How are Powdered Metal Parts Manufactured?

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Powdered metal parts or sintered metal parts are produced by pressing powdered metals and alloys in a rigid die under extreme pressure (up to 60,000 psi). Those compacted parts are then sintered in a controlled-atmosphere furnace at temperatures up to 2050⁰ F (1120⁰ C) to bond the particles metallurgically.

Powder metallurgy is an advanced manufacturing technique utilized to produce net shape or near-net shape parts for customers requiring relatively large quantities of high-quality, consistently dimensioned, close-tolerance parts. Powdered metal parts are a proven alternative to cast, forged or machined parts in many applications. The flexibility afforded by the powdered metal process allows the product engineer to custom design ferrous and non-ferrous metal parts to control strength, hardness, density and permeability. The use of prealloyed powders eliminates segregation and other defects associated with castings. The smooth surface finish of production powdered metal parts is superior to that obtained from wrought or cast processes and seldom requires secondary finishing operations.