9th Dec, 2016

The European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) organised its 2016 Powder Metallurgy Component Awards to coincide with the World PM2016 Congress & Exhibition, Hamburg, October 9–13, 2016. These awards were open to members of the association who manufacture components made by conventional Powder Metallurgy, Metal Injection Molding, Hot Isostatic Pressing and Additive Manufacturing. The winners were presented with their awards during the event’s opening Plenary Session.

Metal Injection Molding featured prominently in the overall list of competition entries, however it was a two-material (2C) MIM automotive component that won the award in the MIM category. Developed by Schunk Sintermetalltechnik GmbH, the 2C-pin is the first serial part worldwide produced by the Metal Injection Molding of two different materials, in this case 316L stainless steel and the cobalt-base alloy Stellite 12.

By using this cutting edge MIM technology it was stated that a critical customer problem was solved, namely combining wear resistance in a wide range of temperatures with weldability in one complex part. The challenge and innovation was to modify two different alloys to get close to the same sintering behaviour. Cracks are therefore avoided and a continuous gradient in chemical composition can be achieved between the two components instead of an abrupt joining zone. The judges stated that Schunk has opened a new area for MIM applications with this technology, with the promise of significant growth potential. The part has densities that range from >7.6 to >8.2 g/ cm3. Tensile strength was reported as ranging from >500 to >1000 N/mm², Yield Strength ranges from >200 to >900 N/mm², Product Hardness ranges from 120-180 HV to 440-540 HV and Elongation was stated as ranging from >50 to >2.

A two-material (2C) MIM automotive component