Tungsten machining

[Spaceinvader]

Hello all,
I am looking for someone able to machine Tungsten for me. I have contacted 11 local machine shops and a few others elsewhere in Canada and cannot find anyone capable of doing so. I know there is a few people here who do some metal work and at this point anyone who can do it well would be fantastic. Please PM if you can or know someone who can. Thanks very much,
Rhys

 

[Alpini]

Most tool grinding companys should be able to machine tungsten. Tungsten is getting it's initial shape from a sintering process and the final shape from grinding with diamond grinding wheels. It's just a question if they want to do your work, the grinding wheels are not really inexpensive And it depends on what you want exactly?

 

[HAZORD]

In addition to grinding, artificial diamond inserts can be obtained that fit in standard toolholders to machine tungsten. Wire and plunge EDM (Electro discharge machining) should also work.

The diamond inserts are fairly costly though.

 

[apfsds]

I was watching that show, "HOW ITS MADE" the other night and they detailed the process of making very complicated tungsten rock drill bits for the oil well industry. I think the company was in Texas? They machine all kinds of tungsten drilling bits and showed the process on TV. Apparently they mix tungsten sand grains with brass and cook it at crazy temps. Maybe you can contact a company that manufactures tungsten products in addition to a local machine shop to assist you?

Jason

 

[wolfganggross]

If you are talking tungsten use in armoured projectiles, than you are dealing with Tungsten Semi-Carbide, W(2)C. Its a ceramic that is made by a powdered metallurgy process. Not like your grandmas' clay based ash trays, its more of an advanced ceramic which includes silicon and tungsten carbides. Powdered forms of tungsten and cobalt are mixed with a binder, then compacted or pressed together into the needed shape. Its "green machined" into final shape, then sintered (heated in vacuum) at temps around 1300-1600 C.degrees. This process sinters the tungsten and cobalt matrix to fuse together with binder to produce a hard metal. At this point material is so hard that only diamond grinding, in a form of micro machining, can be done. This is relatively expensive and not possible to remove large amounts of material. Tungsten Carbide Vickers # is 1700-2400, a -9 on Mohs scale.

 

[SG500]

Hello all,
I am looking for someone able to machine Tungsten for me. I have contacted 11 local machine shops and a few others elsewhere in Canada and cannot find anyone capable of doing so. I know there is a few people here who do some metal work and at this point anyone who can do it well would be fantastic. Please PM if you can or know someone who can. Thanks very much,
Rhys

Rhys I hope you don't mine me asking but what is it you are trying to machine or make? The cores in 17 pounder APDS rounds for example are non magnetic tungsten carbide and are so hard even a hacksaw won't cut them. More modern 105mm apds cores although tungsten appear to be a softer alloy that can be cut. So I guess its all down to what sort of tungsten alloy you want to machine and what you are trying to achieve.
Dave.