Present Status And Future Potential Of Sinter-Forging Technology

Abstract

The bulk processing of sintered metal powder preforms is currently arousing interest in many parts of the world as an economic method of producing high quality components from metal powders at competitive rates. The conventional Powder Metallurgy(PM) process of die pressing and subsequently sintering will leave porosity in the product and the presence of porosity drastically reduces the mechanical and metallurgical properties of the sintered component. Forging of metal powder preforms; also known as sinter-forging process is a convenient way of reducing or eliminating the porosity from the traditionally developed PM products. The present paper focuses the present status of sinter-forging technology throughout the world and also attempts to find out the future potentials of this promising technology. It is expected that the present paper will be useful in understanding the current status and future potentials of the sinter-forging technology and its global acceptability for manufacturing components from metal powders.