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New Catamold goes on sale
Plansee slams REACH law as ‘unwanted cost’ EUROPE'S proposed REACH chemicals legislation was slammed by Plansee's Michael Schwarzkopf at the opening of the 16th International Plansee Seminar in Reutte, Austria. Dismissing the 1200-page draft law currently before the European Parliament as an unwanted additional cost for European PM companies already under pressure from global competition, increased energy prices and soaring raw material costs, he said: "These are definitely not the stimulating signals which are urgently needed by the European economy." If implemented in its current form the REACH legislation would classify metals as “chemicals” and make them subject to a battery of stringent rules and test regimes to ensure their safety. Critics of the proposals say that they
are excessive in scope and that the expense of implementation - to be borne by business - presents a danger to European competitiveness and employment in the EU. Restating his strong commitment to technology and innovation, Mr Schwarzkopf added: "Innovation creates the lead that the European economy needs to survive in global competition. As soon as competitors are able to copy products, manufacturers in high-wage countries will lose." Warming to his theme Mr Schwarzkopf described the tough competitive environment in which the suppliers of powder metallurgical products have to survive. "The enormous growth in Asia and particularly in China and India is forcing manufacturers to set up production sites in these growth regions. For the numerous medium-sized com-
panies in this field this is not an easy task." Furthermore, he added, pressure on sales margins is increasing. "On the one hand this is caused by intensified global competition, on the other due to the raw material price hype, which leads many customers to think about substituting our products." The Plansee Seminar has taken place regularly over the last 52 years, with topics covering the latest technological findings in the area of powder metallurgy. This year more than 500 scientists from 35 countries participated. The meeting had a theme of powder metallurgical high performance materials and attracted 230 contributions were presented on refractory metals and cemented carbide. There was a remarkably high number of contributions from China.
Medical coup for UK atomiser ASL, the Sheffield, UK atomising company has signed a manufacturing agreement with pSiMedica for the manufacture of the process intermediate for its cancer treatment product 32P BioSilicon. BioSilicon microparticles are bombarded with neutrons to turn it into the activated form, BrachySil, by converting the phosphorous into its 32P isotope. The neutron bombardment requires ultra-low levels of contamination,
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MPR June 2005
which means that the powder must me manufactured under ultra-clean conditions. ASL's clean room facility houses a specially designed melting and water atomisation unit used to produce ultra-pure (99.9999 per cent) silicon-phosphorous alloy powder with particles in the 10 - 100 micron range BrachySil has been developed by pSiMedica as a "device" for the direct intratumoural treatment of cancers. Clinicians will receive
BrachySil as a sterile powder for resuspension in an injectible aqueous formulation, administered via fine gauge needle using ultrasound or tomography for accurate placement. Powder produced in ASL's clean room has been used this year in Phase II clinical trials at Singapore General hospital, with primary liver cancer as the first clinical indication. The excellent results obtained will be followed by a dose profiling
New Catamold goes on sale BASF HAS added a new product to its Catamold line of MIM feedstocks. The company produces carbonyl iron powder and a range of feedstock materials at its main plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany. Each Catamold grade is specified for the relevent parameters of PIM processing: melt flow index for the moulding characteristics; sinter density and linear shrinkage for the sintering process. The company says that its quality control procedures ensure that for every production lot of the granulate these parameter specifications are met. Sold under the Catamold 4340 trademark, the new MIM feedstock is aimed at general applications requiring a low alloy material. It is close to BASF's Catamold 42CrMo4, which contains no nickel. A familiar AISI designation, 4340 contains 2 percent nickel, less than 1 percent chromium, 0.2 percent molybdenum, 0.4 percent carbon, and the balance iron.
Small but powerful SWEDISH press builder Sinterteknik based in Husqvarna are about to introduce the first of a range of compact presses. By any normal industry standards the machine is very small. It is capable of pressing at up to 400 tonnes and producing parts up to 50cc at a rate of 10 - 12 per minute. It stands 3,3m high, 3.5m deep including the hydraulic cylinder and is 2m wide. It weighs five tonnes and does not require a pit.
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are excessive in scope and that the expense of implementation - to be borne by business - presents a danger to European competitiveness and employment in the EU. Restating his strong commitment to technology and innovation, Mr Schwarzkopf added: "Innovation creates the lead that the European economy needs to survive in global competition. As soon as competitors are able to copy products, manufacturers in high-wage countries will lose." Warming to his theme Mr Schwarzkopf described the tough competitive environment in which the suppliers of powder metallurgical products have to survive. "The enormous growth in Asia and particularly in China and India is forcing manufacturers to set up production sites in these growth regions. For the numerous medium-sized com-
panies in this field this is not an easy task." Furthermore, he added, pressure on sales margins is increasing. "On the one hand this is caused by intensified global competition, on the other due to the raw material price hype, which leads many customers to think about substituting our products." The Plansee Seminar has taken place regularly over the last 52 years, with topics covering the latest technological findings in the area of powder metallurgy. This year more than 500 scientists from 35 countries participated. The meeting had a theme of powder metallurgical high performance materials and attracted 230 contributions were presented on refractory metals and cemented carbide. There was a remarkably high number of contributions from China.
Medical coup for UK atomiser ASL, the Sheffield, UK atomising company has signed a manufacturing agreement with pSiMedica for the manufacture of the process intermediate for its cancer treatment product 32P BioSilicon. BioSilicon microparticles are bombarded with neutrons to turn it into the activated form, BrachySil, by converting the phosphorous into its 32P isotope. The neutron bombardment requires ultra-low levels of contamination,
8
MPR June 2005
which means that the powder must me manufactured under ultra-clean conditions. ASL's clean room facility houses a specially designed melting and water atomisation unit used to produce ultra-pure (99.9999 per cent) silicon-phosphorous alloy powder with particles in the 10 - 100 micron range BrachySil has been developed by pSiMedica as a "device" for the direct intratumoural treatment of cancers. Clinicians will receive
BrachySil as a sterile powder for resuspension in an injectible aqueous formulation, administered via fine gauge needle using ultrasound or tomography for accurate placement. Powder produced in ASL's clean room has been used this year in Phase II clinical trials at Singapore General hospital, with primary liver cancer as the first clinical indication. The excellent results obtained will be followed by a dose profiling
New Catamold goes on sale BASF HAS added a new product to its Catamold line of MIM feedstocks. The company produces carbonyl iron powder and a range of feedstock materials at its main plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany. Each Catamold grade is specified for the relevent parameters of PIM processing: melt flow index for the moulding characteristics; sinter density and linear shrinkage for the sintering process. The company says that its quality control procedures ensure that for every production lot of the granulate these parameter specifications are met. Sold under the Catamold 4340 trademark, the new MIM feedstock is aimed at general applications requiring a low alloy material. It is close to BASF's Catamold 42CrMo4, which contains no nickel. A familiar AISI designation, 4340 contains 2 percent nickel, less than 1 percent chromium, 0.2 percent molybdenum, 0.4 percent carbon, and the balance iron.
Small but powerful SWEDISH press builder Sinterteknik based in Husqvarna are about to introduce the first of a range of compact presses. By any normal industry standards the machine is very small. It is capable of pressing at up to 400 tonnes and producing parts up to 50cc at a rate of 10 - 12 per minute. It stands 3,3m high, 3.5m deep including the hydraulic cylinder and is 2m wide. It weighs five tonnes and does not require a pit.
metal-powder.net