BSA in Joint Venture to Produce Ultrafine Metal Powders Manganese Bronze Holdings, the UK industrial holding company with interests in taxi manufacture and distribution. PM parts and metal powder production , and foundries, recently announced the acquisition of an interest in UltraFine Powder Technology Inc of Ayer, Mass., together with conclusion of an exclusive SO/50 joint venture involving the marketing of UltraFine metal powders throughout Europe and the Eastern Bloc. and there may eventually be a manufacturing plant established in the UK. The cost of the acquisition is put at 52 million. UltraFine Powder is a start-up company and its major asset is a revolutionary gas atomization process for the production of very fine metal powders. The company has already been granted a US patent on its Tand em atomization process. and has applications pending in Europe and Japan. The process, invented and developed by scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. is Widely regarded as one of the most significant breakthroughs in the field of powder production in the last two decades. Manganese Bronze stated that the investment in UltraFine Powder was acquired as part ofa priv ate placing of an issue of 55 million cumulative convertible preference shares in that company, and upon conversion will represent 16% of the ordinary share capital of the US company. The investment will be used to build a new produ ction facility in the USA which is expected to generate annual turnover of $30 million. The facility is to be complet ed later this year. The new association will enable Manganese Bronze subsidiary - BSA Metal Powders Ltd ofBirmingham -to add the most advanced gas atomized powd ers to those it produces by the traditional water atomization process, and will enable it to compete across the range of alloys. particle sizes and particle shapes in a range of fast growing. advanced material markets. The UK joint venture, to be MPR February 1990 known as BSA UltraFine Powders Ltd will allow the company to gain access to the demand for metal powders in the very fast growing metal injection mould ing, electronic inks and pastes, rare earth magnets, radar adsorbent coatings and xerography markets. Und er the terms of the joint venture agreement a plant will be built in the UK when the market for ultrafine powders in Europe justifies local production . Humphrey Claxton. Manganese Bronze's acquisition director said. 'this is a very exciting development for our company for a number of reasons. First, there are very high growth opportunities in advanced materials, many requiring very fine metal powders for which we need new technology if we were to exploit them. Now we've got it. Secondly, there are industries which use metal powd ers but which with our water atomized powders, we have been unable to supply. Now we can. Thirdly, we have the opportunity to be in at the ground floor of a new atomization technology. We see the development of a large business, albeit shared with our American partners, and an attractive return on our initial investment in the US company as it develops. The combin ation of the venture capital investment in an industry we know well and the commercial advantage deriving from the joint venture, is an example of one of the ways in which we intend to build our platform for long term growth based on technical excellence'. CIPS Ready to Enter New Phase Ulf Holmqvist, man aging director of CIPS, an autonomous subsidiary of iron powd er manufa cturer Hogan as AB. in Sweden, reports that the comp any is about to enter a new phase of implementation of its 'cold isostatic pressing' technology with the signing of the first license agreement with an American multinational company which will use the CIPS process to manufacture ceramic insulators. To mark the beginning of this new phase the company has produced a new brochure outlining the main manufacturing steps of the Cll'S proc ess which was developed in the early 1980s as a cost effective alternative to casting for the production of automotive cylinder liners. For example, using a fully automated high pressure cold Cylinderliner produced from iron powder by the CIPS process isostatic pressing plant in combination with sintering and sizing, cylinders 100 mm diameter could be manuf actured with the need for further processing to a roundness tolerance of 0.01 mm and to a cylindricity tolerance of 0.02 mm over a length of 100 mm. Wall thicknesses as thin as 0.9 mm can be made with extremely high tolerances, and because they are more rigid than castings have improved Young's modulus properties of 40 to 50% or high er. CII'S reports that among the companies currently investigating the application of its process are Aoroxtctals Inc in the USA, Peugeot SA of France. and NKK of Japan, one of the world's major machinery suppli ers and the company involved with CIPS and ABB in Sweden in developing the world's first automatic equipment for cold isostatic pressing. Good Year for US Cutting Tools According to an article by Barbara Comer, industry specialist - CUlling tools, at the US Department of Commerce, in Cutting Tool Engineering, 1989 was a 'very prosperous year for the CUlling tool industry, and 1990 promises to be even better.' Much of the growth is exp ected to come from exports whi ch arc estimated to have reached $170 million by the end of 1989, an increase of almost 50% on the previous year. Leading export mar kets include Canada (22%). Germany (13%) and Japan (10%) . During the same period, imports fell 36% from 5284 million to $183 million. The boom in exports is an indication of the improved competitiveness among the US CUllingtool producers. and the realization that exporting of tools can be profitable. Comer stated that the two major technological trends will be the continued replacement of high speed steel by sintered carbides, and the growing research into ceramic and cermet tools. Whisker reinforced ceramics arc also expected to gain momentum in 1990 but the rate of growth of th ese materials will depend on whether regrinding methods being developed will comply with OSHA standards. £1.5 Million Research Project for HIPed Aircraft Parts A partnership between Lucas Aerospace at Wolverhampton, HIP Ltd and Infutec Ltd of Chesterfield. and the University of Birmingham, under Lucas leadership and supported by the Department ofTrade and Industry. is now embarking on a major£1,5 million joint research and development programme covering the use of hot isostatic pressing (IIIPing) for diffusion bonding of aircraft actuation components. HIPing is being extensively used to improve the fatigue properties of castings, and for consolidation of powder to near- net shapes. Th e technique can also be used to bond materials together and it is in the field of IIIP diffusion bonding of aircraft parts that the partnership intends to enhance technical capability. The Actuation Division of Lucas Aerospace is providing the expertise in the design of actuators, HIP and 77
Transcript
BSA in JointVenture toProduceUltrafine MetalPowders
Manganese Bronze Holdings, the UKindustrial holding company withinterests in taxi manufacture anddistribution. PM parts and metalpowder production, and foundries,recently announced the acquisition ofan interest in UltraFine PowderTechnology Inc of Ayer, Mass.,together with conclusion of anexclusive SO/50 joint ventureinvolving the marketing of UltraFinemetal powders throughout Europeand the Eastern Bloc. and there mayeventually be a manufacturing plantestablished in the UK. The cost of theacquisition is put at 52 million.UltraFine Powder is a start-upcompany and its major asset is arevolutionary gas atomizationprocess for the production of very finemetal powders. The company hasalready been granted a US patent onits Tandem atomization process. andhas applications pending in Europeand Japan. The process, invented anddeveloped by scientists from theMassachusetts Institute ofTechnology. is Widely regarded asone of the most significantbreakthroughs in the field of powderproduction in the last two decades.Mangan ese Bronze stated that theinvestment in UltraFine Powder wasacquired as part ofa priv ate placing ofan issue of 55 million cumulativeconv ertible preference shares in thatcompany, and upon conversion willrepresent 16% of th e ordinary sharecapital of the US company. Theinvestment will be used to build anew production facility in the USAwhich is exp ected to generate annualturnover of $30 million. The facilityis to be completed later this year.The new association will enableMangan ese Bronze subsidiary - BSAMetal Powders Ltd ofBirmingham -toadd the most adv anced gas atomizedpowders to those it produces by thetraditional water atomizationprocess, and will enable it to competeacross the range of alloys. particlesizes and particle shapes in a range offast growing. advanced materialmarkets. The UK joint venture, to be
MPR February 1990
known as BSA UltraFine Powders Ltdwill allow the company to gain accessto the demand for metal powders inthe very fast growing metal injectionmould ing, electronic inks and pastes,rare earth magnets, radar adsorbentcoatings and xerography markets.Und er the terms of the joint ventureagreement a plant will be built in theUK when the market for ultrafinepowders in Europe justifies localproduction.Humphrey Claxton. ManganeseBronze's acquisition director said.'this is a very exciting developmentfor our company for a number ofreasons. First, there are very highgrowth opportunities in advancedmaterials, many requiring very finemetal powders for which we neednew technology if we were to exploitthem. Now we've got it. Secondly,there are industries which use metalpowders but which with our wateratomized powders, we have beenunable to supply. Now we can.Thirdly, we have the opportunity tobe in at the ground floor of a newatomization technology. We see thedevelopment of a large business,albeit shared with our Americanpartners, and an attractive return onour initial investment in the UScompany as it develops.The combination of the venturecapital investment in an industry weknow well and the commercialadvantage deriving from the jointventure, is an example of one of theways in which we intend to build ourplatform for long term growth basedon technical excellence'.
CIPS Ready toEnter NewPhaseUlf Holmqvist, man aging director ofCIPS, an autonomous subsidiary ofiron powder manufa cturer Hogan asAB. in Sw eden, reports that thecompany is about to enter a new phaseof implementation of its 'coldisostatic pressing' technology withthe signing of the first licenseagreement with an Americanmultinational company which willuse the CIPS process to manufactureceramic insulators. To mark thebeginning of this new phase thecompany has produced a newbrochure outlining the mainmanufacturing steps of the Cll'S
proc ess which was developed in theearly 1980s as a cost effectivealternative to casting for theproduction of automotive cylinderlin ers . For example, using a fullyautomated high pressure cold
Cylinder linerproducedfrom ironpowder by the CIPS process
isostatic pressing plant incombination with sintering andsizing, cylinders 100 mm diametercould be manufactured with the needfor further processing to a roundnesstolerance of 0.01 mm and to acylindricity tolerance of 0.02 mmover a length of 100 mm. Wallthicknesses as thin as 0.9 mm can bemade with extremely high tolerances,and because they are more rigid thancastings have improved Young'smodulus properties of 40 to 50% orhigh er.CII'S reports that among thecompanies currently investigating theapplication of its process areAoroxtctals Inc in the USA, PeugeotSA of France. and NKK of Japan, oneof the world's major machinerysuppliers and the company involvedwith CIPS and ABB in Sweden indeveloping the world's firstautomatic equipment for coldisostatic pressing.
Good Year forUS CuttingTools
According to an article by BarbaraComer, industry specialist - CUllingtools , at the US Department ofCommerce, in Cutting Tool
Engineering, 1989 was a 'veryprosperous year for the CUlling toolindustry, and 1990 promises to beeven better.' Much of the growth isexp ected to come from exports whicharc estim ated to have reached $170million by the end of 1989, anincrease of almost 50% on theprevious year . Leading exportmarkets include Canada (22%).Germany (13%) and Japan (10%) .During the same period, imports fell36% from 5284 million to $183million.The boom in exports is an indicationof the improved competitivenessamong the US CUlling tool producers.and the realization that exporting oftools can be profitable. Comer statedthat the two major technologicaltrends will be the continuedreplacement of high speed steel bysintered carbides, and the growingresearch into ceramic and cermettools. Whisker reinforced ceramicsarc also expected to gain momentumin 1990 but the rate of growth of th esematerials will depend on whetherregrinding methods being developedwill comply with OSHA standards.
£1.5 MillionResearchProject forHIPed AircraftPartsA partnership between LucasAerospace at Wolverhampton, HIPLtd and Infut ec Ltd of Chesterfield.and the Univ ersity of Birmingham,under Lucas leadership andsupported by the Department of Tr adeand Industry. is now embarking on amajor £1 ,5 million joint research anddevelopment programme coveringthe use of hot isostatic pressing(IIIPing) for diffusion bonding ofaircraft actuation components.HIPing is being extensively used toimprove the fatigue properties ofcastings, and for consolidation ofpowder to near- net shapes. Th etechnique can also be used to bondmaterials together and it is in the fieldof IIIP diffusion bonding of aircraftparts that the partnership intends toenhance technical capability. TheActuation Division of LucasAerosp ace is providing the expertisein the design of actuators, HIP and
77
5.77~
Hoeganaes Corp recently completed the construction of its new highalloy powder production plant at Riverton
PM Symposiumin South Africa
The Powder Metallurgy Associationof South Africa organised a One-daysymposium at the Indaba ConferenceCentre on October 31. 1989 with thetheme 'Practical Applications of HardMaterials in the 1990s·. Thesymposium attracted some 200delegates with speakers includingNobbyClarke who spoke on trends inthe European hard metals industry.plus presentations on local technicaldevelopments and production trends.Vaughan Griffiths of BoartInternational for example. gave anoverall view of futuristic productionmethods which would be used in theproduction of complex. large,tungsten carbide wear parts, but thebest paper was judged to be that ofAndrew Human also of BoartInternational who presented a paperon: 'The Sinterability of CementedCarbides Containing AlternativeBinders'. His reward will be a visit tothe PM90 Conference/Exhibition tobe held at Wembley in July.Dr Steve Parsons. chairman of thePowder Metallurgy Associationpresented honorary life membership
plant features state-of-the-artequipment including three furnacesand enlarged screening capabilitieswhich will allow the prod uction ofcustomized powder grades.Expansion of melting equipment willalso allow Hoeganaes to broaden therange of grades it currently produces,The equipment of the Wearsurfacingand Alloy division of MetallurgicalIndustries Inc. purchased towards theend of 1988 has been incorporatedinto the new high alloy facility.
, 10 .61 Cji)
CARPENTERGEGTEREED TOOLLATROBEDE BEERS
$95595$90sao$75$68
9 .34%
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HoeganaesCompletes NewAtomizationPlant
Hoeganaes Corp. of Riverton. NewJersey. reports that it has completedthe construction of its new 14.000 ft2plant for the production of water andgas atomized high alloy powders.According to a report in thecompany's recent newsletter. the new
8.49<;S
SALES ($MILLlON)
$225 KENNAMETAL125 CRUCIBLE115 NORTON110 SANDVIK
$100 CARBOLOY
7 .64%
Market share of us hard material producers
ceramics. cemented carbides. cubicboron nitride. diamonds. hardcoatings. and diamond films. Each ofthese product groups is assessed interms of total consumption.consumption by type andapplication. prices. future growth andcompetitive environment. The reportstates that current US demand forhard materials is about 664 millionpounds worth just under 52 billion.Total consumption of these materialshas increased almost 5% annually involume terms. and just over 3%annually in value between 1985 and1989. Value grew less than volumeduring this period as a result of fallingprices.US demand for hard and superhardtools is forecast to grow another 12%in volume and 17% in value between1989 and 1994. Many products willshow growth rates far in excess of themarket average during this period.including: polycrystalline cubicboron nitride. CBNgrit. PM toolsteels. polycrystalline diamonds anddiamond grit. According to the report.which is priced at 51.800 per copy.Kennametal is now the leadingproducer of these materials servingthe US market. Further details areavailable from: 260 Main Street.Northport. NY 11768. USA.
Ceramic Dies forPowderCompaction
Infutec of Chesterfield will providethe HIP facilities. and theInterdisciplinary Research Centre(IRC) at Birmingham University willbe carrying out the basic researchaimed at improved understandingHIP diffusion bonding.
Growth in Hardand SuperhardMaterials1989-1994
The development and use of hard andsuperhard materials is a key to bothtechnological and economicsuperiority for the United States andother advanced industrial countries.This is one of the conclusions reachedin a new report entitled: 'Hard andSuperhard Materials - Markets.Technologies and Opportunities:1989-1994' published by WorldInformation Technologies Inc basedon Northport. New York.The report analyses the US market forindustrial materials with a Knoophardness greater than 1000. Thesematerials include: tool steels.
Several years of experience withmetal powder compaction dies madefrom 501 Syalon ceramic materialbased on silicon nitride. has shownthe very interesting advantages ofthese materials in terms of extremewear resistance. no powder pick-up atdie walls (no cold welding) and lowejection forces. The material. which issaid to be completely non-magnetic.can be wire and spark eroded. withdiamond wheels and paste used forfinish grinding and polishing. Thesupplier of Syalon compaction dies Industriekontor RolfHardt. BenratherSchlossufer 51. D-4000 Dusseldorf.Germany. states that die blanks withstarter holes or finish machined diesare available at reasonably shortdelivery times.
78 MPR February 1990
(i))pacifiC metalsPAMeD fine Powder for ~njection Molding
.Scanning Electro Micrograph (Type 304L) • MIM Products made from PAMCO Fine Powder
10,um
The Hachinohe Works of Pacific metals Co. has established a method of mass producing
special high-alloy ultra-fine powders by water atomizing 3D-ton batches of molten stainless
steel and F e-Ni alloy that have been refined in an ADD furnace and LD converter at a
pressure of 1500 kgf/cm2, the world's highest, to produce powders with an average part icle
size of less than 8,um.
This technology enables the supply of high-alloy powder, which has become the most
promising form for I metal injection molding, and has recently become quite prominent.
These powders are being favorably evaluated by companies around the world.
We are happy to answer any request from current and potential customers, so please do
not hesitate to consult with us.
• Particle distribution of PAMCO Fine Powders _.Particle distribution (~~) mean particle
36%Ni-Fe(lnvar), 50%Ni-Fe(PB). 78%Ni-Fe(PC), Super-lnvar, Kovar. etc.
PACIFIC METALS CO., LTD.
HEAD orce O·HEMAC>f SLOG 61 . OHTEMACHl I o().((.CHYOOA " U. T()<YO. JJ,PM;
TEL TO><YO 20 I 6661. IElO 1222248 PAMCQ J. FAX eo OJ212 I~ 16
HACHOo-<£ WORKS ' KAWARAGl. HACH1~~. ACMJRI. J J,PM;
rn, Q1 71H 7 ??4hfAX NO O I 7a ' ~FT,j~O
PMUPDATE
to five members for their outstandingcont ributions made sin ce itsformation in 1979. They were DrJames Brian Clark of CS[R. RoyCooper and Joe Hosking of BoartInternation al. Chris Gunter ofSandvik. and Chris VIantis of PowerIndustries.
TitaniumAluminidePowdersProduced toOrder
the firm orcan be processed in lim itedresearch and developm ent quantiti esfrom customer supplied materials.The clean . spherical and free-flowingTiJA[ and TiAl powders have anoverall particle size distributi on of-35 +325 mesh ( 500 to 44 micron s).Lighter in weight and capab le ofresisting higher temperatures (up to98ZC) than conventional titaniumalloys. applications are expected toinclude structural members inhypersonic aircraft and jet enginedevelopm ent.
TiAI MetalMatrixComposites
Titanium aJuminide component s made from PREP producedpowder
Titanium aluminide alloy powdersthat can be produced to custo merrequirements and consolidated by hotisostatic pressing. hot extrusion orplasma sp rayed to form metal matrixcomposites. are now in produ ction at
Nuclear Metals [ncoin Concord. Mass.The comp any states that its TiJA[andTiAI powders are produced tocustomer requirement s by the plasma
rotating electrode process (PREP) inan inert gas. Totally free of tungstenand ceramic contaminat ion. they canbe sup plied from alloys produced by
The NASA Lewis Research Center inCleveland . is sponsoring a researchprogramme into the production offibre reinforced titanium alurnlnldecomposites for the new generation of
XKTMC• Tungsten Carbide Powder- Tungsten Metal Powder
.Tungstic Oxide-Ammonium Paratungstate
-Bismuth Metal Ingot
Please contact the nearest office for more information!
KOREA TUNGSTEN MINING CO., LTO.
HEAD OFFICEDAEGU P.O. BOX 196. Seoul 630 KOREATELEX: 54314 (CENTUNG K54314)TEL: 053-763-9521FAX: 053-762-1053
NEW YORK OFRCEONE PENN PLAZASUITE 1626.NEW YORK NY 10119U.SA.TEL: 212·581·9175TELEX: 234491 NYTUNGFAX: 212·564-6319
TOKYO OFFICE4 F, SAO PAULO BLDG .,3 • 5 . 1 SHIMBASHI.M INATO·KU. TOKYO.JAPANTEL: 03·595-1697/8FAX: 03-504-3870
MPR February 1990
PMUPDATE
high temperature intermetallicmaterials for advanced aircraftengines such as those expected topower the National Aerospace Plane(NASP). The specific fibre reinforcingmaterial which is being developed byTextron Specialty Materials ofLowell, Mass., has not yet beenchosen but is expected is to be basedon the berylIide family, alsointcrmetallic. The fibre-reinforcedTiAI alloys would be consolidated byhot isostatic pressing.
Challenge toTungstenFilaments
Gas discharg e bulbs , alreadyextensively used in street lighting andsports stad ia. could challengetungsten filament bulbs used in large
quantities in the automobile of thefuture . Not much bigger than a match.the gas discharge bulb beingdeveloped by researchers at Hella ofWest Cormany produces twice asmuch light as the halogen bulb. It usesan electric arc between two electrodesin a metal vapour mixture instead ofa white hot tungsten filament. Carproducers would have the option ofusing the extra light to improve therange of the beam or reduce the sizeof the headlight.
US PMCompany News
Herb A Tews, president of MidwestSintered Products Corp. in Riverdale ,III., recently announced hiscompany's expansion plans which hestates will prepare Midwest for the
next century. According to PMTechnology Newsletter Midwest hasadded four compacting presses and acontinuous vacuum sintering furnacebuilt by C.l. Hayes for temperaturesup to 2400FBestmetal Corp. is a new start-upoperation based in Woodstock, III., forthe production of iron, stainle ss steeland brass PM parts. The company hasbeen formed by Janet Boucher andJimEddins and will operate with fourpowder presses and a sinteringfurnace .Ceromet Inc. which has beenproducing PM parts in a 50,000 ft2facility in Anaheim, Calif., since1954, has been sold to Metal PowderProducts Inc. of Indianapolis. Ind.This brings the total number of PMpart producers in the MPP group tofour with over 300 employees.Another PM part producer is up forsale namely Pennsylvania PressedMetals Inc. based in Emporium,Penna. Owned by the Gleason Corp.PPM has 600 employees in a 250,000
ft2 facility with sales reported to bearound SB4million in 19BB.
Report onFuture ofUS PMIndustry
A report published by the USDepartment of Commerce entitled:'1990 US Industrial Outlook'includes a section on the US PMindustry which, according to the 19B7Census is estimated to have annualsales of S1 billion for metal powders .and S2.5 billion for all types of PMprodu cts. The report states that thePM industry in the USA hasundergone a significant amount ofrestructuring and changes inownership in recent years, and thatconsolidations and changes are
• GAS A TOM IS ERS• WA TER A TOMISERS• FLEXIBLE GA S/WATER A TOMI S ER S• R &D UN I TS 1-5001g• PRODUCTIO N UNI TSI T/yr- IOT/hr• SPECIAL CONS UMABLES SERVICE• S PECIAL EQUIPMEN T S ER VI E• SA MPLE PRODUCTION Ikg-I T• M O DERN I SA TION SER VICE
DavyMcKee provides a service 10 customers in30 counlries aroundthe world. The PowderMetallurgy division exists 10 serve allinvolvedinp roducing orprocessing metalpowders. Noprohlem 100 sma/~ no proled100 hig.Conlad: .John Dunldey GeneralManager-PowderMetallurgy Division
YV McKEDEPT. MPRl
MPR February 1990
PRI CE OF WA ES ROAD, S EFFIElD S9 4EX U TEL: 0742 449971 FAX: 0742 44964 1 TE EX: 54296
SA- (2031227 - 2485 TO KYO - 03 5712297 BEIJI G-6012345 FRA KFURT-06Q-4007232 MOSCOW- 2531263
81
PMIIJDiIIexpected to continue as firmscompete for marketshare. It alsosuggests that developing increaseduses forPMparts in automobiles willbe vital to the future successandgrowthof the industry.With regardto metal matrixcompositesthe report states thatMMCs have foundfewmarkets in thecommercial sector becauseof theirhigh cost. and their use is feasibleonly in high performanceapplications such as the aerospaceindustry. Few companieshavepursuedMMC researchbecauseofthehigh cost and the long lead in timebeforerealisinga return oninvestment.TheUSmarketforstructuralceramicsin 1987totalled5117millionup froman estimated5115million in 1985.However. US market opportunitiesare expected to see structuralceramicsincreaseto an estimated51billion to55 billion by the year 2000.
Advanced CMC,MMC and C-CCompositesA new multi-client 200-page marketreport fromMaterial TechnologyPublications in Walford. Herts.•discusses the rapidly growingmarketsfor ceramicmatrix,metalmatrix and carbon-carboncomposites. The report states thatceramicmatrix composites arc atpresent used mainly as whiskerreinforced cutting tools. a marketwhich total USS512.5 million in theUSA and Europetogether. or as SiCmatrix rocket/missile components.Metalmatrixcomposites arc sci forrapid growth. mainly due to theactivitiesof a fewcompanies. Autoparts, including fibre reinforcedaluminiumpistonsare expectedtobea majormarket. The report forecaststhat by 1995the USand WestEuropeandemand for aluminiumMMCs will reach545millionand $40million respectively.Carbon-carbon compositesmeanwhilewill find increasinguseon militaryand civil aircraftbrakes.plus applications as rocketparts andfurnacecomponents. Worldwidedemand for C-Ccomposites isexpectedtogrowfrom5261 millionin1989.to 5550 millionby 1995,and$774million by the year 2000. bywhich time Western Europecivilaircraftbrakeswill have becomethelargest market.
82
Further details are availablefrom:Materials Technology Public.•40Sotheron Road, Watford, Harts, UK.
PM Conferencein Paris
The PowderMetallurgy Groupof theSocieteFrancaisde Metallurgic isorganising a 3-dayPMconference inParis,March19-21, 1990,which willhave as its main theme: 'Controllingthe Propertiesof PMParts throughtheirMicrostructure'. The conferencewill feature38presentations coveringPMsteels, aluminium alloys,modellingand characterisation ofPMmaterials. high temperaturealloys.compositesand dispersionstrengthenedalloys. There will besimultaneoustranslationinto Frenchand English. Further details areavailablefrom: Mr Y Franchot,SocieteFrancaise de Metallurgie,Elysees - Defense Cedex35, 92072Paris-Defense, France. Telefax: (1) 4767 85 77. Telex 611 672 F
Commercialising Productionof DiamondPowder
Diamond Materials Inc. of StateCollege. Penna. reports that it isplanning to exploit a new processdevelopedat Pennsylvania StateUniversity' for the production ofdiamond powders. The companystates thai production is essentiallythe same as that used to producediamond coatings by chemicalvapour deposition (CVD), but usechlorinated hydrocarbons• .particularlydichlorornethane whichare broken down into clumps ofdiamond atoms.These clumps serveas nuclei on which the the crystallinepowdergrows.Irradiationwithmicrowave energyis said 10 increasethe rate of powderproduction.Whencommercialised the process isexpected to produce diamondpowdersforuse in abrasives and alsoas sintercd compactsfor electronicand microwave semiconductordevices.
4th International
Conference on
Isostatic Pressing
CALL FOR PAPERS
The 4th International Conference/Exhibition onIsostatic Pressing is to be held in Stralford-upon-Avon,UK. from Monday, November 5 to Wednesday, November
7, 1990, and the conference organiser is now invitingauthors to submit papers on one or more of the suggested
list of topics which are shown below.
Cold Isostatic Pressing
Ad need Dry-and et-BagIsostatic Presses;HighandLo'NPressure Systems; Con~r and A tomation Tooling;
ode ing of CIP; CIP App ica Ions.
Hot Isostatic Press ing/Sinter- IP
IP and S'nter-HIP Equipment; Isostatic ForgingfPse doIP; Process Eco omies: ocl;ling m lat' n; Temperare Co trol Sys:e i arometers: Encapsulation; Appli-
cations for HIP.
Authors wishing to present a paper at 1504 should send atitle and abstract in English of not more than 200 words to:
The Conference Manager,'4th International Conference on Isostatic Pressing',
MPR Publishing Services Ltd.Old Bank BUildings, Bellstone,
'!:om left at right) M Maiorino [Ferrotherm Inc); JConybear (AbarJp"~~n); t: Adams iCentotr Furnaces): P Crayton. M Heslin, R Spriggs(/1 '[red University}; C Miller (Centorr Furnaces)
A~i-ospacecomponents produced by meuum melting for ultra purity
sintering and intermetallic ceramiccomposites covering both alumlnidcsand silicides.Research into ceramics coversadvanced powder preparationtechniques for nitrides, carbides, and
The Union of MechanicalEngineering in Bulgaria is organisingthe 5th National PM Conference and
New MaterialsandTechnologies inPM
borides, blending by turbomilling,and sintering and HIPing of finegrained ceramics . The Bureau isplacing a concerted effort on a newTIALON (TiN/AIN/AI,OJ) ceramic.and SiC reinforced alumina.In 1986 the US Bureau of MinesResearch Center in Albany , Oregon,succ essfully demonstrated aninnovative, low cost halide process \0
produce tungsten carbide powders.This process is now beingcommercially developed in Canada.
billion per annum and is growing ata compound rate of more than 10%.Superalloys, which make up morethan 50% of the weight of an engine,arc currently booming with annualgrowth rates exceeding 20%.
PM Research atthe US Bureauof MinesA recently article by Murray ASchwartz. program manager formaterials resear ch at the US Bureau ofMines, in AS.\! News gave details ofsome of the PM-related research beingcarried out at a number of theBureau's nine research centres andthe Idaho National EngineeringLaboratory lINEL). Featured in theprogramme on advanced materials isthe usc of rapid solidification toproduce low-chromium steels, andthe INEL is studying the effect ofvacancy quenching and noble gasentrapment in the consolidation ofpowders by explosive compactionand HIP. Other areas Involve thejoining of parts made by rapidsolidification using explosive andwelding practi ces. microwave
These are the material propertiesdistinguish turbine blades and discsused in the highly stressedcomponents of aircraft engines.Aviation accid ents provide us withunfortunate evidence of this fact, andis why materials used for theseapplications must combine resist anceto high temperatures and corrosion,high rigidity, and low weight. Metalsmeeting this set of requirements oftenham other properties that make themunsuitable for these applications,however, They arc chemicallyreactive, that is, they react withatmospheric oxygen to form chem icalcompounds, and must be melted,refined and cast or atomized undervacuum to exclude oxygen. One of theleaders in the field of vacuum meltingis Leybold AG of Hanau, Germany.The world market for gas turbineengines currently stands at around 55
the Centorr belt furnace in June lastyear, preliminary studies conductedin the furnace have yielded AlONwith densities greeter than 99%theoretical. Some of the single phaseAION samples already transparentsecti ons and researchers at AlfredUniversity arc in the process ofexamining powd er preparation andfine tuning ofthe sintering procedure.
Ultrapure.Ultrafine·Ultrasafe JetEngine Parts
Research IntoAdvancedCeramicsAlfred Univ ersity and Cent orrFurna ces have joined forces in acollaborative study.covering thecontinuous sintering of non- oxideceramics . Research activities will takeplace at Alfred University's Center forAdvanced Ceramic Technology(CACT) in Alfred, New York withaluminium oxy-nitride andaluminium nitride being thecompositions of particular interest.Since the installation and start-up of
The Metal Powder Indu striesFederation is organising a 'PowderInjection Moulding' symposium atRensselaer Polyte chnic Institute,Troy, New York. from July 16-18,1990. The symposium has beenorganized to provide a technicalforum to compare and contrast thevarious technologies. powders,binders and proc essing routesembraced by this new shapingapproach. Programme details areavailable from: MPIF, 105 CollegeRoad East, Princeton. NJ 08540 . USA
Symposium on'PowderInjectionMoulding'
MPR Februarv 1990 83
PMIJDiII
G 'Sf 1,1990
JULY 2-6,1990 (London)'~i 90 . Internation 1 P IConte n • 3Il Exhibition'.Details: Institut e of let , 1Carhon H us Terra , LondonSW1 YSDB.
(TONNES)
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
t 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Accordingto figurespublished by theJapan Powder MetallurgyAssociation, iron powder shipmentsfor PM applications reached 79,230tonnes in the fust 10 months of 1989,and if the monthly average ismaintained for the remainder of theyear, shipments of iron powders forthe PMindustry could exceed 95,000tonnes, which compares with a total
of 86,191 tonnes in 1988. Shipmentsof PMgrade iron powders have beenconsistently high through the yearwith only the second month showinga downward slide 10 7224 tonnes.This was followedby a new monthlyrecord of 8658 tonnes. Output ofcopper powder for PMapplicationsreached 4753 tonnes in the first 10monthsof theyear,but the totalfortheyear is not expected to exceed therecord of 5562 tonnes set in 1988.
Monthly shipments o] ironpowder to Japan 's PM partproducers for the first 10 months0[1989
.Japan PM PartProduction Setfor New Record
. AY 20·23,1990 [Pittsburgh]'1990 P.i C.onfRIPnC Exhibition'.Details: MPIF, ioscot e" 8 RoadEibi, Prine ton, , !J 08540. USA.
f f.BRtM Y 18·22, 19 0( naheim).AdvancedMetal, CeramicMatrix
ASMInternational is organising aconference in Myrtle Beach,SouthCarolina,March 26-29, 1990, whichwill review the technology of theproduction, characterization, and useof mechanicallyalloyed materials forstructural applications. Materialscovered will include: nickel, iron.cobalt;aluminium alloys; titaniumalloys: composites:nanostructures;amorphous precursors, and otherstructural alloys, Programme detailsare available from: ASMInternational, Materials Park, Ohio44073, USA. Fax: 216 338 4634.
P
Parley on'MechanicalAlloying'
Beryllium:DemandBuoyant,OutputIncreases
New ResearchCentre forOutokumpu Oy
another 65% used to make masteralloys, and particularly Be-Cu alloys.World consumption of Be in 1988 isestimated at 285 ton (contained Be).Ofthis 190 ton were consumed in theUSA,50 ton in the USSR, and 45 tonin WesternEurope and Japan. In theUSA, 22% of consumption was as
Outokumpu Oy, the Finnish metal and alloys for aerospace andstate-owned mining and metals defense applications. Electricalproducer, has announced plans to set equipment used 38% in the formofBeup a new independent research alloys and oxides, and electroniccompany called Outokumpu cornoonents another 24% also asResearch Oy with an annual research alloys and oxides. In the mid-Bus itbudget ofaround 513.5 million out of .,» ' was forecast that US consumption ofa total Outokumpu group budget of Bewould grow by 5.2% per year toover S81 million for R&D. The 2000.More recent forecasts suggestcompany is a majorproducer ofcobalt that annual growth of between 8 andmetal powder. 12% is more likely. The 164 page
report is available from: RoskillInformation Services Ltd, 2 ClaphamRoad,London S\V9 OJA, price£470.00 (5940).
Consumption of beryllium metal hasgrown steadily throughout the midand late-1980s and although itappears to have reached a temporaryplateau in 1988, industry forecastsarefor growth rates of 8 to 12% per year,according to London based analystsRoskill Information Services. Roskillstates that fum beryllium prices havebeen bolstered by a modest USGovernment stockpile acquisitionprogramme, and the perceivedstrategic importance of US ore hashelped to stimulate furtherprospectingin NorthAmerica.During1988 beryllium deposits were foundin Norway which if exploited couldsatisfy European demand for the next10 years. Brazil also has berylliumdeposits in MinasGeraisand this maybe developed to supply a proposed Beplant. If commissioned it would bethe only Be plant in the WesternWorld outside the USA.In 1988 an estimated 332 ton ofberyllium in milled bertrandite andberyl ores yielded· after processlosses - somewhere between 265 and315 tons of Be in the hydroxideintermediate from which Be metal,master alloys and chemicalcompounds are made. About 25% ofthe hydroxide is thought to have beenreduced to metal powder, with
AdvancedCeramics andPM MaterialsProcessing
PlasticsThreaten PMBearings
The European Advanced MaterialsInstitute (EA~H) is organising anotherconferencein Hameenlinna. Finland,September 23-25, 1990 entitled:'Advanced Ceramicsand PMMaterialsProcessing'. Further detailsare available from: EAMI, Reumantie4, SF-18100Heinola, Finland.
The Polygon Co. of Walkerton,Ind.has introduced new compositeself-lubricatlng bearings whichconsist of an interior made of hybridpolytetralluoroethylene (PTFE)filaments which provides selflubrication and a filament wound orbraided composite exterior, whichimparts strength and corrosionresistance. The company claims thatthese composite bearings haveadvantagesovermetalselfl ubricatingbearings in that they have a lowercoefficient of friction and low wearrate, and a high pressure- velocity(PV) limit that allows the bearings tobe run at a faster shaft speed with ahigher load. The composite bearingsalsos provide dielectric strengthsover200 Vlmil, allowing them to functionas electrical insulators for increasedsafety.
exhibition in Sofia, Bulgaria,November 13-15,1990. which ithopes will have internationalattendance and technicalpresentations. Delegates will alsohave the opportunity to visit PMproduction factories in the towns ofSvoge and Mezdra. The organisersarenow requesting authors to submittheir papers to: Mr D. Ilarnyanov,Union of Mechanical Engineering,1000 Sofia, Rakovksi Street 108. P.O.Box 431, Bulgaria.
Sta in lo s _teo 410LStainless Steel (Spherical)Tantalum Capacitor GradelTae I 'LC 77:23 88.50Ta / t·b . 99:01 10 . 0Tin 5.35Tun sten Con :ent. (73 .44 \\' 0) 58.96Tungsten (APT)Tungsten Powder 10.iOTungsten carbi de 11.501'1ngsten Carbi e (submicronl 13.70
on imporis of Chinese ores andconcentrates, tungstic acid andtungsten oxides. A presentation madeat the December 1989 meeting of theCommittee on Tungsten, UnitedNations Conference on Trade andDevelopment (UNCTAD) held inGeneva, indicated a reasonably strongworldwide demand for tungstenduring most of 1989. In spite of thismarket condition, however. prices forconcentrates and intermediatematerials failed to rise accordingly.According to statistics presented byWayne DLenton, president of CanadaTungsten Mining Corp. and presidentof the International TungstenIndustry Association, at the recentFerro-Alloys Conference held inMonte Carlo, China has a virtualmonopoly on imports of APT andoxides/acid into the EC. Lentonindicated that if duties were imposedon tungsten products from China. itwould help to push up prices not onlyin the EC but possibly also in the restof the world.
'S6'85
5 0 f-- - - - - -
150
100 1-- - -
2 0 0 rt=====:=;.::=J
4,000
t; 3, 500
~ 3,000
8 2,500
~ 2,000
t3 ' t~~ 1,000g
500
0
E E C IMPORTS OF TUNGSTEN PRODUCTSAP T
Despite the fact that an ECAnti-Dumping committee has beeninvestigating the possibility ofimposing duties on Chinese tungstenproducts such as concentrate. APT.oxide, acid and carbide powder.imports from China continue to soar.Following a recent meeting of the ECcommittee it was reportedly decidedto terminate its investigation intoclaims that China has been dumpingammonium paratungstate andtungsten metal powder into theEuropean Community. Debate ishowever said to be continuing.regarding the imposition of penalties
