Powder metallurgy is a process technology that involves producing metal powders or using metal powders (or mixtures of metal and non-metal powders) as raw materials, followed by forming and sintering to manufacture metallic materials, composite materials, and various types of products. Powder metallurgy shares similarities with ceramic production, both falling under the category of powder sintering technology. Therefore, a series of new powder metallurgy technologies can also be applied to the preparation of ceramic materials. Due to its advantages, powder metallurgy has become a key solution for new material issues and plays a crucial role in the development of new materials.
Powder metallurgy encompasses powder production and products. Powder production primarily involves the metallurgical process, which aligns with its name. However, powder metallurgy products often extend far beyond materials and metallurgy, spanning multiple disciplines (materials and metallurgy, mechanics and engineering). Especially modern 3D printing of metal powders integrates mechanical engineering, CAD, reverse engineering technology, additive manufacturing, numerical control technology, materials science, and laser technology, making powder metallurgy a modern interdisciplinary technique that spans even more fields.
Powder metallurgy technology can minimize the segregation of alloy components and eliminate coarse, uneven casting structures. It plays a crucial role in preparing high-performance rare earth permanent magnet materials, rare earth hydrogen storage materials, rare earth luminescent materials, rare earth catalysts, high-temperature superconducting materials, and new metal materials (such as Al-Li alloys, heat-resistant Al alloys, superalloys, powder corrosion-resistant stainless steels, powder high-speed steels, intermetallic compound high-temperature structural materials, etc.).
Powder metallurgy possesses unique chemical composition and mechanical, physical properties that cannot be achieved through traditional casting methods. Using powder metallurgy technology, porous, semi-dense, or fully dense materials and products can be directly produced, such as oil bearings, gears, cams, guides, and cutting tools, making it a process with minimal or no machining.
(1) Powder metallurgy technology can minimize the segregation of alloy components and eliminate coarse, uneven casting structures. It plays a crucial role in preparing high-performance rare earth permanent magnet materials, rare earth hydrogen storage materials, rare earth luminescent materials, rare earth catalysts, high-temperature superconducting materials, and new metal materials (such as Al-Li alloys, heat-resistant Al alloys, superalloys, powder corrosion-resistant stainless steels, powder high-speed steels, intermetallic compound high-temperature structural materials, etc.
(2) A series of high-performance non-equilibrium materials such as amorphous, microcrystalline, quasicrystalline, nanocrystalline and supersaturated solid solution can be prepared, which have excellent electrical, magnetic, optical and mechanical properties.
(3) It can easily realize a variety of types of composites, give full play to the characteristics of each component materials, and is a process technology for low-cost production of high-performance metal-based and ceramic composites.
