Bismuth casting

Bismuth is a high density metal that may be used as an alternative to lead. With a density of 9,78 g/cm3 it comes close to lead. Another important reason why bismuth is used as an alternative to lead is that it is not poisonous, unlike lead. Bismuth has a melting point of 271,5 degrees Celsius.

Nuclear Shields has the machinery and expertise to cast and machine bismuth into custom made parts according to your specifications and drawings. We can manufacture the following:

• Bismuth shielding
• Bismuth wire
• Bismuth sheet
• Bismuth castings
• Bismuth machined products

Bismuth shielding

As people are looking more and more for alternatives for lead free shielding and other applications of lead, bismuth will play a more important role together with tungsten in replacing lead. The biggest disadvantage of tungsten is that it is much more expensive than lead. This is however slightly compensated by the higher density of tungsten than that of lead. Bismuth has a slightly lower density than lead, with a density of 9,78 g/cm3 instead of 11,34 g/cm3. This means thicker bismuth is needed to shield a certain amount of radioactivity than when using lead. Bismuth is also much more expensive than lead, but it does provide a lead free solution for radiation shielding.

Click here to contact us for the possibilities.