Molybdenum's high melting point means that at typical operating temperatures for vacuum furnaces

Molybdenum evaporation boats

Molybdenum's strength and stability at elevated temperature make it an attractive material for construction of high-temperature furnace parts like evaporation boat or sintering trays and toolings associated with them. Molybdenum's high melting point means that at typical operating temperatures for vacuum furnaces, volatilization of internal components made from molybdenum or molybdenum alloys will be negligible.

Metal hot zones offer the utmost in vacuum cleanliness for those heat treating applications that cannot tolerate carbon or oxygen contamination. (Titanium, niobium, and tantalum are all metals that require environments free of oxygen and carbon.)

The increasing use of hot isostatic pressing (HIP) to consolidate powder materials and improve the integrity of cast metals has also boosted the need for molybdenum products. Molybdenum and its alloys are widely used as materials of construction for HIP vessels, being found in their heating elements, mantles, and support structures.

The ceramic processing industry also makes extensive use of molybdenum components for fixtures and sintering boats. Oxide ceramics processed by the electronics industry are nearly universally sintered in hydrogen on molybdenum carriers.