Is powder metallurgy process environmentally friendly?

Is powder metallurgy process environmentally friendly?

Is powder metallurgy process environmentally friendly? Powder metallurgy has been recognized as a green and sustainable manufacturing technology by the industry. The following is a brief introduction of Zhongwei Precision Group from the aspects of the sustainable function, material sustainability, energy sustainability, equipment sustainability, environmental sustainability, sustainable employment, and sustainable value advantages of powder metallurgy.

powder metallurgy

First, in terms of continuous function, powder metallurgy has high forming capacity and material utilization rate, which can minimize all energy consumption. Compared with the traditional process (hot processing+cold processing) of casting or forging+cutting, the powder metallurgy process only requires a few processes to manufacture the same part, which can complete a more complex process with more processes.

Second, in terms of material sustainability, the formability of powder metallurgy is its main advantage. For example, when forming a dentate part, up to 40% of the materials in the traditional cutting process will become chips, while 85% of the powder used in powder metallurgy is produced from recycled materials. In the production process of powder metallurgy parts, the waste loss of each process is generally 3% or less, and the material utilization rate can reach 95%.

Third, in terms of energy sustainability, the general traditional manufacturing process needs several smelting heating and reheating processes to finally take shape; When using the atomization method to produce steel powder or iron powder, it is only necessary to smelt the scrap once, and all other hot working operations are carried out at a temperature lower than the melting point. This not only saves energy, but also can make the shape and form the required material properties and mechanical performance. Through the comparison of material utilization ratio of metal forming process, it is found that the energy required for manufacturing powder metallurgy parts is 44% of that for forging cutting parts.

IV. In terms of environmental sustainability, due to the final forming ability of powder metallurgy, the finished parts are generally made after sintering, which can be packaged and delivered. In most cases, the cutting oil used for processing P/M products is negligible, and the toxic pollutants released by pollution sources such as cooling water are also very few. Compared with other manufacturing processes, powder metallurgy parts industry is almost harmless to the environment.

Powder metallurgy technology is a green technology, which has become an indispensable part of automobile parts. China's powder metallurgy is also decreasing, and Chinese Mainland will gradually become one of the world's largest manufacturing bases for metallurgical powder parts.