Powder metallurgy is an advanced technology that uses metal powders as raw materials and manufactures materials and components through a four-step core process: powder preparation, forming, sintering, and post-processing. Compared with traditional casting and forging,
it has significant advantages:
1. Near-net shaping: Traditional casting and forging require extensive machining to achieve precise shapes. Powder metallurgy's near-net shaping technology can control part dimensional accuracy within ±0.05mm during forming, reducing subsequent machining requirements by more than 80%.
2. Material versatility: Traditional processes are limited in producing special composite materials. Powder metallurgy, by adjusting powder ratios and controlling sintering temperatures, can produce composites difficult to achieve with conventional methods, such as aluminum-based SiC and nanocrystalline soft magnets
.3. Energy efficiency and environmental protection: Traditional casting and forging have a material utilization rate of only 60%-70% due to reserved machining allowances. Near-net shaping in powder metallurgy can increase this to over 95%. Regarding energy consumption, traditional casting requires melting metals, and forging needs multiple heating and hammering steps, whereas powder metallurgy sintering does not require full metal melting, reducing energy consumption by 40%-60%.
