The powder metallurgy products used in automobiles are highly technological products, which can reduce the weight of automobiles and reduce manufacturing costs. They also have the function of optimizing the consumption process of automotive industry products and improving the competitiveness of the automotive industry. Currently, there are over 400 powder metallurgy components used in automobiles worldwide.

As a typical net final shape manufacturing technology, powder metallurgy has advantages in many aspects such as energy conservation, material conservation, environmental protection, economy, and efficiency, and has gradually been recognized and widely applied by various industries; Especially with the application and rapid development of automotive powder metallurgy products, the powder metallurgy industry has entered a fast lane of development. Electrolytic manganese powder

In order to explore the detailed application and development trend of powder metallurgy technology and products in the automotive industry, the reporter interviewed Professor Han Fenglin, a senior staff member of the Powder Metallurgy Professional Association of the China Machinery General Parts Industry Association.

Widely applied internationally, China has great potential for electrolytic manganese powder

Professor Han introduced that powder metallurgy is a new metal forming technology that uses metal powder as the fundamental raw material and uses forming sintering to manufacture metal products. In 1940, a large American automobile company changed all the oil pump gears used to powder metallurgy gears, and from then on, powder metallurgy structural parts took root in the automotive industry.

According to materials, the total production of powder metallurgy parts in China in 2006 was 78.03 million tons, of which the production of powder metallurgy parts for automobiles had reached 28.877 million tons; In addition, in terms of the average weight of powder metallurgy parts used in each light vehicle (including sedans), in 2006, the average weight of powder metallurgy parts used in each vehicle in China was 3.97 kilograms, 8.7 kilograms in Japan, and 19.5 kilograms in North America. In addition, the powder metallurgy parts that are currently being developed in the automotive industry are mainly applied in areas ranging from 16-20 kilograms for engine parts, 15-18 kilograms for transmission parts, 8-10 kilograms for transfer case parts, and 7-9 kilograms for others. It can be seen that China has great market potential for powder metallurgy automotive parts.

Powder metallurgy parts can reduce costs and vehicle weight

When it comes to the consumption development and current situation of powder metallurgy automotive parts, Professor Han said that the powder metallurgy parts used in automotive manufacturing mainly include sintered metal oil bearing and powder metallurgy structural parts. The former is mainly consumed by 90Cu-10Sn bronze, while the latter is fundamentally manufactured from iron powder as the fundamental raw material.

Here are several examples of powder metallurgy technology applications: a powder metallurgy 64 tooth power take-off drive gear, which saves about 40% of the cost compared to parts processed by steel cutting, and the teeth of the gear do not require subsequent processing; A powder metallurgy automotive manual transmission synchronizer ring, which can reduce costs by 38% compared to conventional consumption synchronizer rings; A powder metallurgy composite planetary gear carrier with an ultimate strength 40% higher than that of cast iron machined parts, and a cost reduction of over 35%&hellip& Hellip;

From the two powder metallurgy parts that have won various awards, it can be seen that at least three parts are processed using selective compaction technology, two parts are manufactured using warm compaction technology, six parts are composed of more than two different parts, and the most common type of composite parts is composed of 18 powder metallurgy parts. Professor Han said that these award-winning parts indicate that powder metallurgy parts can not only replace cast iron parts, forged steel parts, and machined parts, save labor, materials, and energy, reduce consumption costs, but also reduce the weight of parts, which is conducive to the lightweight of automobiles. More importantly, the development of powder metallurgy composite parts signifies that some parts can only be manufactured using powder metallurgy technology, which has important technical and economic significance.

Powder metallurgy is a type of; Green; manufacturing technology 

At present, powder metallurgy was once widely recognized as a green and sustainable manufacturing technology in the industry. Professor Han introduced the sustainable functions, data sustainability, energy sustainability, equipment sustainability, environmental sustainability, sustainable employment, and sustainable value advantages of powder metallurgy.

For example, in terms of continuous function, the final forming ability and data application rate of powder metallurgy are very high, which can minimize all energy consumption. Compared with traditional processes such as casting or forging+cutting, powder metallurgy only requires a few processes to manufacture the same part, which can complete more and more complex processes.

In terms of data sustainability, the final forming ability of powder metallurgy is its main advantage. For example, when forming a toothed part, up to 40% of the material in traditional cutting processes becomes chips, while 85% of the total powder used in powder metallurgy is consumed by recycled materials. In the consumption process of powder metallurgy parts, the waste loss in each process is usually 3% or less, and the data application rate can reach 95%.

In terms of energy sustainability, ordinary traditional manufacturing processes require several heating and reheating processes before they can be finally formed; When using the atomization method to consume steel or iron powder, only one smelting of the scrap steel is required, and all other hot processing operations are stopped at temperatures below the melting point. This not only saves energy, but also produces the required data, performance, and mechanical performance for the final appearance and composition. After comparing the application rate of metal forming process data, it was found that the energy required to manufacture powder metallurgy parts is 44% of that of forging cutting processed parts.

In terms of environmental sustainability, due to the final forming ability of powder metallurgy, parts are usually made into scrap after sintering, and packaging and delivery can be stopped. In most cases, the cutting oil used for processing powder metallurgy products is minimal, and the toxic pollutants released from sources such as cooling water are also minimal. Compared to other manufacturing processes, the powder metallurgy parts industry poses little harm to the environment.

At present, powder metallurgy parts were once an essential fundamental component in the automotive industry. Professor Han introduced that according to incomplete statistics, at least 12 major powder metallurgy parts consumption enterprises in Japan, including Sumitomo Electric, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, and Baolai, have established sole proprietorships or joint ventures in China; The main powder metallurgy parts consumption factories in Taiwan, such as Qingzhi, Sanlin, and more than 12 other enterprises, have also established consumption bases in Dongguan, Wuxi, and Suzhou. In addition, many world-renowned European and American powder metallurgy enterprises have also established sole proprietorships in China. Professor Han believes that in the near future, Chinese Mainland will gradually become the largest distribution center of PM auto parts in the world