Due to its many useful properties that include a high melting point, exceptional hardness, and lightness, tungsten plays an invaluable role in various industries. These include electronics manufacturing, the aerospace sector, and parts of the automotive industries, among others. Consequently, the scrap metal recycling industry pays good money for tungsten so that it can be recycled. Read on to find out more about scrap metal buying with respect to this versatile metal and why it's in such great demand today.

• Sourcing Scrap Tungsten

Scrap tungsten originates from numerous sources. For example, in industry, waste tungsten produced from machining processes like drilling, milling, or turning is reasonably commonplace today. Scrap metal recycling plants also often obtain tungsten from used carbide tools, old electronic devices, and discarded aerospace or automotive parts.

• Reprocessing Scrap Tungsten

Once collected, scrap tungsten undergoes an intricate reprocessing phase. This is needed so that scrap metal recycling specialists are able to make new uses of its aforementioned properties. The first step typically involves thermal processing. Essentially, the metal is heated up to remove any attached materials and impurities, such as paint or coatings. The resultant scrap metal is a tungsten powder. This can then be consolidated to form an ingot, usually under highly pressurized and high-temperature conditions. Various metallurgical techniques are then deployed to fabricate the tungsten ingot so that the metal can be used once more in the desired form and purity needed by industry. Several safety and environmental regulations must be complied with to get to this stage, so only specialized operators in scrap metal recycling tend to perform this work.

• Uses for Recycled Tungsten

Once fully reprocessed, tungsten will find its way back into a wide array of applications. Today, it is typically used to manufacture new cutting and drilling tools, thanks to its exceptional durability. Like some other scrap metals that aren't officially classed as precious, tungsten can even wind its way up in jewelry, nowadays. Other uses for previously scrapped tungsten include electronic components and aircraft parts.

• Scrap Tungsten's Market Value

Scrap metal recycling operates in a market, like any other industry. From the perspective of sellers, tungsten holds a strong position thanks to its desirability compared to other metals. More common metals, such as steel or aluminum, have a considerable scrap value. However, global tungsten reserves are significantly limited compared to these metals, making recycling it particularly rewarding from a financial perspective. Indeed, some of its high-performance applications mean that it often demands a higher-than-average value in the scrap metal market. Contact a professional recycling business near you to learn more about scrap metal recycling.