EXPLAIN POWDER PROCESSING?

Powder processing is a manufacturing technique that produces parts from the powder of certain materials. The powders are pressed into the desired shape, (called pressing), and heated sufficiently to cause the particles to bond together into a solid component, (called sintering). Powder processing is common for metal materials, however ceramics may also be subject to powder processing techniques. There are many advantages to powder processing. With powder processing you can obtain consistent dimensional control of the product, keeping relatively tight tolerances, It also can produce parts with good surface finish. Parts can therefore be made into their final shape, requiring no further manufacturing processes. With powder processing there is very little waste of material. Since powder processing can be automated, it minimizes the need for labor, requiring small amounts of skilled labor. Metals that are difficult to work with other processes can be shaped easily, (ie. tungsten). Also, certain alloy combinations and cermet that can not be formed any other way, can be produced with this technique. 

                Lastly, parts can be produced with a controlled level of porosity, due to the nature of the process. Powder processes also have a number of disadvantages. The first is high cost. Powders are expensive compared to solid material, they are also difficult to store. Sintering furnaces and special presses are more complicated to construct than conventional machinery. Tooling is also very expensive. Since powders do not easily flow laterally in a die when pressed, there are geometric limitations to the parts that can be manufactured. Powder parts may have inferior mechanical properties, (unless they undergo a forging process). Finally, variations in material density throughout the part may be a problem, especially with more intricate geometries. Powder processing manufacturing is ideal for producing large quantities of moderately complex, small to medium size parts that do not require strong mechanical properties in the part's material. This is not true of some alternative powder processes, such as hot isostatic pressing, that can manufacture parts with superior mechanical properties. A process such as hot isostatic pressing, however, would not be efficient in the manufacture of large quantities of parts.       

                                  

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