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Competitive Advantages

Sporting goods products use tungsten because it has a very high density. With a density of 19.3 g/cc, tungsten products are a great choice for many athletes and outdoorsmen. Those who compete at the highest levels of sport need any edge they can get. Tungsten is able to provide that edge in many cases.

Fishing sinkers of the same weight made from tungsten are smaller than ones made of lead or other materials. Darts made with tungsten tips are slimmer. Fishing tackle and line made with tungsten sinks faster. Golf clubs made with tungsten weights can balance the swing. Golf balls using tungsten can focus the mass and generate spin. The strategic use of tungsten in sporting goods allows athletes to perform at a higher level.

Eco Friendly

Tungsten is an eco-friendly element. Many studies show it is not toxic. One study of hunting products concluded that "the use of tungsten in lead-free shot is not associated with environmental toxicity..." (Thomas, V.G., et al., Assessment of the environmental toxicity and carcinogenicity of tungsten-based shot, Ecotoxicol. Environ. Saf. (2009),doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2009.01.001) The US National Parks Service displays the full text of the study.

Because of this, tungsten is a good material for hunting and fishing products. Any sporting goods products remaining in soil or water after use can safely be made from tungsten.

Carbide Products

Tungsten carbide is very hard. This allows it to provide traction and grip on surfaces like asphalt and rock. It has excellent wear resistance. The high wear resistance allows equipment to last longer and need less frequent replacement.

Take a look at Carbide USA's post on the topic. They point out several products designed for sports and recreation that are made from tungsten carbide.

Tungsten Powder for Sporting Goods

Buffalo Tungsten sells tungsten powder and tungsten carbide powder for use in many sporting goods products. If you think the properties of these materials can help you develop an edge over the competition, we can work with you on developing products that can be used to put you over the top.

What is Tungsten Carbide?

The carburization of pure tungsten powder creates the alloy tungsten carbide. The International Tungsten Industry Association provides an outline of the conventional carburization process that produces it. WC is the chemical formula for the resulting powder, so it is also referred to as WC powder.

Tungsten carbide is a very hard material. In a pure form it is too brittle to be used in many applications. Cemented carbide parts are are made by pressing and sintering to overcome this. The parts made by this process are often called hardmetal parts.

Making Hardmetal Parts

Tungsten carbide powder is combined with binder materials such as cobalt or nickel powder to create hardmetal. The binder materials make finished parts that have better durability and toughness. The powders are pressed into a shape in a mold at a very high pressure. The resulting piece is then sintered in an oven at a very high temperature to melt the binder materials and bond the part together. The individual WC particles are suspended in the melted binder materials.

A common product made from WC powders is cutting tools. Hardness is an important property in this application. Tungsten carbide tools are more expensive than steel. They cut several times more material before they wear out. Efficiency improves because the tooling does not need to be replaced as frequently. In your local home improvement store you see labels like "carbide tipped" on may of the drill bits and saw blades. This indicates that they have a hardness that will allow them to last longer. 

Other Carbides

Hardmetal parts that are made with tungsten carbide are often referred to simply as carbide. Other forms of carbide are produced through a similar process.

If you are looking for a carbide material with the greatest hardness make sure that you have tungsten carbide and not titanium or tantalum carbide. The other carbide materials are used in applications where the toughness or other properties take priority over the hardness.

Tungsten Carbide Powder Supplier

Buffalo Tungsten produces tungsten carbide powder in a wide range of particle sizes. We produce standard powders from 0.8 microns to 50 microns and use special carburization techniques to make larger particle sizes. The carbon content is carefully monitored and the level of free carbon is reported on our standard certificate of analysis. We also use tungsten carbide powder in our engineered powders that are used for infiltration applications.

What is thermal spraying?

Tungsten carbide thermal spray powder is a leading surface coating material. Thermal spraying is a process that applies a powder as a surface coating to improve or repair the surface of a material. The powder is used to make your parts last longer or build up a part that has worn down. Thermal spray powder is fired onto a metal substrate in thin layers to cover the surface. It is applied with a spray gun at a high velocity to form a strong mechanical bond. The velocity comes from heating gas to build up pressure that goes through a nozzle. A basic overview of the thermal spray process is found here from the ASM Thermal Spray Society. They also describe various types of thermal spray coating applications. Thermal spray powders are frequently used instead of plating or heat treating processes that are less effective or more expensive.

Why is Tungsten Carbide a Good Thermal Spray Material?

The chemical symbol for tungsten carbide is WC. Tungsten carbide is an extremely hard metal, as decribed in this article by AZoM. It is an excellent choice as a thermal spray powder to use on parts that need high wear resistance. The thin coating of tungsten carbide material allows the part to last longer before requiring repair or replacement.

A common tungsten carbide powder is known as 88-12, or WC 12Co. This refers to the composition of the powder, which is 88% tungsten carbide (WC) and 12% cobalt (Co). The cobalt is used as a binder material. Other binders such as Nickel or Chromium are used to achieve different properties. Other binders are better for oxidation or corrosion resistance. There are several different combinations of binder materials to choose from to achieve the properties that you desire.

Thermal Spray Powder Manufacturer

Buffalo Tungsten produces high quality tungsten carbide thermal spray powder. We make agglomerated, sintered materials. These powders provide dense, hard surface coatings with excellent wear properties at low temperatures (<500 C). Buffalo Tungsten's thermal spray powders are used in a wide range of industries. They have application on things like pump casings and various shafts. There are several standard powders to choose from. Custom powders are made based on customer needs.

Radiation can serve useful purposes in fields such as medical diagnostics and treatments or power generation. Radiation can also be harmful to our bodies if we are exposed to it in high concentrations. It is associated with cancer and causing damage to our cells. In order to be kept safe from the damaging effects of radiation when it is used we need to be properly shielded from it. Tungsten is an excellent material for radiation shielding because it has an extremely high density. At 19.3 g/cm3 tungsten is among the most dense of all the metals. This property helps it to act as a barrier to damaging x-rays, gamma rays and other types of radiation.

Buffalo Tungsten is a manufacturer of the high density tungsten powders that are used in radiation shielding for various industries. The tungsten powder is typically compounded with rubber or plastic in order to mold it into different shapes. A commonly known medical application is the aprons and vests worn when you have an X-ray taken at a doctor or dentist's office. Our tungsten powders are also used in radiation shielding for power generation applications such as nuclear reactors. Tungsten will help shield the pipes that run to and from the reactor. These products have been traditionally made of lead, but the toxicity of lead has made the safe disposal of it expensive. With a higher density, thinner and less bulky shielding products can be produced from tungsten.

When tungsten is used it is often referred to as lead free shielding, which has formed an increasing segment of the market. Some examples of lead free radiation shielding are manufactured by companies such as Lancs Industries. If you manufacture any type of lead free radiation shielding products Buffalo Tungsten can supply the tungsten powder materials that you need.

Buffalo Tungsten has been supplying tungsten powder for electrical contacts for over two decades. Contacts are the metallic points that come together to complete a circuit. When they are in contact, electricity can flow through them. When they are not in contact, the flow of electricity stops.

Circuit breakers are a common household example of electrical contacts. There are also many commercial and industrial uses for tungsten contacts. In other common products they are on motors in appliances. They are also on relays and switches for control systems.

Electrical contacts are typically made from a highly conductive metal such as silver or copper. These metals blend with tungsten powder to improve their resistance to wear and oxidation. Tungsten carbide powder is in various types of contacts as well. The high melting point of tungsten provides some protection from high temperatures.

Manufacturers press and sinter the contacts into their shape. The quality of the tungsten powder has a large impact on the quality of the finished products. Be sure to get tungsten powder for contacts to get the best results.

Contact us for more information about tungsten materials that can improve the performance of your electrical contacts. With many years in the industry we have seen many product applications.

Buffalo Tungsten is a global tungsten supplier to dozens of countries. From Norway to New Zealand, we can supply your needs. From full container loads to urgent air shipments, we get things to you when you need them.

With our experience in global logistics we provide a high level of support. We will get your tungsten powder materials to your door on time and in great condition. Buffalo Tungsten provides the import documents you need to clear your shipment with the local customs office.

As an international tungsten supplier we understand the long transport times to get material to you. That is why we focus on short lead times in our factory. If we get things out our door faster then you will get them faster to keep your production going.

High Quality Tungsten Supplier

We offer high quality materials for a wide variety of industries. Our goal is to make sure that you have the best tungsten powder for your needs. We want to make sure that our powder works in your equipment. We want to make sure that you get just what you need to make your products.  

Our goal of 100% satisfaction is important as an international tungsten supplier.

At Buffalo Tungsten we understand that each country has different shipping regulations. We work with our international customers on packaging materials and labeling to make sure that things go smoothly.

For more data on US tungsten exports you can visit the USGS information page. To find out about our company and capabilities as an international tungsten supplier visit our company page to learn more.

Buffalo Tungsten has created a social distancing logo with a message of hope...

Our creation of this logo is a reminder that social distancing will help us to slow the spread of a deadly virus. It threatens the lives of many, especially those who are elderly and immune compromised.

Although there are bigger issues in our world at this time we remain ready to supply tungsten powder. Our customers manufacture essential products in the medical and defense industries.

Our hope is that this virus will pass soon and we will be back to our normal activities. In the meantime we will do our part to prevent further outbreaks. We will educate our employees and adjust the work conditions to allow for more social distancing.

These are temporary measures. The world has seen pandemics before and come through. With advances in medical research we are in better shape than ever before to deal with it.

It's a time to stay home where possible. We will slow the spread and then we can enjoy time together once again. If we are all patient and be careful we will get through this faster. If we work together we will be stronger for it in the end.

Buffalo Tungsten produces essential materials and continues to operate at normal capacity during the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. You can be assured that we can continue to meet your demand for tungsten materials.

Although we have an exemption from New York State to remain in operation, we are not conducting business a usual in many respects. We have taken steps to monitor the evolving risk and safeguard our employees and their families. We have educated our workforce on the best ways to avoid exposure to the virus and prevent spreading the virus to others. We have limited physical interactions between employees, made additional personal protective equipment available, and increased the frequency of sanitizing our facility to mitigate risk.

New York State has taken measures to reduce the community spread of the virus by requiring non-essential businesses to “reduce the in-person workforce at each business/work location by 100%...” Exemptions have been made for what are deemed to be essential businesses which allow Buffalo Tungsten to continue to operate.

https://esd.ny.gov/guidance-executive-order-2026

We pray for the safety of our suppliers and customers and their families during the spread of this virus and the COVID-19 disease. We have faith that it will soon pass and we will be in a stronger position to face future threats.

At the same time we hope to take advantage of some of the new found efficiencies to increase productivity and improve communication.