Abstract

Powder metallurgy (P/M) as a fabrication technique involves the compaction of metallic powders, followed by a heat treatment to produce a denser piece. The technique makes it possible to produce a virtually non-porous and shaped piece with very close dimensional tolerance, which has the properties almost equivalent to the fully dense parent material. Usually diffusional processes through heat treatment are employed to achieve these properties; it is thus particularly suitable for producing materials with low ductility, since only little plastic deformation among compacted particles occurs. For metallic powders with high melting temperatures, they are difficult to be melted or casted. With the intended use of multiple binders, P/M on the binders-mixed powders, followed by a heat treatment is competent to produce shaped pieces with required properties. Furthermore the metal injection molding (MIM) technique can be applied for fast production on the pieces with multifaceted designs.

On the other hand, P/M sintered porous metal material can be made of metallic powders with the inclusion of binders and spacers and produced through pressing, additives removal, and high-temperature sintering processes. With the expected properties such as high strength, rigid structure, good and uniform permeability, and high thermal and corrosion resistance, P/M sintered porous metal products are possibly utilized in various fields such as petrochemical, chemical, metallurgical, power and electrical, environmental, pharmaceutical, and aeronautical industries.