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Powdered Metals

In the production of powdered metal parts, achieving high-quality outcomes involves addressing challenges such as poor flow and segregation in the blending process, which, if not managed, can lead to defects, waste, and process disruptions. The focus is on minimizing defects, increasing density, and creating near-net-shape parts for improved strength and reduced weight.

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Overview

Powdered Metals

Quality green compacts require uniform feed of well-blended, non-segregated powder.

The P/M industry (Powdered Metals/ Cermets/ Intermetallics) is diverse and includes applications for automotive, aerospace, medical/dental, electronics, defense, hardware, and appliances.

The vision of this industry is to continuously seek out new materials, and innovative techniques to manipulate powdered metals, to enable its customer base to solve increasingly difficult problems related to energy conservation, reliability, size and weight reduction, bio-compatibility, product performance, and cost.

Powdered metals parts.

Services

Powdered Metals Services

Whether discharging raw materials from Gaylord containers, formulating powdered metal mixes in a double cone tumble blender, or feeding the mix in a non-segregated manner to the compaction operation, Jenike & Johanson is prepared to meet your bulk material engineering needs.

On-site audit of segregation, flow problems
Powdered metal bulk material testing
Portable container, press hopper design
Powdered metal tumble blending testing
Anti-segregation hoppers
Press feed system design, equipment supply

Receiving hopper for powdered metal in octagonal box containers.

View of the internal parts of a hopper.

Challenge

Common Powdered Metals Industry Challenges

Powdered metals parts producers are focused upon designing or improving processes to deliver fewer defects (six sigma), higher density (full density), and closer near-net-shape parts with greater strength and lower weight. Poor flow and segregation of the blend from the mixing stage through delivery to the final process step (e.g., feed shoe delivery into the die cavity, feed into the HIP can, MIM or PIM feed) can be common. These problems can lead to reduced powdered metals part quality, waste, process upsets, and require frequent operator intervention. Though the result of powder flow issues may not be apparent in the green compact stage, poor uniformity is often manifest after the sintering and hardening stages in the powdered metals process.

Powder metal segregated off belt.

Customized Press Feed Surge Bins with Bullet Binserts™.

Materials

Common Materials Handled

Here is a shortened list of some of the most common bulk materials we have successfully handled in the Powdered Metals industry to date. Please reach out to us if you’d like to discuss our experience with your specific material.