A race car’s skeleton and many of the forged components, that keep its engine running at top speed, are made of chromoly steel. Even though these grades have been around for many decades, and numerous new materials have been developed since, they still are the materials of choice in critical applications. Molybdenum is therefore a vital component to a racing team reaching its ultimate goal – the winner’s circle.

Maritime shipping remains one of the most cost-efficient global transport methods, especially compared with air freight. Its rapid growth since the 1970s and the containerisation of cargo have kept pace with the global economy, however this has also increased its environmental impact. New regulations limiting the sulfur content of engine fuel mean that ships must either use cleaner, more expensive fuel, or install equipment to take sulfur out of exhaust gases, a process in which molybdenum plays a key role.

Metalworking tools must survive high temperatures, extreme stresses, friction and wear, and still economically produce precision parts from difficult-to-process alloys. In some applications, traditional steel and nickel- alloy tools cannot do the job. Molybdenum metal alloys like TZM and MHC solve this problem, saving material and processing costs, and enabling new and better technologies.

Climbing a vertical wall, finding the next crack or jut in the rock face, pushing higher with nothing but the body’s strength, are part of the thrill of rock climbing. However, without the aid of safety anchors to catch the climber in the event of a mishap, the sport could be deadly. Both experience and study indicate that molybdenum-alloyed stainless steel anchors play an increasingly important role to protect climbers’ lives.

This innovative hybrid system combines photovoltaic cells with a molybdenum-containing stainless-steel heat exchanger. It produces both electricity and domestic hot water at the same time, greatly increasing the amount of solar energy extracted per square meter.