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✓ Economic solution for strong parts
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POWDER METALLURGY (PM)

Inodus are teamed with some of the most experienced PM (Powder Metallurgy) manufacturers

 

If you are in need of relatively simple geometry parts such as gears, with strong materials such as steel or titanium, PM could be the most economic way to go.

 

PM is a very mature technology and widely used in automobile industry

 

As we offer a comprehensive range of metal manufacturing methods, we can provide you a comprehensive quote based on CNC, MIM, PM (Powder metallurgy), Investment casting, Forging, and 3D printing if the material is compatible. You can decide which one is the best for your project.

Powder metallurgy capability overview

Powder metallurgy
Maximum part size
Product weight up to 2kg
*Depending on the geometry
Tool lead time 10 - 20 days
Typical tool life 20,000 - 200,000 cycles, depending on geometry and tool material
FOTS (First off-tool) lead time 7 - 15 days
Standard linear tolerance ± 0.05 mm (typical)
Diameter tolerance ± 0.01 mm (OD), ± 0.03 - 0.05mm (ID)

When to use powder metallurgy

  • Mechanical parts such as gears, valves, bearings
  • Great uniformity
  • Relatively Simple geometry
  • Material that’s not possible to be used in other production methods
  • Highly efficient material use compare to other production methods
  • Economic for mass production

Comparison of CNC, MIM, PM and IC

CNC Metal Injection Moulding Powder Metallurgy Investment Casting
Relative part density 100% 95-99% 86-92% 98%
Tensile strength High High Low High
Surface finish High High Medium Medium
Very-small part capability Medium High Medium Low
Thin wall capability Low High Medium Medium
Geometry complexity High High Low Medium
Design tolerance Medium High Medium Medium
Production volume Medium High High Medium - High
Range of materials High High High Medium - High
Relative part size No limit Small Small No limit
Tooling cost N/A High Low Low - Medium

As a rough guide, the chart below illustrate that the complexity and volume need to be considered when choosing a specific production method

Available materials for powder metallurgy

Inodus offers the most comprehensive selection of materials.  If your required material is not in the list, we will try our best to source it for you. If you are not sure which material is best for your application, our design engineers are here to help.

Alloy steel Stainless steel Other metal
Fe-2Ni 17-4 Invar
Fe-8Ni 304/304L Kovar
2200 310N Titanium CP-Ti
2700 316/316L Titanium Ti-6AI-4V (TC4)
4605 420 Tungsten alloy W-Ni-Fe
100Cr6 430 Tungsten alloy W-Ni-Cu
8620 440 Tungsten alloy W-Cu
8740 Nickel-free High-Nitrogen SS Fe-50Ni
42CrMo4 Fe-3Si
1010 Copper
Bronze

Post-processing service for powder metallurgy

Service
Additional machining
Bead blasting
Polishing
Brushing
Powder coating
Laser engraving
Physical vapor deposition (PVD)
Black oxide
Other applicable services *Extra lead time will be involved

Facility Audit

We understand that sometimes your company will need to perform an audit or a third-party QC firm to approve the project. We are highly experienced in both and can make arrangements if you decide to visit the production site.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between MIM and PM (Powder Metallurgy)

While both processes can produce metal parts in high volume, there are some significant difference.

MIM is excellent for complex shapes, while PM can only be used for simpler geometry such as gears, etc.

PM can produce part significantly larger in size than MIM

MIM requires higher temperatures to sinter, and the large shrinkage / waste rate making it far more expensive than PM.

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