A large number of steel components for mechanical and hydraulic use are produced by Powder Metallurgy. They are, in general, parts with complex geometry and high dimensional precision, which offer great reliability and repeatability in large series.
The capital goods industry is a major consumer of sintered parts. Since the profitability of buying sintered parts increases with the annual output, it is easy to understand that the largest consumers are the automotive industry (the main market), electrical appliances, handtools, home fittings, industrial pumps and other high-volume industrial segments.
The powder metal components present inside cars are in engines, transmissions, transfer cases, exhaust, starters, brakes, steering, shock absorbers, comfort and safety systems (rear-view mirrors, seats, sunroofs, HVAC) and various pumps (oil, fuel, water, servobrake, SCR, VVT, CVT).
As a reference, each car uses about between 10 and 15 Kg of powder metal parts. If an average part weighs 20 grams, this means that each car contains about 600 powder metal components, some of which are considered Critical or Safety components.
Powder metallurgy makes it possible to obtain high-performance parts from a wide variety of steels (including stainless steel), forming processes and sintering technologies, complemented with heat treatments, mechanical treatments, coatings and various types of finishings. Their mechanical properties are comparable to those of wrought structural steels or alloyed cast iron, reaching a tensile strength greater than 1,300 MPa.
