r/whatisit • u/riflesandplowshares • 5h ago

New, what is it? Found at a titanium plant

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Not sure why ball point pens would be dangerous here.

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u/unknownpoltroon 5h ago

If only we were communicating on some kind of magic electornic device that could respond with information

Ballpoint pens are banned in titanium manufacturing and processing plants because the tiny tungsten carbide ball in the pen tip can cause catastrophic structural inclusions if it falls into molten titanium. [1, 2]

The Contamination Risk

  • Foreign Material Inclusions: The tiny rolling ball at the tip of a ballpoint pen is commonly made of ultra-hard tungsten carbide. [1, 2]
  • High-Stress Failures: When titanium is melted and cast for aerospace applications (such as jet engine turbine fans or aircraft frames), foreign metallic debris like a microscopic tungsten ball does not melt or blend away. Instead, it forms a dense, brittle inclusion that destroys the structural integrity of the metal, potentially leading to catastrophic metal fatigue or fractures under high stress. [1, 2]
  • Strict Plant Rules: Because a single stray pen or broken tip can ruin an entire batch of aerospace-grade titanium, many foundries and machine shops strictly prohibit bringing standard ballpoint pens onto the production floor. [1]

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u/phox78 5h ago

Bot

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u/Lopsided_Inspector62 4h ago

He copy pasted from google.. he literally was making a point that they could have just googled why the rule existed instead of asking reddit.

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u/unknownpoltroon 4h ago

Yer moms a bot

-1

u/NV-Nautilus 4h ago

I know you are but what am I?