How to Avoid TZM Rods from Splitting During Processing Nuzzle Tips for Hot Runner System?

Pure molybdenum has very high melting point, which makes it useable in most high temperature applications. However, with the development of molybdenum alloy, titanium-zirconium-molybdenum (TZM) alloy has become a good all-round candidate no matter in vacuum furnace industry, medical diagnostic equipment industry or other industries. 

Although TZM alloy products are expensive than pure molybdenum, in certain applications the additional cost is offset by its increased strength at elevated temperatures. 

People add trace elements such as titanium and zirconium to molybdenum to remove the grain boundary embrittlement phase through solid solution strengthening of trace elements, and its reactant acts as a dispersed phase to strengthen the alloy to improve its performance. 

The suggested applied temperature is between 700 and 1400 degrees Celsius. Like pure molybdenum, it starts to oxide at 400 degrees Celsius, and rapidly oxides at above 500 degrees Celsius. However, at operating temperatures exceeding the recrystallization temperature of pure molybdenum (900 to 1,100 degrees Celsius), TZM is much stronger. And in load-bearing applications exceeding 1300 degrees Celsius, TZM is twice as strong as pure molybdenum.

In the vacuum furnace industry, TZM is the material of choice for load-bearing hearths and horizontal posts; in the medical diagnostic equipment industry, it is used as the material of choice in rotating anodes in X-ray tubes; in hot runner system, it can be machined into nuzzle tips and keep plastic in melt status. 

However, when applied in hot runner systems, TZM rods will be machined into nuzzle tips, and during this process, some problems may occur, such as split, cracking, unmachinable, tools easy to be damaged, or debris easy to stick on tools. 

Reasons for these problems are complex, for example, when tools are easy to be damaged during processing, it probably shows signs that TZM rods has high hardness. However, it cannot be assured it is the problem of hardness, the selected tools may also cause this problem. If you require lower hardness, debris are easy to stick on the surface of tool. Therefore, there should be a comprehensive solution for these problems. 

Chinatungsten is a professional manufacturer of molybdenum. Our knowledgeable and experienced refractory metal sales engineers are standing by to help you select the best metal for your application and solve whatever problems you meet. 

If you have any inquiry of TZM rods, please feel free to contact us:
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How to Select Tin Oxide Electrodes or Molybdenum Electrodes Based on the Glass to Be Produced

There are many kinds of glass melts with different melting temperature and raw material components, which have different requirements for the electrode during melting. Therefore, special materials of electrode will be customized for this process. 

The melting point of most glass lies around 1,400~1600℃, depending on its composition. As a result, glass production requires a great deal of heat energy. Regenerative glass furnaces, recuperative glass furnaces, oxygen-fuelled glass furnaces as well as all-electric glass furnaces are the most popular furnaces. Usually, electrodes made of molybdenum metal and tin oxide are enough for these furnaces. 

Tin oxide electrodes can be used to melt almost all different glass at temperatures below 1450°C. Due to the demand for special glass production, they can also be used in glass melting furnaces above 1650°C. While molybdenum electrodes are commonly used for melting soda-lime glass and high borosilicate glass, with a higher applying temperature and surface current intensity. Their operating temperatures can be as high as 2000 ℃.

Molybdenum electrode is made of pure molybdenum material. Its surface temperature is generally higher than the temperature of the molten glass by 200°C in the glass furnace. If the surface temperature reaches 2000℃, the loss of the electrode is also greater. Generally speaking, surface temperature is related to the current density. The greater the surface current density, the faster the loss. The most suitable surface current density should be 1.0～0.7A/cm2. When the furnace requires higher glass quality and longer serving life, lower surface current density should be required. The maximum surface current density of the electrode should not be greater than 2A/cm2. Usually, the consumption of electrode is relatively small in glass or E glass with higher iron content.

Tin oxide is a high-quality refractory material and is non-conductive. Various conductive additives are added to the tin oxide powder to become a tin oxide electrode after sintering, which has good conductivity after the temperature is higher than 1000 ℃. Tin oxide electrodes are generally recommended to be used in glass furnaces at a temperature not higher than 1450 ℃. When the rare earth glass is melted higher than 1650℃, it can still maintain very good performance, but the service life will be shortened accordingly.

The correct use of molybdenum electrode and tin oxide electrode is critical to furnace design and manufacturing engineers. The value of the electrode is often only 10% to 15% of the value of the furnace, but for glass furnaces of different glasses and designs, the correct application of the electrode is the decisive factor for the success of the furnace.

If you have any inquiry of molybdenum electrodes, please feel free to contact us:
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Molybdenum Bar Is Used in Steel Industry to Improve Corrosion Resistance of Stainless Steel

Whether you are preparing meals by a campfire in the wilderness or repairing a malfunctioning toaster in an apartment in the city, multifunctional Swiss Army Knife can meet all your requirements. With adding the material of molybdenum, the product is durable, and can be as sharp as ever. 

Molybdenum is an important part of tool manufacturing. The EN 1.4110 martensitic stainless steel used in the blade contains 0.5%-0.8% molybdenum, which makes the material wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant, and the knife can remain sharp. 

Molybdenum metal has the largest consumption in the steel industry, mainly used to produce alloy steel, stainless steel, tool steel and high-spread steel, cast iron and roller. As an alloying element of steel, it can improve the strength and toughness of steel, the corrosion resistance of steel in acid-base solutions and liquid metals and the wear resistance, hardenability, weldability and resistance of steel. For example, stainless steel with a molybdenum content of 4%-5% is often used in places with serious erosion and corrosion such as marine equipment and chemical equipment.

Most of this material is directly used for steelmaking or cast iron after industrial molybdenum oxide briquetting (that is molybdenum bar), and a small part is first smelted into ferro molybdenum and then used for steelmaking. Usually, moly bar is in a shape of block or bar, with large tolerance for the size. Its purity is about 99.5% minimum and surface will not be polished or grounded, showing its real status of this metal. 

Molybdenum bar is made of molybdenum powder. After sintering and forging, it is formed. Unlike other molybdenum finished parts, its package is metal bucket, which is safe but simpler. 

Chinatungsten Online, as professional manufacturer for more than two decades, can offer related products to steel industry, medical industry, spaceflight, aviation or other industries. If you have an interest in our products, please feel free to contact us. 

If you have any inquiry of molybdenum bar , please feel free to contact us:

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Why Use Molybdenum Electrode to Melt Glass?

Glass is prized because of its clarity, beauty and numerous versatilities. The presence of molybdenum is helpful for its manufacturer and related products for daily use as the material has high strength at high temperature and also has corrosion resistance to molten glass. 

There are records in history for the use of glass by humanity, which can be traced back to the era when primitive people used obsidian glass naturally formed by lava as a knife and cutting. In the development process from ancient history to modern times, glass has proved its practicality in countless applications and has become an indispensable part of daily life. Nowadays, molybdenum is also indispensable for glass manufacturing.

With the advent of electricity, engineers began to design electric furnaces to replace coal or gas fuel furnaces traditionally used to melt glass. Early designs tried to relied on electric arc and radiation to heat glass, but these techniques were not widely accepted. In the 1950s, researchers discovered that molten glass can conduct electricity, and the molybdenum metal electrode can directly heat the glass by passing an electric current through the molten glass.

After that, the use of molybdenum was increased. Molybdenum electrode can be side-entry or bottom-entry. There are also molybdenum stirrers to help to make the melt uniform. The molten glass can protect the molybdenum components from the rapid oxidation of air at high temperatures, so that they have a long and reliable service life. The designer uses inert cooling gas or water cooling to protect the electrode part outside the glass from being oxidized.

The molybdenum component can also protect the refractory materials of the furnace from wear and corrosion, as a refractory brick that covers vulnerable areas as ‘armor’. Even in the absence of molten glass protection, advanced coatings make these components resistant to oxidation during cold start.

If you have any inquiry of molybdenum electrode , please feel free to contact us:
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Tel.: +86 592 5129696/+86 592 5129595

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