At Special Metals UK, we produce molybdenum wire to suit a wide range of applications across several industries. Thanks to an extremely high melting point – the sixth-highest melting point of all known materials in the Universe – molybdenum is very resistant to expansion, softening or weakening at high temperatures, and so is prized as an industrial and engineering material in any application involving high heat or high pressure.
In addition to a high heat tolerance, molybdenum wire also sports a high strength to weight ratio, and at about half the density of tungsten, this special metal is lighter than the alternatives.
Originally confused with a lead-bearing ore, Molybdenum even took its name from the ancient Greek word for “lead”, before being identified as its own element on the Periodic Table. Molybdenum is a silvery metal that has been known to scientists for hundreds of years – but it only recently started finding extensive use in molybdenum wire and molybdenum TZM wire, among other things.
In the molybdenum TZM wire manufactured by Special Metals UK, the material advantages seen in pure molybdenum wire are even more pronounced, as the titanium-zirconium-molybdenum alloy exaggerates the recrystallisation temperature and creep resistance shown by pure molybdenum. This makes a molybdenum TZM wire with increased mechanical strength and physical resistance, increasing its suitability for use in high-stress applications.
Molybdenum wire is most commonly used in high-heat, high-pressure applications including aerospace engineering, military technology, missile and rocket components, plasma sprayers, industrial equipment including furnace electronics and heating elements, and light bulb filaments. In these applications, the high strength of molybdenum wire, even at temperatures well above the melting point of other metals, means that the integrity of the components is maintained and peak performance can be achieved.
