Western Electric assessing possibility of again producing tubes

[directdriver]

WE 347A would be on my dream list. It's the octal version of 262A or 262B, a medium mu triode, kinda like a mesh plate version of type 37 with octal base and grid cap. 262A was used in the iconic WE 86 amp, 300B PP with interstage transformer. It won't be cheap for sure.

 

[Windcrest77]

" Whitener’s team devised a way to apply an atom-thick layer of graphene to a vacuum tube’s anode to extend its lifespan by improving heat dissipation and reducing contaminating gases. Those enhanced tubes hit the market in 2020. Quality control—Whitener’s former field—became more automated, and he claims more than 90 percent of tubes now pass inspection off the line. "
😳

Graphene is an amazing substance and very, very difficult to make at industrial scale. It has 10 times the thermal conductivity of copper, better than any known material. It conducts electricity better than any metal including silver. Its coefficient of friction is 3 times lower than Teflon. But here is the most amazing, graphene is 200 times stronger than steel at one fifth the weight. And the strength to weight ratio of graphene is 1000 times that of steel. And it is tough, it can stretch 5% of its original size before breaking, IOW not like glass or a diamond having no stretch before breaking.

Rice University developed the first low cost method to produce graphene they call "flash graphene", that is most likely what WE adopted here.

I'm bummed out that WE decided to go with 12AX7 as their second product, that market is flooded, and wont draw high prices. I think they should have done a 2A3, 45, 50, WE347, VT52 or 12SX7 / 6SX7 (the 6SN7 drop in that would definitely have a lot of following at better prices). But 12AX7, why?

 

[rayma]

They want to make larger quantities to cover the fixed costs, and keep the user cost reasonable.
WE will sell lots of 12AX7 tubes.