PM
UPDATE
EPMA reviews PM research A seminar to review the current status of research projects currently being undertaken, and recently completed (back to 1985), throughout Europe, is being organized by the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA). The meeting, to be held on 10 April 1991, in Brussels, Belgium, is based on a survey undertaken by the EPMA in November 1990. The organizer hopes that the initiative will bring greater transparency to the European research scene and help the European powder metallurgy (PM) community identify its future r e s e a r c h needs. The EPMA believes that this will be particularly important in areas of developing new PM materials, innovative manufacturing technology for PM products and improved quality control and increased productivity manufacturing methods. A European PM Research Data Bank is currently being compiled by the EPMA which will contain information on most of the major collaborative European projects plus indep e n d e n t d a t a s u b m i t t e d by various organizations to the Association.
European Powder Metallurgy A s s o c i a t i o n , Old B a n k Buildings, Bellstone, Shrewsbury SY1 1HU, UK; tel: 0743364675; fax: 0743-362968.
Mackey Bowley links with ABC Loire Mackey Bowley International (MBI) of Gravesend, UK, says that it has been appointed sole UK/Eire agent for the complete range of hydraulic presses made by the Loire division of ACB, a subsidiary of GEC Alsthom. Loire is among the European leaders for the manufacture of hydraulic presses for metalforming applications as well as isostatic presses and presses for composite moulding applications.
Mackey Bowley International Ltd, Norfolk Road Industrial Estate, Gravesend DA12 2PT, UK; tel: 0474-363521;fax: 0474-334818. 4
MPR March 1991
Dymet Corp changes hands US-based powder metallurgy (PM) part maker Dymet Corp of Muskegon, Michigan, has been bought from ROI by John Holman and Winton Crawford. According to PM Technology Newsletter both men have considerable experience of the PM industry, Holman has been with Dymet since 1984 and spent 21 years in the business prior to this working for IPM Corp, Pure Carbon and Advanced Products. Crawford owned a sales agency, PM Sales Inc. Dymet was founded in 1973 and makes parts for the automotive, instrumentation, lawn and garden, office equipment and hand tool markets. The c o m p a n y h a s a 2600 m 2 (28 000 ft2) plant and employs 27 people. Pressing capacity is from 4-500 tons and materials processed include iron, steel, stainless steel, brass, bronze, aluminium, and nickel-silver. Holman says that Dymet is gearing up for larger growth. He sees sales doubling by 1995.
D y m e t Corp, 1901 Peck Street, Muskegon, MI 49441, USA; tel: 616-726-5061.
New self-lubricating materials developed by NASA A powder metallurgy process for manufacturing a new class of low-friction, low-wear, self-lubricating materials has been developed at NASA's Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, US.A_ The materials can be used in oxidizing or reducing atmospheres in the t e m p e r a t u r e range 25°C-900°C. According to a report in The
International Journal of Powder Metallurgy the composite materials were originally derived from plasma-sprayed selflubricating coating compositions. But NASA says, plasmaspraying is unsuitable for making free standing parts such as bearings, bushings, valve seats and gears. The new materials include: 30-70 wt% chromium carbide, hafnium carbide or other carbides resistant to oxidation; 520 wt% of soft noble metals, usually silver or gold; 5-20 wt%
of high temperature solid-lubricants, consisting of fluorides consisting of metals of group I or II of the periodic table, fluorides or rare-earth metals, or mixtures; 20-60 wt% of a metal binder, which can be a nickel alloy, a cobalt alloy, or both. The powders are blended and either mechanically compacted or hot or cold isostatically pressed (HIP, CIP), this is followed by sintering at 9001200°C for 30 minutes in hydrogen or inert gas. NASA says that p ar t s can be fabricated by HIPing at 900-1200°C using pressures in the range 140-420 MPa (20-60 ksi). Materials can also be fabricated using hot mechanical pressing.
Patent Counsel, Leuris Research Center, Mail Code LELAW, 21000, Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH 44135, USA; tel: 216-433-5753.
Expansion of product range at PSI Following the successful introduction of its Hermiga range of laboratory and pilot-scale inert gas atomizers, PSI Ltd of Polegate, UK, says that it is now expanding its range of rapid solidification (RS) processing systems. Working closely with a leading UK academic institution PSI claims to have responded to market demands for a high performance, quality engineered, remote melt-spinning system which can be used for a variety of RS ribbon production techniques. Designated Ultraspin the equipment is built in modular form, which enables an a s s o r t m e n t of e x p e r i m e n t a l configurations to be derived from the basic concept. The metal melting and delivery system is based on practices used on the Hermiga gas atomizers, and the pressure/vacuum vessel is of stainless steel construction throughout, and to high vacuum standards enabling pure ribbon to be spun in a variety of clean protective atmospheres. A range of options may be engineered (or retrofitted) into the standard design, including: interchangeable materials for the water cooled wheel (e.g. stainless steel, molybdenum or beryllium copper); reversible direction of the wheel; supple-