Copper Tungsten Electrode CuW Electrode Contact

Copper-tungsten is a pseudo-alloy of copper and tungsten. As copper and tungsten cannot form molecular bonds, bonding is achieved by infiltrating molten copper into a sintered matrix of tungsten powder. The resulting compound combines the characteristics of tungsten and copper. Copper-tungsten thus bridges the gap between tungsten carbide and brass and copper in electrical discharge machining. Many of the advantages and disadvantages of copper and tungsten are in opposition, so the combination of the two yields a material with few of the extreme characteristics of its parents.

Advantages of Copper-Tungsten

Copper-tungsten inherits a great deal of strength from tungsten, yet retains some of copper’s softness. Like tungsten carbide electrodes, it can be manufactured in the same very small sizes. Its strength also gives it stability, which decreases walking, and can reduce the need for meeting a blind hole, making it ideal for deep hole drilling. Unlike both copper and tungsten carbide electrodes, copper-tungsten is ideal for machining. It is yielding enough to accept machining, while strong enough to maintain its structure afterwards.

Customization

Custom copper-tungsten electrodes are available in sizes from .06mm (only rods are available from .06mm to .1mm) to 3.0mm in diameter, in lengths from 100mm to 700mm. Inner and outer diameters may be adjusted. The ratio of tungsten to copper can be adjusted to optimize electrode characteristics. The percentage of tungsten is from 50% to 90%, with 10% gradations. Diameter gradations for copper-tungsten are not as fine as those for brass or copper, due to different manufacturing methods.