Types of Powder Production Line Components

The building blocks of matter have driven the imaginations of philosophers, scientists and artists for millennia. For manufacturers, these primary materials take a more concrete form as powders.

The powder route to metal components differs from the conventional ingot and wrought methods, with significant implications for the microstructure. Tolerance adherence and net-shaping reduce machining requirements, improving surface finish and repetitive accuracy.

Powder Metallurgy

When parts are required to operate Powder Production Line under high temperatures, in corrosive environments and meet rigorous dimensional requirements, powder metal manufacturing is the way to go. PM allows manufacturers to create near-net shape parts reducing material waste and optimizing strength, stiffness, hardness, and weight. This is particularly important in industries that require parts such as surgical blades, endoscopic graspers and camshaft belt pulleys.

The process of making PM products starts with atomization, where liquid metal is broken into tiny particles. Then the metal powder is combined with binders and lubricants, which determines its properties. Afterwards, the powder is pressed under intense pressure into a mold to create a desired part.

After molding, sintering takes place to fuse the parts together. This is done using a laser guided by a computer aided design (CAD) file to coalesce the powder into a solid mass. The result is a part with excellent dimensional accuracy, high part-to-part uniformity and superior tensile and compression strength. The PM process is also an environmentally sustainable approach to metal product production. It produces significantly less air and liquid pollution and solid waste than casting, forging or machining.

SMC

Soft magnetic composites have a number of specific applications that require a different design mindset from the usual powder metal components. Examples include pneumatic components used in harsh environments that must be capable of sealing against dusty air and limiting electrical, thermal, or static electricity energy.

SMC is made in a continuous process using web-based systems that apply paste containing resins, pigments, and fillers to upper and lower carrier films moving through the machine. Various settings like blade height, cutter speed, and line speed control the glass-to-resin ratio that determines mechanical properties.

Some of the newest developments in SMC involve replacing metal parts with those made of the material, an idea that’s growing fast in the automotive market. Hilburn says the material’s low cost and high strength are major advantages, but he emphasizes that proper design is crucial to success. That includes allowing for wall thickness variations, undercuts, reliefs, threads, and cross holes. He also points out that it is critical to avoid excessive lubrication on the workpieces or the molds, and not to use high-pressure compaction.

Gears

Gears are an integral part of many industrial applications and they must be able to withstand strenuous conditions while maintaining a high level of precision. The most common types of gears are spur, helical, and bevel gears. Gears must be able to transmit mechanical motion and control torque, power, and speed.

A method of producing gears is disclosed in which at least a surface region of a powder metal preform is provided with a bainite microstructure by resintering the preform and cooling it at a rate suitable to produce bainite. This method provides a powdered metal gear that can be shaved to provide external straight gear teeth having a quality grade that is equal to or higher than a gear of the same type produced by conventional methods from wrought bar stock.

This gear manufacturing method has numerous advantages over traditional machining, including lower energy usage, minimal scrap, and reduced environmental impact. It is also cost effective and ideal for large production quantities. However, powder metallurgy has limitations when it comes to the strength of the gear teeth and they aren’t as durable as machined gears.

Cutting Tools

Cutting tools are used in various industries to cut, shape, and remove material from a workpiece. They are typically made from hard materials that can withstand high temperatures and abrasion. They can also be coated to improve their performance. A variety of shapes and sizes are available to accommodate different needs.

A cutting tool can be classified in several ways, but the most common method is based on the number of major cutting edges participating in the process simultaneously. These tools are used in lathe machines, shaping machines, and planar machines.

The most commonly used cutting materials are carbide, tungsten carbide, and ceramics. These materials are characterized by their high hot strength, high hardness, and resistance to chemical attack. They also have good ductility and can withstand very high cutting speeds.

Choosing the right cutting tool can make or break your manufacturing operation. Berkness Company can help you choose the perfect product for your specific application. Contact us today for more information. We look forward to hearing from you! We have the experience and knowledge necessary to help you meet all your manufacturing goals.

Valves & Manifolds

Valves are essential components when it comes to maintaining flow in a process application. However, when you need more than one valve in a particular location, a manifold is the perfect solution. Manifolds combine multiple valves filling machinery into a single unit to make connecting in confined spaces easy, as well as allow for the calibration or replacement of pressure instruments without requiring system shutdown.

The powder metallurgy industry utilizes metals and nonmetals to produce metal, composite, and other materials. It uses the processes of forming, sintering, and briquette molding to achieve desired workability and structure in a finished product. The products produced using this technology are utilized in various industries including automotive, machinery, electronic, aerospace & defense, and other applications.

Instrumentation manifold valves are a combination of a block valve, isolation and bleed valve in a single body with multiple connections. They help measure static, gauge, variable, and differential pressures in process instrumentation lines. They are available in different configurations such as single isolates, block & bleed or block, equalise & bleed, and can be either direct instrument mount or remote mount.