Molybdenum and tungsten are sintered under vacuum for one reason: oxygen. Both metals oxidize readily, and both are usually supplied as oxide powder that has to be reduced before it can densify — so the furnace profile is an oxygen budget, not a temperature schedule. This 60-second explainer covers why dew point and pump-down matter more than the setpoint, how residual moisture in the insulation extends the first hold, and where carbon pickup starts once the oxide is gone.
Read the full process and specification detail in our molybdenum and tungsten powder vacuum sintering guide.
