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Chapter 17:
Powder-Metal Processing and Equipment
1. Introduction
2. Production of Metal Powders
3. Compaction of Metal Powders
4. Sintering
5. Secondary and Finishing Operations
6. Design Considerations
7. Process Capabilities
8. Economics of Powder Metallurgy
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education South Asia Pte Ltd
Introduction
Raw materials for metals and alloys are in a molten
state (casting) or in solid form (metalworking)
Powder metallurgy (PM) process involves metal
powders compacted into desired shapes and sintered
to form a solid piece
Electrolytic Deposition
Used either aqueous solutions or fused salts
Carbonyls
Metal carbonyls are formed by letting iron or nickel
react with carbon monoxide
Reaction products are decomposed to iron and nickel
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education South Asia Pte Ltd
Production of Metal Powders:
Methods of Powder Production
Comminution
Involves crushing milling in a ball mill, or grinding of
brittle or less ductile metals into small particles
A ball mill is a machine with a rotating hollow cylinder
partly filled with steel or white cast-iron balls
Shape Factor
A measure of the ratio of the surface area of the
particle to its volume
Limitations of HIP:
1. Wider dimensional tolerances
2. Higher equipment cost and production
3. Small production quantities
Powder-injection Molding
Also called metal-injection molding
Very fine metal powders are blended with a 25 to 45%
polymer or a wax-based binder
Mixture undergoes a process similar to die casting
Advantages of powder-injection molding are:
1. Complex shapes
2. Good dimensional tolerances
3. High production rates
EXAMPLE 17.2
Mobile Phone Components Produced through Metal Injection Molding
Powder-metal components for mobile phones to
achieve a flip-open feature
Forging
Products from powder forging (PF) are fully dense,
good surface finish, good dimensional tolerances, and
a uniform and fine grain size
Rolling
Also called roll compaction
Metal powder is fed into the
roll gap in a two-high rolling
mill and compacted into
a continuous strip
Extrusion
Powders is compacted by extrusion whereby the
powder is encased in a metal container and hot
extruded
Pressureless Compaction
The die is gravity filled with metal powder and the
powder is sintered directly in the die
Spray Deposition
It is a shape-generation process die
Basic components are
1. An atomizer
2. A spray chamber with an inert atmosphere
3. A mold for producing preforms
Mechanical Properties
Affecting mechanical properties are temperature, time,
and processing history
Porosity cannot be avoided completely due to voids
remaining after compaction and gases evolve during
sintering
Mechanical Properties
Mechanical Properties
Mechanical Properties
Limitations of PM are:
1. High cost of metal powder
2. High cost of tooling and equipment
3. Limitations on part size and shape complexity
4. Mechanical properties are lower