable anode components for rotating X-ray tubes, forming an integral part of the X-ray-emitting assembly.

Molybdenum Powders and Semi-Finished Parts

Elmet Technologies (formerly H.C. Starck Solutions) is a leading global provider of high-purity molybdenum powders, semi-finished products, and complex fabrications. Our molybdenum products are available in:

• Pure Molybdenum (Mo)
• Mo-La₂O₃
• MHC
• TZM
• MoTi
• MoW
• Mo-ZrO₂
• CuMoCu & NiMoNi
• DynaMo (MoNbTa)
• MoNb
• MoCu

Molybdenum Powders

Powder metallurgy (PM) encompasses a range of modern engineering techniques, from isostatic pressing to plasma spray coating. Elmet Technologies (formerly H.C. Starck Solutions) is a world-leading provider of high-performance molybdenum and molybdenum alloy powders for PM applications.

Elmet Technologies produces molybdenum and molybdenum alloy powders with tightly controlled particle size distributions, targeting a mean particle size between 3-30 μm. Morphological properties can also be finely tuned to meet customer specifications.

Semi-finished Molybdenum Parts

Elmet Technologies provides molybdenum products in various semi-finished shapes, including:

• Bar, Billet, Forging
• Discs, Squares, Cubes
• Pellets
• Rod, Wire, Coil
• Sheet, Plate, Foil
• Tubes

Molybdenum Processing

Elmet Technologies offers a comprehensive portfolio of powder processing and manufacturing services, producing high-quality finished products from various molybdenum-based materials. These techniques include:

• 3D Printing
• 3D Screen Printing
• Electron Beam Melting for product recycling
• Extrusion
• Hot and Cold Rolling
• Rotary Forging
• Plating
• Spray Drying

Molybdenum Metal & Alloys

Molybdenum Metal & Alloys

Molybdenum metal is usually produced by powder metallurgy techniques where Mo powder is hydrostatically compacted and sintered at around 2100°C. Hot working is done within the 870-1260°C range. Moly forms a volatile oxide when heated in the air above about 600°C, thus high temperature applications are limited to non-oxidizing or vacuum environments.

Molybdenum alloys exhibit excellent strength and mechanical stability at high temperatures (up to 1900°C). Their high ductility and toughness provide greater tolerance to imperfections and brittle fracture than ceramics.

The unique properties of molybdenum alloys are utilized in many applications:

• High temperature heating elements, radiation shields, extrusions, forging dies, etc.
• Rotating X-ray anodes used in clinical diagnostics.
• Glass melting furnace electrodes and components resistant to molten glass.
• Heat sinks with thermal expansivity matching silicon for semiconductor chip mounts.
• Sputtered layers, only Ångstroms (10^-7 mm) thick, for gates and interconnects on integrated circuit chips.
• Sprayed coatings on automotive piston rings and machine components to reduce friction and improve wear.

For specialized applications, Mo is alloyed with many other metals:

• Mo-tungsten alloys are noted for their exceptional resistance to molten zinc.
• Mo is clad with copper to provide low expansion and high conductivity electronic circuit boards.
• Mo-25% rhenium alloys are used for rocket engine components and liquid metal heat exchangers, requiring ductility at room temperature.

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