Back at the compaction chamber, two alternative pressing systems are available. In the hot pressing method, elevated temperatures are used. It’s a dual-process operation, with the powdered metal compacting, then it sinters. Almost solid, just slightly porous, the combined processing approach yields tool quality results. Alternatively, cold pressing is done without heat. That latter phase […]
This phase of the powder metallurgy process hasn’t received adequate attention. Here’s an opportunity to remedy that oversight. Actually, that’s not quite true, past articles have described the electric arc phase, but that’s hardly the only option. Grabbing this chance with both hands, let’s delve deeper into the powder dispersing options. What Is Powder Atomization? […]
Exotic energies are at work when powdered metal particles are compressed. Further back, even stranger reactions take place in a mixing chamber, where fluid dynamic forces regulate the early stages of the powder metallurgy process. No worries, though, to a process engineer and his technician team, every physical and fluid-based law is intimately known and […]
Exotic recipes blend to create hardened products in the powder metallurgy sector. They’re packed with enigmatic chemical compounds. They flow in and around the metal particles so that the granules disseminate evenly and easily find their way into a die assembly. There’s no clumping, no material friction or substance stickiness to impede the process, not […]
During the sintering process, as applied to powdered metals, a densely packed, cavity-shaped cluster of machine-pulverized particles plasticizes and diffuses. They do not melt. That’s a common misconception. Now, assuming an optimal sintering temperature is employed, the compacted grains experience the material diffusion cycle. They solidify. However, process temperatures can go awry. On knowing this […]