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Powder metallurgy was practiced long before ancient artisans learned to melt and cast iron. Egyptians made iron tools using P/M techniques from at least 3000 B.C. Ancient Inca Indians made jewelry and artifacts from precious metal powders. The first modern P/M product was the tungsten filament for electric light bulbs developed in the early 1900s. This was followed by tungsten carbide cutting tool materials in the 1930s, automobile parts in the 1960s and 1970s, aircraft turbine engine parts in the 1980s and parts made by powder forging (P/F), metal injection molding and warm compacting in the 1990s.
Industry facts:Most P/M parts weight less than 5 lbs. (2.27kg.), although parts weighing as much as 35 lbs. (15.89kg.) can be fabricated in conventional P/M equipment.
The P/M parts and products industry in North America has estimated sales of over $3 billion. It is comprised of 150 companies that make conventional P/M parts and products from iron and copper-base-powders; and about 50 companies that make specialty PM products such as superalloys, tool steels, porous products, friction materials, strip for electronic applications, high strength permanent magnets, magnetic powder cores and ferrite's, tungsten carbide cutting tools and wear parts, metal injection molded parts and tool steels. P/M is international in scope with growing industries in all of the major industrialized countries. The value of U.S. metal powder shipments (includes paste and flake) was $1.854 billion in 1995. Annual worldwide metal powder production exceeds one million tons.
The typical U.S. five or six passenger car contains more than 30 pounds of P/M parts. Automobile experts say that the P/M content in cars will hit at least 50 lbs. by the end of this decade. The automotive market is by no means the only large user of P/M parts, however due to the amount of cars produced worldwide it remains the largest user.
Pounds of material in a typical family vehicle
| Materials | 1997 |
|---|---|
| Regular steel, sheet, strip, bar and rod | 1,411.0 |
| High and medium-strength steel | 295.5 |
| Stainless steel | 47.5 |
| Other steels | 36.0 |
| Iron | 378.0 |
| Plastic & plastic composites | 242.0 |
| Aluminum | 206.0 |
| Copper and brass | 46.5 |
| Powder matal parts | 31.0 |
| Zink die castings | 14.0 |
| Magnesium castings | 6.0 |
| Fluids, lubricants | 197.5 |
| Rubber | 138.5 |
| Glass | 96.5 |
| Other materials | 102.0 |
| 3,248.0 |
In contrast to other metal forming techniques, P/M parts are shaped directly from powders while castings are formed from metal that must be melted, and wrought parts are shaped by deformation of hot or cold metal, or by machining.
Other processes are used to consolidate powders into finished shapes such as cold or hot isostatic pressing, direct powder rolling, forging, injection molding and gravity sintering.
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