Tungsten components manufacture use Electron Beam Melting (abbreviation EBM) is an additive manufacturing method. Electrons accelerated under vacuum selectively melt metal powder andproduce a 3D component in an additive way layer by layer. The big advantage of this method consists in the energy source used the electron beam. It is used to pre-heat the metal powder and the carrier plate prior to melting, as a result of which deformation and inherent stress are reduced. It is possible to process materials that easily break at room temperature and can be deformed at high temperature. However, the materials used electrically conductive. The process is not suited for non-conductive ceramic materials as EBM is based on the principle of electric charging.
Tungsten is a metal with very attractive properties, It is corrosion-resistant and as heavy as lead. In the form of tungsten carbide, it is as hard as diamond. And it has the highest melting point of most metals, 3,422 degrees. However the metal is highly brittle at room temperature. Due to its properties, tungsten is difficult to process using conventional methods which processing is expensive and time-consuming. An alternative is 3D printing that allows to produce tungsten components that require hardly any finishing. The EBM succeeded in adapting process to tungsten components. Having developed specific process parameters, 3D printing of tungsten components is now possible. This metal can be applied in many areas. Thanks to its special properties, it is ideally suited for aerospace industry, and medical instruments.
