Whether for use in the aerospace, automotive, marine or outdoor power equipment industries, powder metallurgy gears provide the benefits of a durable, precise, and accurate product with an efficient and cost effective process. Powder metallurgy gears can be manufactured from a wide variety of materials, including iron, nickel, and stainless steel. These materials can be customized to meet specific application requirements. The material density can be controlled to achieve maximum performance.
Gears produced by powder metallurgy can be produced quickly and can be mass produced. This process offers greater efficiency, higher accuracy, and improved performance. It can also maintain or improve gear properties, such as hardness, abrasion resistance, and lubricity. Some of the advantages of this method include rapid cycle times, sintering capability, and a high degree of control over the density of the final product.
A preform is produced by molding metallurgical powders in a gear-shaped mold cavity. After completing this step, the preform is shaved to achieve improved dimensions. The resulting gear is then resinted to enhance its toughness.
Gears are then sintered at a temperature suitable for forming the desired microstructure. This is done by introducing carbon into the original metallurgical powder. Carbon is subsequently introduced into the surface regions of the preform through a carburizing step. During this process, carbon may be added in any manner.
Several gear types are made using this method, including pinion, spur, straight, helical, and ring gears. The inventors intended the resintering step to improve the toughness of the finished gear.
After the resintering process, the gear preform is cooled to form bainitic microstructure. This microstructure provides the necessary splintering surfaces for the machining of gear teeth. Depending on the initial composition of the metallurgical powders, the cooling rate can vary. For example, the temperature from which the gear preform is cooled, the density of the initial metallurgical powder, and the number of carbide particles in the surface region of the preform all play a role in the final cooling rate.
The inventors produced several grade 5 and DIN 3962 quality gears using this method. Compared to conventional casting and machining, this technique provides a more durable and accurate product. As a result, these gears require little or no secondary machining, making them an attractive option for manufacturers of complex gear geometries.
The inventors found that the production of gears by shaving powder metal gear teeth was not only more cost-effective, but also provided gears that were much better in quality than conventional gears. They therefore developed a method to produce gears from metallurgical powders through a combination of pulverizing, sintering, and resintering.
As a result of the process, gears are made from metallurgical powders with an efficient and controllable density. The process is used in transmission gears because of the high performance characteristics and the ability to integrate several parts. In addition, the material density of powder metallurgy gears can be varied and customized, offering a wide range of applications.
Stainless steel structural parts are sintered products produced by powder pressing and sintering. Parts with complex shapes can be formed in one step with a compactor, with high production efficiency. In addition, the product can be machined and surface treated by processes such as heat treatment, steam treatment, electroplating treatment and Dacromet coating treatment. The product has higher precision and performance after surface treatment. At present, metal powder structural parts are used in the automotive industry, household appliances and motor industries. Stainless steel structural parts are used in food machinery and lock fittings.