Development of a powder warming compacting machine with an electrical heating system

Density control is an important factor in producing high-quality powder metallurgy parts (P/M). All mechanical properties are improved with increased density. To obtain parts with higher density, the double-pressing, double-sintering, and powder forging or copper infiltration methods are usually applied. However, the operation cost also increases from 40% to 100%. Recently, suppliers of P/M material and compacting presses have cooperated to develop warm compacting technology that increases the density of powder metal parts from 7.1 to 7.2–7.5 g/cm3 with a single press and single sintering cycle while keeping the operation cost increase below 20%. aper presents a new powder heating method with an electrical heater element instead of the hot oil circulation process that is currently used in warm compaction. This electrical heating system simplifies the heating element installation and can be fitted to all types of presses. This system is easy to maintain and operate, and could significantly reduce production costs.