Industry Knowledge
What processes does the production process of tungsten discharge needle include?
As a high-performance electronic component, tungsten discharge needles directly affect the performance and reliability of the final product. Nantong Rongxin's professional technology accumulation in this field enables it to produce high-purity, high-performance tungsten discharge needles.
Raw material treatment
The core raw material of the tungsten discharge needle is high-purity tungsten powder, and its purity requirement is above 99.95%. Nantong Rongxin adopts advanced vacuum smelting technology to remove impurities from raw materials through chemical treatment and smelting processes to ensure high purity of tungsten powder. The entire process strictly controls the temperature, pressure and the ratio of reducing agent to ensure uniform particle size and chemical stability of the tungsten powder. After multiple reduction and pickling processes, the oxygen content in the tungsten powder was reduced to below 0.01%, providing a high-quality substrate for subsequent processing.
Press-molding
During the molding of tungsten powder, Nantong Rongxin uses a process of combining pressure molding and injection molding to place the tungsten powder into a customized mold for pressing. Through high-precision CNC machine tools, the size and shape of the mold are strictly controlled to ensure that the diameter (0.5-10mm) and length (20-150mm) of the discharge needle reaches micron level accuracy. When producing extremely thin diameter discharge needles, dynamic pressure compensation technology is used to control the pressing error to within ±0.002mm, laying the foundation for subsequent processing.
Sintering densification
The pressed tungsten blank needs to be sintered in a high-temperature furnace. Nantong Rongxin combines vacuum sintering and thermal isostatic pressure (HIP) process to form a dense metal bond between tungsten particles at a high temperature of 1800-2200°C to eliminate internal pores. Through the HIP process, the density of the discharge needle can be increased to more than 99.9%, the tensile strength reaches more than 1800MPa, and the hardness exceeds HRA90, which is significantly better than industry standards, ensuring the superior mechanical properties of the product.
Precision processing
The sintered tungsten blank needs to undergo precision processing processes such as turning, grinding and polishing. Nantong Rongxin introduced CNC machine tools and electron microscopy technology to ensure that the arc radius of the discharge needle is controlled at ≤1μm and the surface roughness reaches Ra≤0.02μm. During the needle tip processing, laser-assisted cutting technology is used to micro-melt the needle tip through a pulsed laser beam to eliminate micro-cracks, thereby ensuring the stability and reliability of discharge.
Surface treatment
In order to improve the corrosion resistance and oxidation resistance of the discharge needle, Nantong Rongxin uses physical vapor deposition (PVD) technology to coat the surface of the needle with a thickness of 1-3μm. This coating has excellent high-temperature oxidation resistance (temperature resistance ≥2000℃), and can effectively reduce energy loss during discharge. In electron beam lithography equipment, the service life of the discharge needle treated with coating can be extended by more than 30%, significantly improving the market competitiveness of the product.
Quality inspection
Nantong Rongxin has established a complete quality inspection system, covering every link from the entry of raw materials to the exit of finished products. The company is equipped with advanced detection equipment such as metal analyzers, spectrometers, tensile testing machines, etc. to ensure that the chemical composition, mechanical properties and dimensional accuracy of the product meet international standards. In the discharge stability test, the stability of the discharge needle in the high-frequency state is verified through high-frequency pulse discharge experiments to ensure the reliability of the product in practical applications.
What are the application scopes of tungsten discharge needle
Electron beam processing and precision manufacturing
In the fields of electron beam lithography (EBL) and electron beam welding (EBW), tungsten discharge needles play an indispensable role as key components for energy focus. Nantong Rongxin's discharge needle can achieve the precise definition of nano-level lithography patterns thanks to its excellent machining accuracy of arc radius ≤1μm at the tip and surface roughness Ra≤0.02μm. Taking the DB-8 model electron beam exposure equipment of the 48th Institute of China Electronics Technology Group as an example, the discharge needle supports a 0.13μm semiconductor process, and its beam spot diameter is stable at the nanometer level, helping domestic high-end lithography machines to break through the technical bottleneck.
Semiconductor manufacturing
The semiconductor manufacturing industry has extremely high requirements for the accuracy and stability of equipment, and tungsten discharge needles play an important role in key links such as ion implantation, etching and deposition. Nantong Rongxin significantly reduces charge accumulation and discharge delays by optimizing the tip geometry and surface coating technology of the discharge needle. In wafer-level electron beam exposure (such as the Raith150-two system), the pulse uniformity of the discharge needle is 30% higher than that of traditional products, making the resolution of the single-line pattern below 8nm, meeting the strict requirements of advanced processes for edge roughness (LER). In addition, the matching of the thermal expansion coefficient of the discharge needle with the wafer material ensures its dimensional stability in long-term use, further improving the overall efficiency and reliability of semiconductor manufacturing.
Precision welding and additive manufacturing
In welding processes such as resistance welding, laser welding and electron beam welding, the performance of the tungsten discharge needle is used as an energy transmission medium, and its performance directly affects the quality of the solder joints. Nantong Rongxin's discharge needle adopts vacuum sintering and thermal isostatic pressure (HIP) processes, which significantly improves the tensile strength to above 1800MPa and has a hardness of above HRA90, and can withstand huge thermal stress at high current density. In the welding of automotive electronic components, the nano-melting diameter control accuracy of the Nantong Rongxin discharge needle reaches ±5μm, and the welding joint strength is 25% higher than the industry average. In the field of additive manufacturing, the company provides high-reliability coating additive manufacturing technical support for high-pressure differential regulating valves in extreme environments. The precise discharge capability of the discharge needle makes the coating thickness uniformity reach ≤±2%, significantly improving the sealing performance of the valve and promoting technological progress in related industries.
Medical equipment
In laser scalpels, radiation therapy equipment and electron beam ablation systems, tungsten discharge needles are the core components that achieve energy focus and transmission. Nantong Rongxin’s discharge needles are designed with biocompatible coatings and microflower channels to ensure precise control of energy output. In tumor radiation therapy, the Nantong Rongxin discharge needle can stably output a high-energy electron beam, and the dose distribution error is controlled at ≤3%, effectively reducing damage to healthy tissues. In the field of surgical robots, its ultra-fine discharge needle (diameter is only 0.01mm) is widely used in catheter surgical guidewire and electrosurgery, achieving micron-level cutting and hemostasis, and promoting minimally invasive technology toward less trauma and higher accuracy.
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