Why Can Molybdenum Wire Cut Metal?

Many people have heard of wire cutting, and molybdenum wire cutting is also a kind of wire cutting. Then why can molybdenum wire cut metal? Many people may think that molybdenum wire cutting is to cut metal with a molybdenum wire, just like sawing wood with a saw. This is not the case. So in this article, we'll try to find out the reason why molybdenum wire can cut metal. But first of all, let's figure out what are molybdenum and molybdenum wire.

Why Can Molybdenum Wire Cut Metal?

What are molybdenum & molybdenum wire?

Molybdenum is a silver-white refractory metal. In appearance, metal molybdenum is very similar to tungsten, but it is still easy to distinguish them by their density. The density of molybdenum is only half that of tungsten.

Molybdenum is a rare metal on the earth, closely related to our lives, and enjoys a wide range of applications. For example, molybdenum is a strategic metal used in the defense industry, an important component of steel alloys, and an important nutrient element required by animals and plants. Because of its extremely strong inter-atomic binding force, it has high strength at room temperature and high temperature. 

Molybdenum wire is a kind of metal wire made of molybdenum as the main component (above 99%) with a diameter between 0.02 mm and 0.2 mm. It has a tough texture and high tensile strength, mainly used for cutting workpieces in the industry. Molybdenum wires have high precision, low wire breaking rate, and fast processing speed, which can realize stable long-time continuous processing. Molybdenum wires can not only process various metals, but also are widely used for lead wire, heating elements, and so on. 

The Working Principles of Molybdenum Wire Cutting 

Although molybdenum wire enjoys many excellent properties, it is not wear-resistant, so it is impossible to use it like a saw to cut metal. The molybdenum wire cutting principle is to energize the molybdenum wire and discharge the workpiece, which generates a high temperature of several thousand degrees in an instant and melts or vaporizes the discharged part of the workpiece so that it is cut.

When cutting the workpiece, molybdenum wire also needs to be immersed in the insulating liquid. And the discharge during the cutting process is pulse discharge. Under the action of the pulse voltage, the insulating liquid is broken down, forming an instant discharge channel between the molybdenum wire and the workpiece. During the pulse interval, the insulating liquid fills the discharge channel again, and so on. In addition, the insulating liquid also has the function of eliminating electrical corrosion products in the gap, and cooling electrodes.

Conclusion 

Thank you for reading our article. We hope it can help you have a better understanding of the reason why can molybdenum wire cut metal. If you want to know more about molybdenum metal and molybdenum wire, we would like to recommend you to visit Advanced Refractory Metals (ARM) for more information.

Headquartered in Lake Forest, California, USA, Advanced Refractory Metals (ARM) is a leading manufacturer & supplier of refractory metals across the world. It provides customers with high-quality refractory metals, such as tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, rhenium, titanium, and zirconium at a very competitive price.