Why is Wholesale Sintering Furnace Powder Metallurgy Better?

Copper Powders
for Sintered Components

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Sintering refers to a technique that involves fabricating objects from powdered materials by applying heat in a sintering furnace, ensuring the temperature remains below the melting point (solid state sintering) so that the particles fuse together. Although sintering has historically been associated with ceramic manufacturing, it has also proven valuable in powder metallurgy.

Metal powders provide innovative opportunities for designing cost-effective solutions.

Approximately 80% of the copper and steel powder produced worldwide is used to create sintered components. The manufacturing process includes shaping a specialized powder formulation using pressure and heat (sintering). Sintered components boast design versatility, nearly complete material utilization, and numerous other advantages. Over 40 million sintered components are manufactured daily for various applications such as automotive vehicles, power tools, and home appliances (like air conditioners, refrigerators, and stoves).

The automotive sector is the primary consumer of sintered components, especially in transmission and engine applications. Sintered components have significantly advanced within the automotive domain. In the early days of vehicle manufacturing, components such as bushings and bearings were relatively simple shapes. Today’s components can be intricately designed while fulfilling the industry's requirements for strength and precision.

On average, a modern vehicle contains roughly 10 kg of sintered components, although variations occur based on the country of manufacture. Vehicles produced in the US typically contain more sintered components than those made in Asia.

Interest in sintered components is rising outside the automotive sector, yet vast potential remains untapped. Powder-derived parts are utilized in specialized applications across various domains, including power tools, household appliances, air-conditioners, computers, lawnmowers, locks, and pumps. These examples merely scratch the surface of the opportunities available.

Features and Benefits


Increasingly, designers are opting for sintered components over traditional metal parts that undergo casting, forging, blanking or machining. The process of producing parts from powder introduces significant value, particularly for small to medium-sized components featuring complex shapes produced in large quantities.

The essence of sintered components is encapsulated in the phrase "less is more". With fewer process steps, minimal machining, and reduced waste of materials and energy, this method results in the lowest overall costs.

The use of sintered components has surged over recent decades, primarily due to the substantial cost savings realized through net or near-net shape processing when compared to alternative metalworking techniques. Typically, machining expenses constitute the most significant cost in metal component production.

Beyond cost benefits, sintered components can be engineered from customized materials designed for specific functionalities, often yielding designs that would be impractical or unattainable through other manufacturing processes.

Manufacturing

A copper-based powder mixture serves as the foundational material for producing a variety of sintered components. By incorporating different alloying elements and additives, the properties of the final component can be tailored easily. Additionally, the powder mix generally includes a solid lubricant to minimize friction between the powder mass and the surfaces of the compaction tool.

The prevalent compaction technique employed is axial pressing within a steel or carbide die, typically applying pressures ranging from 400-800 MPa (-psi). This method allows for the pressing of parts with intricate shapes in a single operation and enables high production rates of up to 25 parts per minute. Following compaction, parts achieve their predetermined shape but not their final dimensions.
The sintering process, a crucial heat treatment, confers strength to the pressed parts. Components are heated in a controlled atmosphere to a temperature below the melting point of the primary metal. For copper-based alloys, this typically occurs around 750-900 °C for a duration of 5 to 7 minutes, contingent upon the specific application. Major sintering mechanisms include surface and volume diffusion.

The sintered parts move through three distinct furnace zones: dewaxing, where the lubricant is eliminated, sintering, and subsequent cooling. During the sintering phase, minor dimensional adjustments occur, imparting the final dimensions to the component. The properties of the component can be influenced by altering the cooling rate.

Numerous optional post-sintering processes can enhance the characteristics of sintered components. Hardening procedures, for instance, can be executed similarly to conventional steel treatments, allowing all applicable treatments to the given alloy to be relevant for sintered materials.

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