QMP to acquire Mannesmann's powder production business

Hoeganaes introduces lowalloy powder A PREALLOYED, lowalloy meta powder has been added to Hoeganaes’ product range. ‘Ancorsteel” 50 HP’ contains 0.5% molybdenum as its primary alloying addition and provides the same compressibility as Ancorsteel 85 HP with its 0.85% MO content. “This new metal powder was developed in response to fabricators who indicated that many of their applications, although successfully produced with Ancorsteel 85 HP, did not require a material with that high a MO content,” says Dennis Jackson, vice president, sales and marketing. Jackson says the new powder will provide an economic benefit as well, since the lower MO content will price Ancorsteel 50 HP lower than Ancorsteel 85 HP. Jackson says Ancorsteel 50 HP, in addition to its high compressibility, reacts well to heat treatment and provides tensile, impact, and fatigue properties required for high-performance applications. He says the material is ideal for use with the company’s ANCORBOND”, ANCORDENSE”, and ANCORMIX” processes and responds well to both regular and high-temperature sintering. In normal compacting, Hoeganaes says the new material will reach green densities of 6.8-7.1 g.cme3. Used with the warm-compaction process, a density of 7.3 g.cm.3 is attainable, while 7.4 g.cm-3 is possible with double press/double sinter operations. While Ancorsteel 50 HP will have significant usage in the automotive industry, it is equally applicable to the hand tool, lawn and garden, and appliance markets. The product serves as a base on its own or as base for hvbrid alloy systems for high-performance applications. Hoeganaes Corp; tel: +l609-829-2220; fax: +1-609786- 2574.

QMP to acquire Mannesmann’s production business QUEBEC Metal Powders (QMP) Ltd of Tracy, Canada: has signed an agreement to acquire the metal powder business of German engineering company Mannesmann Demag AC;. The purchase, for an undisclosed sum, will take effect from 1 July 1998, provided the necessary approvals are received from the German competition authorities. Under the agreement Mannesmann’s powder production facility at MGnchengladbach, Germany, will become QMP Metal Powders GmbH and will give the Canadian company an additional 32 000 metric tonnes per year of steel powder annealing capacity in Europe. QMP GmbH will continue to manufacture all the current Mannesmann powders grades with the present facilities, as well as using the facility to support sales of the existing QMP product line. At the present time the raw powder for the Mannesmann metal powders is produced under a arrangement by SUPPlY HGgan& AB at its Halmstad plant in Sweden, after the German company opted to close its melting and atomization facilities in 1994. At the expiration of this agreement in mid1999, however, QMP intends to supply the raw material from its Tracy plant. This move will fit in nicely with its current expansion programme that will see its annual atomization capacity boosted to 200 000

powder

QMP will continue to produce the full range of Mannesmann powders such as ‘MSP 1.5 MO’. tonnes by the end of this year. QMP director of marketing and business development, David Au, says the deal offers several benefits to its customers. “The German manufacturing facilities and distribution network will help improve response time to QMP customers in Europe by providing local access to powder production, blending equipment and laboratory and customer support services,” Au says. “Mannesmann customers will benefit with an assured supply of high quality QMP powders and access to the technical resources and expertise of the combined company.” will centralize QMP management of its European manufacturing and sales activities at Manchengladbach. The current head of Mannesmann’s Powder Metallurgy product unit, Dr Norbert Dautzenberg, will retire shortly, although he will continue to act as a consul-

tant to the new company. His successor will be Dr Rainer Link who will take up the post as Managing Director of QMP Metal Powders GmbH. Despite the sales of its powder business, Mannesmann will retain an interest in the powder metallurgy (PM) industry through its Powder Presses product group. The product group will remain at its existing Mijnchengladbach site where it is to be reallocated, together with the entire staff, to Mannesmann’s Hydraulic Presses business unit. Mannesmann says the inclusion of the mechanical and hydraulic powder presses into this division will ideally complement the existing product range of this unit, which to date has essentially comprised extruders and forging presses, with various useful synergies accruing as a result. QMP; tel: +l-514-841. 2419; ~CLX:+1-514-288-l 333.

vidual whose contributions to scientific knowledge through recent research are both exemplary and internationally acclaimed. ACuPowder International LLC, the US-based

non-ferrous powder producer, attained IS0 9002 certification on 9 April 1998. The certification process was conducted by Kemper Registrar Services Inc with accreditation from ANSI*RAB.

In brief Randall M. German, Brush Chair Professor in Materials at Penn State University, has received the ‘Penn State Engineering Society Premier Research Award’. This award recognizes an indi-

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