Tungsten: Taking Shape
BY ELIZABETH FABRI DEMAND is beginning to pick up for tungsten as China – the world’s largest producer and consumer – begins to scale back production, leaving Australian near-term producers in the box seat. We chat with Australian explorers Tungsten Mining and Thor Mining about their respective projects, and outlook for the year ahead. Tungsten is one of the lesser-known commodities, but its reach extends to a number of modern electrical applications, including the vibration device in our mobile phones. The strongest natural metal on earth has been predominately mined in China, and Europe, up until now, and used in the manufacturing sector for machine tools, a toughener in steel alloys, as well as in ammunition and armour. Yet despite…