At 3422 degrees Celsius, tungsten has the highest melting point of all metals. It is ideal for use where it gets really hot, such as for space rocket nozzles, heating elements for high-temperature furnaces or in fusion reactors. However, the metal is also very brittle and therefore difficult to process using conventional manufacturing methods.
One option is 3D printing, which can be used to produce components in such a way that they hardly need to be reworked. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now developed new process parameters for electron beam melting (EBM) in order to be able to process tungsten. These now enable the 3D printing of components made from tungsten.
EBM is an additive manufacturing process in which electrons accelerated under vacuum selectively melt metal powder, creating a 3D component layer by layer. The electron beam also enables the metal powder and the carrier plate to be preheated before melting, thereby reducing deformation and residual stresses.
Tungsten has a wide range of applications. Its special properties make it ideal for high-temperature applications in energy and lighting technology as well as for aerospace and medical technology, making it practically indispensable for the modern high-tech industry.
