Leading Metal Powder Part Manufacturers

Common parts created from metal powders include gears, bearing housing, bushing, automotive parts, electrical parts, motorcycle parts and also parts of the sewing machine. Metal powder parts can also be utilized for less- common applications such as gas filters, electrical connectors, and heat shields for spacecraft during re-entry. The parts made from metal powders can be completely functioning components or they can simply be utilized as prototypes. Alloyed metals like iron, stainless steel, titanium, copper, tin, tungsten, aluminum and molybdenum are commonly-used base metals to create metal powder parts.

Making Metal Powder

The first step in metal powder parts production is making the powder itself. Metal powders have traditionally been created through solid state reduction. In this process, selected ore is crushed, usually combined with carbon, and then passed through a furnace. When the carbon and oxygen in the powder are removed in the furnace, a cake- like sponge metal is left behind. This cake is crushed, cleaned of all non-metallic material and then sieved to produce the powder. The resulting sponge-like irregular particles are soft, easily compressible and provide strong pre-sinter strength. The purity of the powder depends on the purity of the raw components because there is no refining process involved.

Metal powders may also be created through atomization, electrolysis, and chemical processes. In atomization, metals are melted down and disintegrated while being poured through jets of water or gas, the metal then solidifies as small droplets. In electrolysis, electricity is used to break metals down into a powder form. This process is comparatively expensive, and requires more-specific metal conditions in order to produce an effective powder. Chemical processes, including thermal decomposition and oxide reduction, may also be employed to create metal powders.

Metal Powder Parts Manufacturing Processes

There are a number of processes that can be used to produce metal powder parts. Some of the techniques used to create metal powder parts include hot isostatic pressure, powder forging, metal injection molding, and die compaction. We briefly discuss each of these techniques in greater detail below.

In powder forging, metal powder is transferred into a metal preform. This preform material is then forged into a specific metal part while being confined in a die.

With hot isostatic pressure, a metallic powder is placed into a metal mold. The mold is then sealed, vibrated, then pumped to remove all the air. The mold is put into a hot isostatic press which is heated to homogenous temperature and internal pressure is raised using an external gas pressure. A finished object produced using this specific method is guaranteed to possess the right shape and density. The component’s mechanical characteristics are as-wrought or superior.

Metal injection molding (MIM) starts with mixing a metal powder with a binder (binding material) to create a feedstock (a raw material that gets altered through an industrial process). This feedstock is then injected into a mold where it solidifies to produce a desired object.

Die compaction is another method for producing items from metal powders. Under this method, metal powders are compressed to form a material known as “green compact.” This material is then set into a die and sintered (a process of using heat and pressure to form a solid material before it melts to the point of liquefaction from these forces) to produce a desired item. Secondary heat treatments are frequently employed after sintering to improve mechanical characteristics and dimensional accuracy.

Metal Powder Parts Design Considerations

• The part must be constructed in a way that makes it simple to expel from the die. Sidewalls must be perpendicular, and the hole axes must be parallel to the die's opening and closing directions.
• Parts created through this process tend to be more porous than those created through other methods.
• Metal powder parts have a greater tendency to be produced with blisters or blowouts (bare surfaces) than those created through other processes.
• Metal powder parts can be created using a variety of metal alloys.
• The various metal powder parts manufacturing processes minimize machining time and issues by producing consistent parts.
• The methods used to create metal powder parts produce little waste; up to 97% of raw material may be used.

Choosing the Right Metal Powder Parts Manufacturer

To make sure you have the most positive outcome when purchasing metal powder parts from a metal powder parts manufacturer, it is important to compare at least 4 to 5 companies using our list of metal powder part manufacturers. Each metal powder part manufacturer has a business profile page that highlights their areas of experience and capabilities and a contact form to directly communicate with the manufacturer for more information or request a quote. Review each metal powder part business website using our patented website previewer to get an idea of what each business specializes in, and then use our simple RFQ form to contact multiple metal powder part businesses with the same form.