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EDITORIAL REVIEW COMMITTEE P.W. Taubenblat, Chairman I.E. Anderson, FAPMI T. Ando S.G. Caldwell S.C. Deevi D. Dombrowski J.J. Dunkley Z. Fang B.L. Ferguson W. Frazier K. Kulkarni, FAPMI K.S. Kumar T.F. Murphy J.W. Newkirk P.D. Nurthen J.H. Perepezko P.K. Samal H.I. Sanderow D.W. Smith, FAPMI R. Tandon T.A. Tomlin D.T. Whychell, Sr., FAPMI M. Wright, PMT A. Zavaliangos INTERNATIONAL LIAISON COMMITTEE D. Whittaker (UK) Chairman V. Arnhold (Germany) E.C. Barba (Mexico) P. Beiss (Germany) C. Blais (Canada) P. Blanchard (France) G.F. Bocchini (Italy) F. Chagnon (Canada) C-L Chu (Taiwan) H. Danninger (Austria) U. Engström (Sweden) N.O. Grinder (Sweden) S. Guo (China) F-L Han (China) K.S. Hwang (Taiwan) Y.D. Kim (Korea) G. Kneringer (Austria) G. L’Espérance, FAPMI (Canada) H. Miura (Japan) C.B. Molins (Spain) R.L. Orban (Romania) T.L. Pecanha (Brazil) F. Petzoldt (Germany) S. Saritas (Turkey) G.B. Schaffer (Australia) Y. Takeda (Japan) G.S. Upadhyaya (India) Publisher C. James Trombino, CAE
[email protected] Editor-in-Chief Alan Lawley, FAPMI
[email protected] Managing Editor James P. Adams
[email protected] Contributing Editor Peter K. Johnson
[email protected] Advertising Manager Jessica S. Tamasi
[email protected] Copy Editor Donni Magid
[email protected] Production Assistant Dora Schember
[email protected] President of APMI International Nicholas T. Mares
[email protected] Executive Director/CEO, APMI International C. James Trombino, CAE
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powder metallurgy Contents 2 5 9 13 19 25
44/3 May/June 2008
Editor's Note PM Industry News in Review PMT Spotlight On … Stephen P. Madill Consultants’ Corner John A. Shields, Jr. Innovations Drive PM's Growth Prospects Peter K. Johnson Exhibitor Showcase: PM2008 World Congress
GLOBAL REVIEW 41 Powder Metallurgy in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden O. Grinder and J. Tengzelius
ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY 57 Stainless Steel AISI Grades for PM Applications C.T. Schade, J.W. Schaberl and A. Lawley
69 Control of Defects in Powder Injection Molded Aluminum Matrix Composites F. Ahmad
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT 77 Universal Hardness Test to Characterize PM Steels G.F. Bocchini, B. Rivolta and R. Gerosa
85 86 87 88
DEPARTMENTS Meetings and Conferences APMI Membership Application PM Bookshelf Advertisers’ Index Cover: Diamond core drills. Photo courtesy Atlas Copco Craelius AB, Sweden.
The International Journal of Powder Metallurgy (ISSN No. 0888-7462) is a professional publication serving the scientific and technological needs and interests of the powder metallurgist and the metal powder producing and consuming industries. Advertising carried in the Journal is selected so as to meet these needs and interests. Unrelated advertising cannot be accepted. Published bimonthly by APMI International, 105 College Road East, Princeton, N.J. 08540-6692 USA. Telephone (609) 4527700. Periodical postage paid at Princeton, New Jersey, and at additional mailing offices. Copyright © 2008 by APMI International. Subscription rates to non-members; USA, Canada and Mexico: $95.00 individuals, $220.00 institutions; overseas: additional $40.00 postage; single issues $50.00. Printed in USA by Cadmus Communications Corporation, P.O. Box 27367, Richmond, Virginia 23261-7367. Postmaster send address changes to the International Journal of Powder Metallurgy, 105 College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 USA USPS#267-120 ADVERTISING INFORMATION Jessica Tamasi, APMI International INTERNATIONAL 105 College Road East, Princeton, New Jersey 08540-6692 USA Tel: (609) 452-7700 • Fax: (609) 987-8523 • E-mail:
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EDITOR’S NOTE
T
he PM2008 World Congress Show Issue is your preview to the industry’s largest international technical conference and trade exhibition. Held sexennially in North America, the congress site is America’s capital city, Washington, D.C., a convenient location for delegates from North America and overseas. The technical program embraces 95 sessions featuring close to 300 speakers, six special interest programs on timely and diverse topics, an extensive poster program, the presentation of the PM Design Excellence Awards, and entries in the PM Metallography Competition. The exhibition features more than 100 companies displaying the latest in PM equipment, powders, products, and services. The Exhibitor Showcase in this issue includes profiles of these companies. In addition, the 2008 International Conference on Tungsten, Refractory & Hardmaterials VII will be co-located and run concurrently with the World Congress. The technical program includes more than 100 presentations in 38 technical sessions addressing recent developments focusing on the processing, microstructure, properties, and applications of these materials. In keeping with tradition, the Show Issue includes Peter Johnson’s annual technology review of the PM industry, based on input from MPIF-member companies. Notwithstanding macroeconomic and increasing marketplace challenges, the PM industry is responding by investing in new technology focusing on metal powders, equipment, and processes. We welcome John Shields as a new contributor to the “Consultants’ Corner.” A consummate professional in refractory metals, John responds to readers’ questions concerning the effect of dew point on the sintering of molybdenum, tungsten, and their alloys, and the commercial status of activated sintering of these materials. The Show Issue reflects topical diversity with in-depth articles on AISI grades of stainless steels for PM applications, defect control in MIM aluminum matrix composites, and the application of a universal hardness test to characterize and differentiate between sintered steels derived from nominally equivalent powders. In their “Global Review,” Tengzelius and Grinder pen a comprehensive review of the PM industry in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. Coverage includes powder production, pore-free ferrous products, diamond and superhard materials, the manufacture of consolidation equipment, and R&D activities. The front cover displays diamond core drills manufactured by Atlas Copco Craelius AB, Sweden.
Alan Lawley Editor-in-Chief
Regular readers of the “Editor’s Note” know that I frequently include commentary on engineering and its importance to society, from the perspective of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Based on input from a diverse international group of engineers, scientists, and medical doctors, NAE recently released a list of 14 Grand Challenges for engineering in the 21st century: • Make Solar Energy Affordable • Engineer Better Medicines • Provide Access to Clean Water • Reverse-Engineer the Brain • Provide Energy from Fusion • Enhance Virtual Reality • Restore and Improve Urban Infrastructure • Prevent Nuclear Terror • Develop Carbon Sequestration Methods • Advance Personalized Learning • Advance Health Informatics • Secure Cyberspace • Manage the Nitrogen Cycle • Engineer Tools for Scientific Discovery Does the list surprise you? Clearly these engineering grand challenges mandate a global approach for success. Materials, including powders and particulates, are intrinsic to a number of the cited areas. I solicit and welcome reader response and opinion on this topic.
2
Volume 44, Issue 3, 2008 International Journal of Powder Metallurgy
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PM INDUSTRY NEWS IN REVIEW The following items have appeared in PM Newsbytes since the previous issue of the Journal. To read a fuller treatment of any of these items, go to www.apmiinternational.org, login to the “Members Only” section, and click on “Expanded Stories from PM Newsbytes.”
Automotive-Supplier Strike Impacts PM Industry The UAW strike against American Axle & Manufacturing Inc. (AAM), Detroit, Mich., which began February 26, is sending ripples through the North American automotive industry, idling 20 OEM and auto-parts plants. As of March 6, GM V-8 engine plants stopped taking delivery of parts, a PM parts supplier reports. Chinese Company to Invest in Canadian Tungsten Mine Hunan Nonferrous Metals Corporation in China will acquire 13.4 million shares of North American Tungsten Corporation (NTC) in a private placement, representing nine percent of the company. The transaction, subject to approval by the TSX Venture Exchange, will raise approximately $19.4 million for developing NTC’s Mactung tungsten project in the Yukon.
Austria, will hold the 17th Plansee Seminar on high-performance PM materials May 25–30, 2009. The program, featuring oral and poster presentations, will cover metals, composites, and hardmaterials. Results Surge OM Group, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, posted net 2007 sales of $1.02 billion, compared with $660.1 million in 2006. Gross profit for the specialty chemicals producer rose sharply to $313.2 million. Filtration Systems for Liquid/ Solid Separation Mott Corporation, Farmington, Conn., reports that its porous metal HyPulse filtration systems are replacing leaf filters, cyclones, and filter presses in refineries, special chemical processing, and pharmaceutical processing. The filtration systems provide solutions without using moving parts.
Laser Sintering Sales Increase Worldwide sales of laser sintering equipment at EOS, Munich, Germany, increased 14 percent in fiscal 2006–07 to 59.7 million (about $93 million). The company gained almost 50 new customers and experienced strong growth in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Global Network Launched for PM Infiltrant Ultra Infiltrant, Carmel, Ind., has established an international network to sell, market and manufacture its wrought wire infiltration system. The network includes ACuPowder International, LLC, Union, N.J.; Luvata, London, U.K.; and Prince & Izant, Cleveland, Ohio.
Plans for 17th Plansee Seminar Announced The Plansee Group, Reutte,
Funding for Nanotechnology Development The Pennsylvania NanoMaterials
Volume 44, Issue 3, 2008 International Journal of Powder Metallurgy
Commercialization Center, Pittsburgh, Pa., has approved the proposals of three Pennsylvaniabased companies to fund projects aimed at using nanotechnology to develop new products and processes. The projects, with funding valued at over $750,000, cover a spectrum sensor chip using nanoimprint lithography, supercapacitors using tunable nanoporous carbon electrodes, and developing semi-continuous processing for organic photovoltaic devices. Metal Powder Company Sold Carpenter Powdered Products, Inc., a subsidiary of Carpenter Technology Corporation, Wyomissing, Pa., has purchased the assets and business of UltraFine Powder Technology Inc., a private company in Woonsocket, R.I. UltraFine produces gas-atomized powders from ferrous, nickel, cobalt and copper alloys, and stainless steel powder for metal injection molding. Clayton to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award Arlan J. Clayton has been selected as the first recipient of MPIF’s Kempton H. Roll PM Lifetime Achievement Award. He will receive the award on June 9 at the Opening General Session of the 2008 World Congress on Powder Metallurgy & Particulate Materials, June 8–12, in Washington, D.C. ijpm
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PM INDUSTRY NEWS IN REVIEW
Firms Partner to Develop PM Applications MaxTek LLC, Milldale, Conn., has named PRIMA Problem Solving, State College, Pa., as its exclusive agent in the technical development of applications in the international PM industry for its super-abrasive machining equipment. MaxTek designs and sells machining systems for the aerospace, power gen-
eration, automotive, compressor, and medical industries.
titanium alloy and niobium powders and superalloys.
Ametek Buys Specialty Powder Producer Ametek, Inc., Paoli, Pa., has acquired Reading Alloys (RA), Robesonia, Pa., for an undisclosed amount. RA, formerly a subsidiary of KB Alloys, Inc., makes titanium master alloys,
Höganäs AB First Quarter Sales Up First-quarter 2008 sales at Höganäs AB, Sweden, increased 12 percent to about $269 million (1,583 MSEK). Income after taxes increased 15 percent to about $25 million (145 MSEK). ijpm
PURCHASER & PROCESSOR
Powder Metal Scrap (800) 313-9672 Since 1946
Ferrous & Non-Ferrous Metals Green, Sintered, Floor Sweeps, Furnace & Maintenance Scrap
1403 Fourth St. • Kalamazoo, MI 49048 • Tel: 269-342-0183 • Fax: 269-342-0185 Robert Lando E-mail:
[email protected] 6
Volume 44, Issue 3, 2008 International Journal of Powder Metallurgy
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SPOTLIGHT ON ...
STEPHEN P. MADILL, PMT Education: BS Communications, Wingate University, 1997 Why did you study powder metallurgy/particulate materials? My study of PM began out of necessity when I joined Engineered Sintered Components (ESC) fresh from college. I was fascinated by what I learned during my studies and their application. The constant challenges arising in PM are what I continue to enjoy today. When did your interest in engineering/ science begin? My interest in science started when I was in high school (Amherst, New York). I had excellent teachers and they made the several science courses both interesting and challenging. This interest continued in college and I took extra courses in the basic science disciplines which were not required for my degree major. What was your first job in PM? What did you do? After college my first job was in the customer service group at ESC. Primarily, I handled day-to-day customer interactions. Describe your career path, companies worked for, and responsibilities. With ESC, I worked in various positions within the company: customer service, production control, and outside sales. The outside sales position dealt primarily with Japanese automotive companies, including Toyota, Honda, and Nissan. I left ESC for a short period to join North American Höganäs as an account manager. Here I was responsible for dedicated PM customers. The geographic areas I covered included the Southeast U.S., Canada, and New England. I was then recruited back to ESC to become sales & marketing manager. Since returning to this position, I have added management responsibilities for a section of the manufacturing facility.
Volume 44, Issue 3, 2008 International Journal of Powder Metallurgy
What gives you the most satisfaction in your career? I enjoy troubleshooting and problem solving. I derive satisfation from seeing my ideas lead to problem solving. I enjoy the opportunity to help customers and appreciate the many friendships I have developed with customers, co-workers, and suppliers during my career. List your MPIF/APMI activities. I am currently chairman of the Southeast Chapter of APMI International. I am also a member of the committee organizing PM technical sessions at the 2008 SAE conference. What major changes/trend(s) in the PM industry have you seen? I would cite the latest trends in business being sourced offshore, and the continued increase in the sale of vehicles that use decreasing numbers of PM parts. As this happens, we will see ultra-competitive markets for PM components which will make it increasingly difficult to generate healthy profits. Kaizen and VA/VE ideas will become more and more important to both PM component and powder companies alike. Why did you choose to pursue PMT certification? I chose to take the PMT certification examination in order to see how my knowledge compared with what the industry expected. Also, the general stereotype of sales people is that they are not technical. I have always felt that I excelled in technical discussions and the PMT certification would help me overcome this stereotype image. Sales & Marketing Manager Engineered Sintered Components 250 Old Murdock Road Troutman, North Carolina 28166 Phone: 704-528-7500 ext. 7507 Fax: 704-528-7529 E-mail:
[email protected] 9
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SPOTLIGHT ON ...STEPHEN P. MADILL, PMT
How have you benefited from PMT certification in your career? PMT certification has helped by giving me a target to shoot for as I progress in professional development. By pushing myself to learn more about PM, I believe I am more knowledgeable and helpful to our customers.
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What are your current interests, hobbies, and activities outside of work? Outside of work, I am a sports freak. Golf is really the only sport I play anymore. I watch any sporting event, but I mostly enjoy attending sporting events of any kind, from football games to NASCAR races. I also enjoy traveling. ijpm
Volume 44, Issue 3, 2008 International Journal of Powder Metallurgy
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CONSULTANTS’ CORNER
JOHN A. SHIELDS, JR.* Q A
How important is dew point when sintering molybdenum, tungsten and their alloys in a hydrogen atmosphere? PM molybdenum and tungsten are usually pressed and sintered to make ingots for mill products rather than for pressed-and-sintered parts. The ingots are typically produced in a cold isostatic press (CIP) without binders or powder lubricants, and sintered in hydrogen atmosphere furnaces. Dew-point control during sintering is important. The metals are chemically similar, so I will use molybdenum to illustrate most of the points I want to make. Similar arguments apply to tungsten. Dew point indirectly measures the concentration of water vapor in the hydrogen gas. This water comes from several sources: residual water from the hydrogen-production process; water produced by reaction of hydrogen with residual oxygen and oxides present in the material and the sintering furnace; and water produced by the reaction of hydrogen with oxygen resulting from air leaks in the system. Three chemical equilibria must be controlled to produce a well-sintered product. One is the equilibrium between hydrogen and oxide films on the powder surfaces: 1/2 MoO2 + H2 ↔ 1/2 Mo + H2O
(1)
This reaction converts the oxygen in molybdenum oxide into water vapor, reducing the oxide to metal and producing clean surfaces for sintering. The second equilibrium is between water vapor in the gas and oxygen adsorbed on surfaces: O(adsorbed) + H2 ↔ H2O
(2)
The third equilibrium is between water vapor in the gas and oxygen dissolved in the metal itself: O(Mo) + H2 ↔ H2O
(3)
The hydrogen used to sinter molybdenum and tung-
sten has a low dew point, because it usually comes from a liquid hydrogen tank or a hydrogen generator that dehumidifies the gas to a low water content. Thermodynamic calculations indicate that hydrogen will react with adsorbed oxygen and oxide films, since both molybdenum and tungsten oxide are readily reduced chemically to metal, even when the hydrogen contains significant amounts of water. Hydrogen with a dew point of 25°C can reduce molybdenum oxide to molybdenum metal at temperatures >440°C. Hydrogen, with its high mobility, readily diffuses through pores in the pressed powder and reacts with molybdenum oxide and oxygen in the ingot to form water vapor. The practical problem is not getting the hydrogen to react with the oxygen, but removing the water molecules formed by the reaction. They are much larger than hydrogen molecules and much less mobile. The sintering process must allow time for the molecules to diffuse out via the interconnected pores and be carried away in the gas stream. It must accomplish this task before sintering starts and before pore closure occurs, trapping water vapor in the pores. Manufacturers employ proprietary sintering cycles tailored to the needs of their furnaces and components being sintered, to manage this process of removing water vapor. The equilibrium coefficient for reaction (3) shows why it is important to remove the water vapor. Since the molybdenum in the reaction is a pure metal, the constant can be written as: K=
ρ (H2O) ————— a (O(Mo))
(4)
where ρ (H2O) = partial pressure of water vapor, and
*Mill Creek Materials Consulting, 4457 Brooks Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44105-6053, USA; Phone: 216-701-4697; E-mail:
[email protected] Volume 44, Issue 3, 2008 International Journal of Powder Metallurgy
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CONSULTANTS’ CORNER
a(O(Mo)) = activity of oxygen dissolved in molybdenum (approximated by its atomic fraction) Since K is, by definition, a constant, any increase in the water content of the hydrogen gas will result in dissolution of oxygen in the metal. Oxygen in molybdenum and tungsten segregates to grain boundaries, and dramatically raises the ductile–brittle transition temperatures (DBTT)—an undesirable event. Producers strive to keep the oxygen content of their sintered material 400,000 mt with a sales value of over EUR 600 million. The group has production facilities at eleven locations close to all major markets in America, Asia, and Europe. The headquarter of the company is in Höganäs, Sweden. This is also *Technical Director, H gan s AB, SE-263 83 H gan s, Sweden; E-mail:
[email protected]; **Managing Director, PM Technology AB, Drottning Kristinas v g 48, SE-114 28 Stockholm, Sweden; E-mail:
[email protected] Volume 44, Issue 3, 2008 International Journal of Powder Metallurgy
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POWDER METALLURGY IN DENMARK, FINLAND, AND SWEDEN
where the global development center is located. Over several years the company has set up Technical Centres in Höganäs (Sweden), Johnstown (U.S.), and in Shanghai (China) with the objective of providing technical services and R&D capabilities close to its customers. The water-atomization plant in Sweden is situated in Halmstad about a one-hour drive north of Höganäs. The plant has a 50 mt electric arc furnace, Figure 1. The atomized powder is transported with specially designed trucks from Halmstad to Höganäs for further processing. There are three plants in Höganäs. One plant is for the production of sponge iron powder. In this plant three tunnel kilns operate continuously. In the factory for annealing of iron powders a number of annealing furnaces produce plain iron powders based on both sponge powder and water-atomized powders. The third plant in Höganäs manufactures lowalloy powders such as diffusion-alloyed powders and fully prealloyed powders (Astaloy™ grades) as well as powder mixes without organic bonding, and as bonded mixes under the trade name Starmix®. Outside Sweden the company has fully integrated production plants for iron powder and lowalloy steel powders in Brazil, India, and the U.S. Powder mixes and bonded powder mixes (Starmix®) are produced at the plants in Brazil, China, India, Japan, and the U.S. High-alloy steels such as stainless steel powders and metal powders for thermal-spray coating are produced in Belgium, the UK, and the U.S. Examples of development during the last years are bonded powder mixes (Starmix®), chromium-
Figure 1. Sampling of steel melt before water atomization at the Halmstad Steel Plant. Höganäs A, Sweden
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alloyed powders (Astaloy™ CrM and Astaloy™ CrL), high-density PM steels and soft magnetic composites (Somaloy®). The Somaloy® technology creates unique soft magnetic properties in components which result in low energy losses and the opportunity to design electrical machines that are both smaller and lighter than conventional designs using electrical steel laminates. Many new soft magnetic applications have been developed together with customers and end users using the Somaloy® technology. One example of this is a core for an ignition coil, Figure 2. This coil requires a high voltage which has been achieved using the soft magnetic composite material. The coil is mounted in a 320 hp natural-gas engine used in commercial vehicles and buses. This ignition system is produced by the Opcon Group based in Åmål, Sweden. Another example is a servo motor developed together with ABB Sace S.p.A. in Italy. This electrical motor utilizes the three-dimensional design flexibility offered by PM to reduce the manufacturing cost compared with the use of electrical steel laminates, Figure 3. It is a brushless servo motor with permanent magnets. Decisive factors in selecting the Somaloy® technology instead of conventional laminates were the lower energy losses and the ease of assembly of the motor.
Figure 2. Ignition coil for a 320 hp natural gas engine. Opcon Group AB, Sweden
Figure 3. Servo motors with Somaloy® components. ABB Sace S.p.A., Italy
Volume 44, Issue 3, 2008 International Journal of Powder Metallurgy
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POWDER METALLURGY IN DENMARK, FINLAND, AND SWEDEN
When it comes to grinding or flaking metal powders, Carpenter Powder Products AB Carpenter Powder Products AB, owned by Carpenter Technology, Inc., is one of the leading global producers of gas-atomized metal powders. The production program covers iron-base alloys including stainless steels, tool steels, and HSS, as well as nickel and cobalt-base alloy powders. Carpenter Powder Products AB atomizes from two different tundish systems. One is the plasmaheated tundish in 5–6 mt batches, which produces a clean material with low oxygen and slag contents, and the other is the standard tundish. The atomized powder is screened or air classified and used in various applications, such as HIPing, MIM, plasma transferred arc (PTA) welding, and in thermal spraying. A majority of the powder (primarily tool steel, HSS, and stainless steel) is consolidated by HIPing into near-netshape (NNS) products, billets, bars, and hollows. OMG Kokkola Chemicals Oy This Finnish company belongs to the OM Group, Inc. It is a diversified global developer, producer, and marketer of value-added specialty chemicals and advanced materials that are essential in complex chemical and industrial processes. Key technology-based end-use applications include affordable energy, portable power, clean air, clean water, and proprietary products and services for the microelectronics industry. The OM Group is the largest producer worldwide of cobalt products. Production last year amounted to 9,100 mt, of which an important part was fine cobalt powder for cemented carbides, diamond tools, and PM. Headquartered in Cleveland/Ohio, the OM Group operates manufacturing facilities in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Norilsk Nickel Harjavalta OY OJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel, Russia, last year acquired the OM Group’s nickel business including the Harjavalta nickel-refining facilities in Finland. This company is now renamed Norilsk Nickel Harjavalta OY and is the largest producer worldwide of nickel and palladium and also a major producer of copper and platinum. Norilsk Nickel Harjavalta OY has a large production capacity for nickel powder for PM applications. PM PARTS PRODUCTION PM parts manufacturing companies in Volume 44, Issue 3, 2008 International Journal of Powder Metallurgy
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Expanding the Possibilities For Size Reduction
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POWDER METALLURGY IN DENMARK, FINLAND, AND SWEDEN
Scandinavia are of medium size and the applications cover a wide range of component and material types. Four of these companies are in Sweden and three in Denmark. A short description of these companies and their most recent developments are cited. GKN Sinter Metals AB, Kolsva GKN Sinter Metals AB in Kolsva is responsible for the Scandinavian market within the group. Primary customers are found within the automotive/truck industry and its sub-suppliers. The latest technology in, for example, sintering furnaces is used to produce high-strength structural components with close dimensional tolerances, Figure 4. In addition to full-scale in-house capability for PM parts manufacturing, Scandinavian customers are supported by other GKN capabilities for PM filters, PM bronze bearings, forged PM and MIM parts. GKN’s technical center includes an advanced materials laboratory, and design, simulation, and validation capabilities. SKF Mekan AB SKF Mekan AB in Katrineholm develops, manufactures, and markets bearing houses and bearing components for use in machines and industry, where SKF bearings are built-in. The major activity is casting, with an annual capacity of 24,000 mt. The manufacture of sintered components is primarily for use in bearings but the company also supplies industries outside SKF with PM parts. The production level is ~8 million PM components annually. Recently the company initiated commercial production of high-density components using high-velocity compaction (HVC). This new technology is used for components requiring high density and high mechanical strength. The company focuses on this technology in order to manufacture components in competition with other technologies such as casting and machining.
Figure 4. New sintering furnace at GKN Sinter Metals, Kolsva plant
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Callo AB Callo AB is a family-owned company producing structural components, sintered filters, and PM bearings. Their growth has been over 15% per year during the last two years. Through the development of furnaces and control of sintering atmospheres, the company manufactures parts made from low-alloy chromium steel with close dimensional tolerances and precise carbon control. The sintering system is also suitable for sinter hardening of chromium-alloyed steels. The sinter-hardened chromium steels reach the same mechanical performance as those made from quenched and tempered nickel–molybdenum steels. Figure 5 illustrates a hardness profile of a case-hardened component made by Callo. Metec Powder Metal AB Metec is a new company utilizing HVC technology developed by Hydropulsor AB. For structural components they use either the HVC or the highvelocity repressing (HVR) system. The latter utilizes high-velocity repressing technology which can achieve a density of 7.7 g/cm3. The company also has a process for the production of high-density stainless steel parts in which agglomerated gas-atomized 316L powder is compacted by HVC and sintered at 1,385°C. The company claims that by using this process for stainless steel, EN minimum values are exceeded for 316L bar materials in relation to tensile strength, impact toughness, proof strength, elongation, and reduction of area. FJ Sintermetal A/S FJ Sintermetal is an established PM parts manufacturer in Denmark and the company recently acquired a plant in Sweden (part of Viking Sewing Machines AB). They are active in PM structural parts manufacturing, soft magnetic components,
Figure 5. Hardness distribution in a case-hardened component produced from Astaloy™ CrM. Callo AB, Sweden
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POWDER METALLURGY IN DENMARK, FINLAND, AND SWEDEN
and wear-resistant materials. Recently the company launched two new wearresistant materials, Weardens® and Wearcomp®. The first material is an HSS with which net-shape components can be produced having a high density and hardness. It is especially suited for tools for wood cutting and also for wear-resistant parts in hydraulics. A cross section of the structure of Weardens® is shown in Figure 6. The second material is a metal matrix composite (MMC) and consists of a low-alloy steel reinforced by a high-alloy steel and hard particles. It is sinter forged to full density and the material is suitable for wear components in forestry, the minerals industry, and in recycling. Sintex A/S Sintex was founded by Grundfos A/S in 1997. Since then the company has grown at a rate ~25% per year. Sintex applies PM technology in four principal areas: stainless steel sintering, magnet manufacture, high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) thermal spraying, and MIM, Figure 7.
Volume 44, Issue 3, 2008 International Journal of Powder Metallurgy
One MIM component produced by the company had been previously deep-drawn which required 14 processing steps. By manufacturing the same component by MIM the number of processing
Figure 6. Scanning electron micrograph of Weardens® material for use in woodcutting tools. FJ Sintermetal A/S, Denmark
Figure 7. MIM stainless steel locker parts. Sintex A/S, Denmark
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steps was drastically reduced and, as a consequence, so was the manufacturing cost. For stainless steels, airbag nozzles with extremely tight demands on tolerances are a major product. The nozzles require a maximum tolerance width of 0.03 mm and are automatically inspected at 16 locations within 1.5 s. Magnetic components based on both soft magnetic composite (SMC) materials and hard magnetic materials of sintered as well as plastically bonded powders are produced. Applications for these materials include electrical appliances, transformers, sensors, and ignition systems. Dansk Sintermetal A/S Dansk Sintermetal was established in 1959 and is producing PM components made of a wide range of materials such as low-alloy steels, stainless steels, copper-base alloys and soft magnetic materials. For many years stainless steel PM parts have been a specialty of this company, and Dansk Sintermetal is one of the largest producers of these types of components in Europe. MAGNETIC MATERIALS Neorem Magnets OY, Finland This company is the second largest producer of sintered NdFeB permanent magnets in Europe after Vacuumschmelze GmbH & Co. KG, Germany. The Neorem Group consists of Neorem Magnets Oy in Ulvila and Neorem Magnets Ningbo Ltd., Co. Established in 2004, it is located in NIP, Nordic Industrial Park, Ningbo, China. Vacuumschmelze acquired a majority (>90%) of Neorem Group in June 2007. Neorem has a strong market position in large NdFeB magnets and subassemblies in Europe with a turnover of about US$30 million in 2008. The company specializes in permanent magnets for large motors (marine and elevator) and generator applications (wind energy). Neorem recently completed an US$8 million expansion program which increased its capacity to 400 mt of large magnets and magnet subassemblies. A new expansion program has already been started with the objective of increasing annual capacity to 850 mt, depending on market demand. FULLY DENSE STEEL COMPONENTS AND SEMI-FINISHED PRODUCTS Erasteel Kloster AB Erasteel Kloster AB, Söderfors, Sweden, is
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maintaining its leadership in PM ASP® HSS and ASP® tool steels for various applications. The process route of inert-gas atomization, encapsulation, HIPing, and subsequent hot and cold forming has been continuously improved and today produces the cleanest PM materials available. Dvalin™ is an innovative process developed within Erasteel to achieve significant low levels of nonmetallic inclusions and oxygen content resulting in higher toughness, less chipping at the cutting-tool edge, and fewer interruptions in EDM tool manufacturing. The large batch size of 10 mt guarantees uniform powder characteristics. As a complement to consolidated PM steels, Erasteel markets and sells powders. A variety of HSS grades, tool steels, stainless steels, and lowalloy steels are manufactured in Söderfors. The company offers high flexibility in meeting tailormade chemical analyses for customers. A significant investment has recently been made in a second flexible-gas-atomization unit. Flexiplant™ is now serving the market need for smaller batches from 500 kg to 1 mt in addition to R&D activities. Melting under a protective gas atmosphere, or in vacuum, and other metallurgical capabilities make it possible to produce grades in iron, nickel, and cobalt-base materials with high quality demands. Applications are many and examples include centrifugal casting, NNS parts, thermal spray, MIM, and standards for chemical analysis in various industries, for example, plastics, oil and gas, nuclear, pulp and paper, and automotive. Damasteel AB Damasteel AB, Söderfors, Sweden, manufactures HIPed PM damascene steels in flat or round bars for design-oriented handicraft companies, artists, and industries around the world. The company uses different grades of high-alloy steels that are premixed in several ingenious ways to obtain the different patterns. This modern damascene steel art is now found in many aesthetically designed products such as hunting and fishing knives, hunting firearms, jewelry, ornaments, cutlery, chef's knives, and golf clubs. One example of a decorative steel product is the mallet (gavel), Figure 8. Bodycote Hot Isostatic Pressing AB Bodycote Hot Isostatic Pressing AB, Surahammar, Sweden, is part of the Bodycote Volume 44, Issue 3, 2008 International Journal of Powder Metallurgy
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2009 International Conference on Powder Metallurgy & Particulate Materials June 28–July 1, The Mirage Hotel, Las Vegas
• International Technical Program • Worldwide Trade Exhibition • Special Events
For complete program and registration information contact: INTERNATIONAL
METAL POWDER INDUSTRIES FEDERATION APMI INTERNATIONAL 105 College Road East Princeton, New Jersey 08540 USA Tel: 609-452-7700 ~ Fax: 609-987-8523 www.mpif.org
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Figure 8. Damascene steel gavel. Damasteel AB, Sweden
Figure 9. Duplex stainless steel HIPed manifold. Bodycote Hot Isostatic Pressing AB, Sweden
International Group. The group has over 8,000 employees worldwide and is divided into two divisions: the Thermal Processing division embraces heat treatment, HIPing, and coating activities, while the Testing Group, the second division, has vast know-how in relation to a wide range of materials. The plant in Surahammar specializes in HIPing. In total, the HIPing component of Bodycote operates a total of 11 plants of which seven are situated in Europe and four in North America. Since 1984, the plant in Surahammar has developed unique know-how for the design of both simple and complex PM components by different techniques for shaping plate into cans/capsules. They are the PM specialists in the group and have the largest HIPing unit in Europe. The company has 70 employees. It consumed 2,500 mt of high-alloy steel powder in 2007 and this number is expected to increase to 6,000–7,000 mt over the next few years. In 2007 Bodycote invested in a new workshop for capsule manufacturing in Surahammar. Next came the investment in a new HIP unit which was ordered last year and will be in operation in 2010. During 2008 and 2009 the plant will continue to Volume 44, Issue 3, 2008 International Journal of Powder Metallurgy
expand and prepare to install one of the largest hot isostatic presses in the world. The plant in Surahammar will double its turnover in the next 2–3 years. The company is expert in PM HIPed components for the tooling, oil and gas, marine, paper, and energy industries. Figure 9 illustrates an asHIPed manifold manufactured from a duplex stainless steel. Sandvik Powdermet AB Based in Sweden, Sandvik Powdermet AB focuses on materials technology by producing HIPed NNS PM components ranging in weight from 100 g to 15 mt in HSS, stainless steel, nickel, and chromium-base alloys and MMCs. Sandvik Powdermet AB is expanding applications for HIPed NNS products through development of the manufacturing technology for components with highly complex geometries. Important advantages with the HIP production of NNS components are fast delivery and tailor-made properties. Owned by Metso until 2006, Sandvik Powdermet AB is now part of the Sandvik Group, which has 46,000 employees, representation in 130 countries, and sales in excess of US$13 billion. Sandvik Powdermet AB is a part of Sandvik Materials Technology AB, which is a global developer of advanced alloys and ceramic materials that serves a range of industries with innovative products and system solutions. Examples of products are manifolds, pump casings, valves, special fittings, and pieces for three-phase fluid-measuring devices in subsea installations. In studies conducted together with SINTEF in Norway, it has been found that the inherent fine homogenous microstructure of HIPed steels is advantageous in several aspects, one of which is limited sensitivity to hydrogen-induced stressedcorrosion cracking (HISCC). HIPed PM components have a clear advantage over conventional castings or forging in subsea installations and this has resulted in a significant increase in the demand for HIPed products over the last 2–3 years. Overall the market for HIPed NNS components made and supplied by Sandvik Powdermet has more than doubled over this period of time. Kanthal AB Kanthal AB, fully owned by Sandvik AB, is a producer of materials and systems for generating, controlling, and protecting against or measuring
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heat. Their product line includes metallic, intermetallic, and ceramic materials. Several of these materials are processed by PM. A number of Kanthal products (for example, thermocouples, heating elements, and thermal insulation) are also used by the PM industry. Kanthal APMT is a ferritic high-temperature alumina-forming PM alloy with excellent corrosion properties and good mechanical properties at high temperatures. The alloy, which is a further development of the heat-resistant PM alloy Kanthal APM, combines the excellent heat-resistant properties of APM, with improved creep strength and stability at very high temperatures. Kanthal APMT is particularly suitable as a construction material at temperatures up to 1,300°C and is currently available in wire, rod, bar, and tube forms, and also as components produced via HIP. A range of applications includes radiant tubes, mesh belts, muffle tubes, furnace rollers, and furnace furniture. APMT furnace rollers in roller hearth furnaces offer a number of advantages including improved surface quality and lower maintenance costs, primarily due to its excellent oxidation resistance. Kanthal APM and APMT have been proven to give significant advantages in sulfidizing and carburizing environments where the alumina layer offers superior protection compared with conventional chromia-forming alloys. Uddeholm Tooling AB PM Steels: Uddeholm Vancron 40 is the latest PM development from Uddeholm Tooling. This is a nitrided PM tool steel offering a unique resistance to galling, adhesive wear, and low friction, Figure 10. Industrial experiences in Asia, Europe, and North America have demonstrated improved performance for Uddeholm Vancron 40 tools, compared with surface-coated tool steels or HSS in several cold-working applications. These include powder compacting, cold forming of mild steel and advanced high-strength steel (AHSS), blanking, and forming of stainless steel. Superclean 3, the third generation of PM tool steels and high-speed steels, offers enhanced mechanical properties due to improved cleanliness of the powder. This is achieved during the refining process in the large tundish prior to gas atomization. The size and the size distribution of the powders are smaller compared with powder from other producers. All the Uddeholm VANADIS
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Figure 10. Scanning electron micrograph of nitrogen-alloyed (1.8 w/o N) Vancron 40 tool steel for cold-forming operations. Uddeholm Tooling AB, Sweden
and Uddeholm ELMAX grades are processed according to the Superclean 3 process. Spray-Formed Steels: Uddeholm Tooling is the only company that offers tool steels produced commercially via spray forming, a process in which molten steel is sprayed on to a rotating disc forming a solid billet. The spray-formed billet can have dimensions up to 500 mm dia. × ~2 m in length with a weight of 3.5 mt. The billets are then forged, rolled, heat treated, and machined before the finished bars are delivered to market. Today two spray-formed tool-steel grades are produced; Uddeholm Weartec SF, a spray-formed high-vanadium tool steel offering excellent abrasive-wear resistance, and Uddeholm Sverker SF, a spray-formed AISI D2, in which the carbide size is smaller than that in conventionally produced tool steels. This results in an excellent combination of wear resistance and ductility. HARDMATERIALS Sandvik The Sandvik group is the largest cemented carbide producer in the world. Sandvik Tooling, with 16,400 employees, invoiced sales in 2007 were ~US$3.92 billion. A majority of the cemented carbide operations takes place within Sandvik Coromant AB and Sandvik Hard Materials AB. The latter company supplies a wide range of cemented carbide products from manufacturing plants around the world; these include: • Engineered Components: carbide rotary cutters for the nonwoven industry, tools for the Volume 44, Issue 3, 2008 International Journal of Powder Metallurgy
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can industry, and rolls for the steel industry. • Tool Blanks or Semi-finished Products for the toolmaking industry for use in cutting and forming metals, composite materials, wood, brick, concrete, and rock. • Wear Parts for diverse applications in metal cutting, mining, mineral and civil engineering, agriculture, food processing, textiles, and other industrial sectors. Sandvik Coromant AB focuses on cutting tools and tooling systems with production plants in Sweden and additional local production in 10 countries throughout the world. Sandvik Coromant AB is highly export oriented, with 97% of its sales outside Sweden. It also provides specialist service to customers in 60 countries. The company has further developed the Coromant Recycling Concept which is a global recycling service for used carbide inserts and solid carbide tools. Six percent of the annual turnover is invested in R&D, in order to develop new workpiece materials and also new machining concepts and methods. This extensive activity results in a constant flow of patents covering new tools and cutting grades. For several years, about 25%–40% of all new patents linked to cutting tools issued in the U.S. were assigned to Sandvik Coromant. R&D work is concentrated in Sandvik Tooling’s Research and Technology Center in Stockholm. Operations have been expanded successively with new equipment, new processes, and more staff, and today is the world’s largest entity of its type. This extensive R&D effort has resulted in a constant flow of new products based on new cutting tool materials, new insert geometries, and tool designs. This gives improved cutting performance resulting in improved productivity and an attendant decrease in production costs. Some recent examples of new products are: • P25 grade GC4225 with enhanced turning performance, Figure 11 • CBN and ceramic machining grades • milling grades for steel and cast irons • high-pressure coolant system for chip control and extended tool life • development of new tooling concepts for highspeed machining Sandvik Mining and Construction (SMC) is a business area that incorporates several companies which together constitute the world’s largest producer of carbide tools for rock excavation.
Volume 44, Issue 3, 2008 International Journal of Powder Metallurgy
Figure 11. New P25 grade GC4225 turning tools with enhanced machining performance. Sandvik Coromant AB, Sweden
Seco Tools AB Seco Tools AB, Sweden, is the fourth-largest cemented carbide tool manufacturer in the world with production plants for machining tools in the Czech Republic, India, Italy, and Sweden. The head office is located in Fagersta, Sweden. The tools are used in different machining operations, namely, turning, milling, and drilling. Tool materials include cemented carbides, cermets, cubic boron nitride, polycrystalline diamond, and HSS. Seco Tools AB has 4,660 employees, of whom nearly 1,580 work in Sweden. Sales in 2007 amounted to nearly US$1.0 billion. Recently the company introduced a new chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technology to deposit alpha-alumina with a controlled texture. Utilizing CVD, the growth of alpha-alumina can be directed, for example, along the c-axis. As shown in Figure 12 the alumina layer is composed of columnar grains grown primarily along the c-axis, thus orienting the basal planes parallel to the substrate. These textured alumina layers exhibit enhanced wear resistance and toughness compared with earlier alumina-coated grades. The technology is referred to as “Duratomic™”. This coating has been successful on new turning grades, such as TP2500, and milling grades, such as MK3000. Atlas Copco Secoroc AB Atlas Copco Secoroc AB is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of percussive and rotary rock-drill tools. The company has production facilities in South Africa, Sweden, and the U.S. The cemented carbide bits used in the drilling tools are manufactured from tungsten carbide and cobalt powder at the main factory in
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studs. As a result of technical innovations by Tikomet, both the purity and particle-size distribution of the powders produced by the zincreclaim process have improved considerably. Therefore, the use of zinc-reclaim powders is expected to increase in traditional applications and also to widen to embrace new applications.
Figure 12. Scanning electron micrograph of new multi-layered coating (Duratomic™) for turning and milling cemented carbide grades. Total coating thickness 10 µm. SECO Tools AB, Sweden
Fagersta, Sweden, and also in Springs, South Africa. Tikomet Oy Tikomet Oy, Jyväskylä, Finland, is a company specializing in the production of WC-Co powders by the zinc-reclaim process. Traditionally the bulk of the production has been sold to a Finnish sister company producing cemented carbide pins for tire studs. Tikomet has just completed the construction of a new 600 mt/year zinc-reclaim powder plant, tripling the production capacity of the company and making it the European market’s leader in this area. The plant sets new standards in the areas of zinc furnace technology and powder production technology. This expansion allows Tikomet to offer its services to external customers interested in buying zinc-reclaimed powders for the production of cemented carbide tools or having their cemented carbide tool scrap converted into powder. The decision to build a new modern plant was motivated by the strong interest by the industry in the recycling of used cemented carbide tools which have become economically attractive after the price of tungsten tripled in 2005 and has remained at a high level since then. Furthermore, there is a desire to reduce the dependence on China for tungsten raw materials. Traditionally, the use of powders produced by the zinc-reclaim process has been limited to applications such as indexable insert grades and tire
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DIAMOND TOOL PRODUCERS Several Nordic companies produce diamond and superhard materials such as CBN tools by PM methods for the mining, exploration, engineering, and industrial construction sectors. The product program is vast, comprising: • diamond core drill bits for exploration drilling and hole making in reinforced concrete, concrete, and tiles • diamond saw blades and saw wires used in dry or wet cutting of reinforced concrete, concrete, asphalt, brick, and stone • engineering products for grinding (such as cemented carbide products), honing, machining, and polishing. Atlas Copco Craelius AB is arguably the biggest producer of diamond tools for exploration and ground investigation drilling in the world. Production facilities are located in Canada, China, South Africa, and Sweden. As a result of recent intensive R&D, these tools can now be made by a unique production process. New designs and metallurgy have also resulted in tools for extremely hard rock formations and long life for deep hole drilling. The cutting part of the tool consists of a mixture of metal powders and synthetic diamonds, infiltrated with a copperbase braze. Figure 13 shows diamond core drills from Atlas Copco Craelius AB.
Figure 13. Diamond core drills. Atlas Copco Craelius AB, Sweden
Volume 44, Issue 3, 2008 International Journal of Powder Metallurgy
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Diamond tooling is produced by several companies including Dimas AB and Sandvik Nora AB. PM PROCESS EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY Result Press AB Result Press AB manufactures hydraulic presses for powder compaction of hardmetals, ceramics, and sintered-steel components. The manufacturing facility is located in Härnösand, north Sweden. Hydropulsor AB This company was founded in the mid-1990s and utilizes adiabatic softening technology originating primarily as a result of military applications. With a new hydraulic system it was found possible to manufacture high-velocity compaction presses for PM components. The company manufactures four sizes of hydraulic presses. The smallest one, HYP35-02, has a compaction energy of 2 kNm corresponding to 100 mt and the largest one, HYP35-40, has a compaction energy of 40 kNm which is equivalent to ~2,000 mt. Avure Technologies AB Avure Technologies, Västerås, Sweden, the world’s leading supplier of isostatic presses, has produced presses for HIPing and for cold isostatic pressing (CIPing) in its Swedish and U.S. facilities since the early 1960s. The former ABB/ASEA company now operates as an independent corporation with a global footprint. The largest share of this rapidly growing US$65 million company is located in Sweden where its manufacturing, R&D, engineering, sales support, and service organization are based. In addition to isostatic presses Avure manufactures presses for sheet-metal forming for the automotive and aerospace industries, and for microbiological reduction and food safety improvement in the food industry. Over the years Avure has made large investments in supporting continuous advances in isostatic pressing equipment design and processing. This has resulted in decreased cycle times and higher product throughput, longer machine life, and more durable components and attendant lower maintenance costs. Primary achievements are rapid cooling, reliable furnace designs, loading and unloading vessel options, and optimization of support system and process control functionality. The paradigm shift we are now seeing in the industry is the realization of extremely large HIP Volume 44, Issue 3, 2008 International Journal of Powder Metallurgy
presses allowing batches of 20–40 mt of material to be processed in a 12–16 h cycle. This reduces the cost of the HIPing process to