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8 Metal Powder Processing

Powder metallurgy is a process that involves compacting and sintering metal powders to form products. The metal powders are compacted using uniaxial or isostatic pressing into a green compact shape. The compact is then sintered by heating to below the melting point, causing necking and coalescence of powder particles and densification. Common applications include automotive parts, bearings, filters and magnetic components. Limitations include high tooling costs and difficulties in producing large, complex parts with uniform properties.

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Lahiru Jananjaya
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26 views25 pages

8 Metal Powder Processing

Powder metallurgy is a process that involves compacting and sintering metal powders to form products. The metal powders are compacted using uniaxial or isostatic pressing into a green compact shape. The compact is then sintered by heating to below the melting point, causing necking and coalescence of powder particles and densification. Common applications include automotive parts, bearings, filters and magnetic components. Limitations include high tooling costs and difficulties in producing large, complex parts with uniform properties.

Uploaded by

Lahiru Jananjaya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Metal Powder Processing

Definitions
• Powder Metallurgy (P/M) is a processing technology
in which parts are produced by compacting &
sintering metallic or nonmetallic powders.
• powder metallurgy, is used to fabricate both clay and
non-clay compositions, including electronic and
magnetic ceramics as well as some refractory brick
products
• P/M is a typical example of an additive manufacturing
process.
• P/M parts can be mass produced to net-shape or
near net-shape, eliminating or reducing the need for
subsequent machining.
Powder Compaction and Sintering
(b) Main-bearing powder metal
(a) Examples of typical parts made by powder caps for General Motors automotive engines
metallurgy
Processing
• A powdered mass, usually containing a small amount of water or
other binder, is compacted into the desired shape by pressure.
There is no plastic deformation of the particles during
compaction.
• The degree of compaction is maximized and the fraction of void
space is minimized by using coarse and fine particles mixed in
appropriate proportions.
• One function of the binder is to lubricate the powder particles as
they move past one another in the compaction process.
• There are three basic powder-pressing procedures:
 uniaxial
 isostatic (or hydrostatic)
 hot pressing.
Uniaxial pressing
• For uniaxial pressing, the powder is compacted in
a metal die by pressure that is applied in a single
direction.
• The formed piece takes on the configuration of
the die and platens through which the pressure is
applied.
• This method is confined to shapes that are
relatively simple
• production rates are high and the process is
inexpensive.
Steps in uniaxial powder pressing

(a)The die cavity is filled with powder.


(b) The powder is compacted by means of pressure applied to the top die.
(c) The compacted piece is ejected by rising action of the bottom punch.
(d) The fill shoe pushes away the compacted piece, and the fill step is
repeated.
Isostatic pressing
• For isostatic pressing, the powdered material
is contained in a rubber envelope and the
pressure is applied by a fluid, isostatically (i.e.,
it has the same magnitude in all directions).
• More complicated shapes are possible than
with uniaxial pressing
• the isostatic technique is more time
consuming and expensive.
• For both uniaxial and isostatic procedures, a firing
operation is required after the pressing operation.
• During firing the formed piece shrinks and experiences a
reduction of porosity and an improvement in
mechanical integrity.
• These changes occur by the coalescence of the powder
particles into a more dense mass in a process termed
sintering.
• After pressing, many of the powder particles touch one
another
• During the initial sintering stage, necks form along the
contact regions between adjacent particles;
• in addition, a grain boundary forms within each neck,
and every interstice between particles becomes a pore
• For a powder compact, microstructural
changes that occur during firing.
(a) Powder particles after pressing.
(b) Particle coalescence and pore formation as
sintering begins.
(c) As sintering proceeds, the pores change size
and shape.
Typical Applications for Metal
Powders
Two conditions before PM product made;
• The metal in the powder form must be able to
respond to solid-phase welding
• The powder must be capable of close packing
under pressure to permit welding to take
place & in the case of alloy, be capable of
being intimately mixed.
Basic Operations
(1) Blending and mixing of powders
(2) Compaction or blending of powders
(3) Sintering
(4) A number of optional & finishing secondary
operations (repressing, case hardening etc)
Making Powder-Metallurgy Parts
Powder Processing

• Cold compaction and sintering


– Pressing
– Rolling
– Extrusion
– Injection molding
– Isostatic pressing
• Hot Isostatic Pressing
Powder Pressing
Compaction

(a) Compaction of metal powder to form a bushing.


(b) The pressed powder part is called green compact.
Compaction

(b) Typical tool and die set for compacting a spur Gear.
Powder Rolling
Powder Extrusion
Sintering
• Schematic illustration of two mechanisms for
sintering metal powders:
(a) solid-state material transport;
(b) liquid-phase material transport.
R = particle radius, r = neck radius, and ρ = neck
• profile radius.
Sintering Temperature and Time for
Various Metals
Applications of PM
• Tungsten powder is used for making filament
wire for electrical lamp
• Self lubricating bearings- mixture of Cu, Sn
and Fe powder with graphite
• Magnetic components using Ni, Co, Al and Fe
• Porous products like filters and bearings
• Automobile oil pump
Limitations
• High tooling costs
• Expensive raw materials (powders)
• Variation in material density and mechanical
properties across the volume
• Relatively long parts are difficult to
manufacture
• Difficult storing and handling of powders
(degradation with time and fire hazard with
particular metallic powders).

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