Powder metallurgy starts with metals or ceramics in a powdered form which are then consolidated in a variety of ways to make high-quality metal parts.
Compared to conventional engineering processes, powder metallurgy has many advantages and allows new products to be made which were not previously possible.
- It eliminates waste because precise shapes and sizes can be formed, eliminating the need for further machining or manufacturing steps
- Offers the potential to reduce manufacturing time
- Is capable of producing highly complex components
- Computer aided design leads to quicker development times, cheaper development costs and more efficient and lightweight products.
Examples of what can be made include hip joints, metal plates for implants, cogs, nozzles, jet engines parts, sports equipment, compressor blades and aircraft components.
The powders are usually produced by either chemical or mechanical means and are then consolidated into a desired shape or high performance coating using a wide variety of techniques.
These consolidation methods include:
- Compacting/sintering
- Injection moulding
- Spray forming
- Laser deposition/laser sintering
- Hot isostatic pressing/cold isostatic pressing
- Foam structures
- Screen printing
- Coating
- Hot working processes i.e. extrusion, rolling and forging