Archive: 2018

When powder metallurgy tech produces low-density parts, the components are leaving the process as lightweight and porous constructs. Structurally attenuated, the parts consume less alloy powder, so process costs drop. Beyond such utilitarian deliberations, however, the lighter than usual parts gain self-lubricating improvements, so a lower frictional coefficient is instantly gained. Expanding on those observations, […]

A tightly narrated overview pinned down the main operational components in the powder metallurgical process. At this point, a new opportunity has arisen. It’s a chance to look beyond the manufacturing technique, to view the effects of heat treatment on sintered metals. Do sintered objects bend to the will of a furnace or tempering station? […]

It’s been a short but eventful journey so far. The powder has progressed from its initial ingress point. Atomized and mixed, the blending chamber tumbled and spun while exotic chemical additives and lubricating agents were decanted. Next in the processing chain, the compaction phase is applied. The consolidated mass arrives as a shapeless lump, and […]

A long line of steps exists between the material processing phase and the point where a perfectly manufactured bearing pops off the production line. Sure, performance benefits have been mentioned in past posts, and sintered bearings do provide other mentionable benefits, but now we’re casting a savvy eye over the production room. Can output hustle […]

In sintering factories, self-lubricating bearings are manufactured by powder metallurgy (PM) equipment. The machines use a mixing process, not solid component mouldings. Thanks to that difference, manufacturing engineers gain mastery over the subject metal. That’s a powerful manufacturing advantage, one that introduces a lubricating medium to sintered bearings. Technically speaking, we’re in oil impregnation territory, […]

Permanently protected, sintered bearings never falter, never need a secondary lubricant, nor do they wear as quickly as an average set of bearings. Sintered bars are much the same, except for that elongated dimensional form factor. In this case, those long rods are uniformly fabricated, so there are no weak spots waiting to fracture the […]

It wouldn’t be bold to argue that most people are not individually aware of the industry that is powder metallurgy. The truth is simple, however, and hard to ignore. Our entire mechanical world, which comprises the vast majority of the first world, consists of mechanical objects operating with solid bearing components at their core. These […]

To obtain the finest possible compacted and sintered parts, the powder metallurgy sector requires access to a source of properly blended raw material. These are the mixed powders that mingle with alloying additives and lubricants. It’s here that the industrial machinery breaks from its normal linear processing configuration. Back at square one in the production […]

At one end of the workbench, a bronze bearing is awaiting inspection. At the other end, a clutch plate is on display. A pair of surgical scissors sits between the two different items. What do they all have in common? The answer, as you’d expect, is that they were all sintered. A metal powder was […]

Sintered bronze bearings perform an essential role in many applications. The friction dissolving components self-lubricate, they require little maintenance, and they’re economically priced. Now, we’ve already described the lubricant impregnation process in some detail. Furthermore, we’ve talked about powder metallurgy, the science that makes this partnership possible. Proceeding further on this track, we’re about to […]