--- title: "Molybdenum, TZM & Tungsten Shops: Get the RFQs Nobody Else Will Quote | OpenSpindle" description: "Shop that machines molybdenum, TZM, tungsten, or tantalum with the right ventilation, PPE, and dielectric filtration? OpenSpindle sends you the refractory-metal RFQs instant-quote engines turn away. Free to join, no lead fees." canonical: https://openspindle.com/for-shops/refractory-metals updated: 2026-08-31 --- # Refractory-metal shops: the RFQs nobody else will quote **For: Molybdenum, TZM, tungsten & refractory-metal shops** Molybdenum, TZM, tungsten, and tantalum RFQs come to us because the big marketplaces will not route them. If your shop has the ventilation, PPE protocol, and sourcing relationships, we have the work. *Free to join* · *No lead fees* · *Specialist RFQs only* ## The refractory work we have on the board right now A short list of RFQ categories we have received in the last several weeks. If this is the kind of job your shop runs, you are exactly who we need to add. ### Molybdenum (99.95%) machining and EDM - Glass-melt electrodes, furnace hardware, sputter-target backing plates - Heat sinks and thermal spreaders for semi and defense R&D - Sinker EDM features and wire EDM profile cuts in moly plate and rod ### TZM (Ti-Zr-Mo) parts for high-temperature service - Hot-zone components for vacuum furnaces and crystal growth - Thin-wall tube and rod for aerospace and research reactors - Qty 1–50 with full material certs and lot traceability ### Tungsten and tungsten-copper (W-Cu) - EDM electrodes, resistance-weld tips, counterweights - Radiation shielding geometry and shaped collimators - Finish-ground features to ±0.0005 in on W-Cu composites ### Tantalum, niobium, and rhenium - Chemical-process components (crucibles, baffles, heat exchangers) - Capacitor-grade tantalum work for electronics and medical implants - Niobium superconductor and accelerator parts If any one of these is a routine job in your shop, tell us on your profile and we start sending the matching RFQs. ## What a qualified refractory shop looks like Refractory metals are not a reach for a general CNC shop -- they require specific sourcing, equipment, and safety protocols. We only route this work to shops that have them. - **Material sourcing relationships:** Direct accounts with Plansee, H.C. Starck, Elmet, Edgetech Industries, or equivalent mills for 99.95% moly, TZM, pure tungsten, and W-Cu grades. - **Carbide tooling and rigid setups:** Moly and tungsten are gummy or brittle depending on form; the shop needs the tooling library and SFM experience to run them without scrap. - **EDM in-house or trusted partner:** Wire EDM, sinker, or small-hole EDM for features milling and grinding cannot reach. Moly EDM is routine in semiconductor and glass-industry supply chains. - **Ventilation and dust capture:** MoO₃ fumes during EDM and moly dust during grinding are documented health hazards. HEPA-rated collection and dedicated wet-process stations expected. - **PPE and training protocol:** Written SDS program for refractory metals, respiratory PPE, and separation of refractory work from standard shop traffic. - **Material traceability:** Mill certs, lot numbers tied to the job, and dedicated storage so refractory stock is not mixed with the aluminum bar. - **Industry experience (helps):** Semiconductor equipment, vacuum furnace, crystal growth, glass industry, defense R&D, or accelerator / fusion research backgrounds. ## What a refractory partner gets - **Jobs priced like specialty work:** We do not pressure refractory-metal quotes into prototype-aluminum lead times or budgets. Customers coming to us for moly know it is a specialty quote. - **Free to join; no fees:** No subscription, no per-RFQ fee, no commission on your quote. We get paid by the customer, separate from your price. - **Realistic lead times:** We quote 3–6 week lead times to buyers up front on refractory jobs so you are not held to a prototyping schedule you cannot hit. - **Material-cost transparency:** You quote material separately; mill lead times and lot minimums are communicated to the customer so they understand why. - **Keep your own customers:** We do not approach your existing accounts. The buyers we route are new to your shop. - **Direct line to our sourcing team:** If a customer asks for something you have run before but not exactly, we can introduce you directly rather than guessing at the RFQ. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### There are only a dozen real moly shops in the US. Why do you need us? Exactly. There are a dozen real moly shops in the US and we are getting the RFQs. Our 260+ shop network is heavy on CNC and sheet metal, light on refractory. One or two qualified refractory partners in each region unblocks the bulk of this work for us, and gives you a stream of RFQs that would otherwise not reach you. ### Is there enough refractory volume to be worth setting up a profile? Volume is lumpy by month but trending up -- the pages that attract these RFQs are new and ranking. Realistically expect a few qualified RFQs per month per capability, growing. Many of them are long-tail: one buyer who needs moly electrodes this quarter needs more next quarter. ### We handle hazardous materials -- how do you qualify customers so we are not sent a bad RFQ? We screen RFQs before routing. If a buyer is asking about a form, size, or quantity that is not realistic (e.g., a 'quick moly prototype' with a two-week turn), we set expectations before the quote lands in your inbox. If the RFQ is incomplete or clearly out of scope, you never see it. ### Do we need to be ITAR-registered? Not required to join, but it opens defense refractory work. Say so on your profile and we route the ITAR-flagged RFQs to you specifically. ### What about export control on tungsten, moly, or rhenium? We identify the end use and destination before sending the RFQ, and we only route export-controlled work to shops that have told us they are set up to handle it. ### Can we also quote the hard-to-source alloy itself? Yes. If you have the mill account and can source the stock faster than the customer could, that is often the whole reason the job came to us -- quote material separately. ## Where the RFQs come from - [EDM & Wire EDM](https://openspindle.com/capabilities/edm.md) -- Moly and TZM RFQs frequently require EDM features. - [Precision Grinding](https://openspindle.com/capabilities/precision-grinding.md) -- Finish grinding of W-Cu, moly, and tungsten features. - [Micro Machining](https://openspindle.com/capabilities/micro-machining.md) -- Small refractory parts for semi and medical. - [Semiconductor](https://openspindle.com/industries/semiconductor.md) -- The biggest source of refractory-metal RFQs: moly backing plates, W-Cu heat sinks, hot-zone hardware. - [Aerospace & Defense](https://openspindle.com/industries/aerospace-defense.md) -- Rocket, propulsion, and reactor refractory work. - [Energy / Oil & Gas](https://openspindle.com/industries/energy-oil-gas.md) -- High-temperature and high-corrosion service parts. ## Add your refractory capabilities and we start routing matching RFQs List moly, TZM, tungsten, tantalum, or niobium on your shop profile and tell us the sizes and forms you handle. The next matching RFQ comes to you. [Apply as a shop partner](https://openspindle.com/apply.md)