What are the industrial uses of beryllium?
Beryllium is a metal widely used in industry because of its important properties including light weight, high melting point, high strength, and good electrical conductivity. The beryllium-containing materials that Canadian industry commonly use are the metal itself, beryllium oxide, and beryllium alloys. Industrial uses include the manufacture of thermal coating, nuclear reactors, rocket heat shields, brakes, x-ray tubes, and dental plates. The occupations listed below involve exposure to beryllium. Industrial processes that use beryllium or products that contain the metal include: • extraction of beryllium (smelting and refining) • beryllium metallurgy (production of beryllium metal and compounds) • precision machining • nuclear applications • microcircuits • stamping/cutting • die casting • plastic moulding • welding electrodes • handling/assembly • dental plates manufacturing • thermal castings • x-ray tube window manufacturing • guidance and navigation systems manufacturing • rocke
