Tantalum Rod & Bar

Admat offers our customers a diverse selection of tantalum rod, tantalum bar, and tantalum wire products which are all engineered for a range of applications. Our products are cold-rolled and annealed in a proprietary process that creates metallurgical properties ideal for such applications as sputtering gun barrels, machining into fasteners, x-ray or radiation shielding, medical markers for surgeons, vacuum furnace heating elements, chlorinator springs, components for light bulbs, or machined parts for chemical processing equipment.

Admat’s tantalum rods are manufactured by cold rolling large diameter tantalum ingots into smaller diameters and performing intermediate anneals to recrystallize the metal before repeating the process. This process guarantees that the metallurgy of the rod is uniform. The tantalum rods and bars are typically centerless ground to ensure a smooth uniform surface. Usually, customers who plan to machine the rods prefer the material to be unannealed, whereas those who plan on drawing or rolling the material further ask for annealed.

Did you know that Admat can also supply fasteners such as screws, nuts and washers made of tantalum?

Uses of Tantalum Rods and Tantalum Bars

Tantalum rods and tantalum bars appear in many applications, including:

• Sputtering gun barrels: Computer disk manufacturers and other industries using sputtering processes are increasingly adopting tantalum to resist corrosion in sputtering gun barrels. The tantalum lining process is more environmentally efficient than chromium lining, helping industries reduce their ecological impact.
• Machined fasteners: Machined fasteners fabricated from tantalum offer superior corrosion resistance. They replace fasteners made of alternative materials prone to failure or that require expensive equipment shutdowns for maintenance. Tantalum fasteners appear in industries such as mining, energy, and pharmaceuticals as well as in metal and chemical processing.
• X-ray/radiation shielding: Tantalum’s radio-opaque qualities make it ideal for X-ray and shielding applications seeking to prevent radiation leakage. Tantalum shielding also protects sensitive electronic components in aerospace structures as well as components operating in corrosive environments.
• Vacuum furnace heating elements: Because of tantalum’s oxidation resistance and high melting point, many vacuum furnace components incorporate tantalum bars. Tantalum’s temperature grain stabilization increases machine life expectancy due to its ability to withstand high temperatures for long periods of time.
• Machined parts for chemical processing equipment: Tantalum’s corrosion-resistant properties make it a choice material for machined parts used in chemical processing equipment. Tantalum machined parts replace inferior materials that do not perform as well in harsh chemical environments and require extensive maintenance.