Metal Powders, Fourth Edition: A Global Survey of Production, Applications and Markets 2001-2010

Metal Powders A Global Survey of Production, Applications and Markets to 2010

Fourth edition

Joseph M Capus

ELSEVIER

UK USA JAPAN

Elsevier Ltd, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, UK Elsevier Inc, 360 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010-1710, USA Elsevier Japan, Tsunashima Building Annex, 3-20-12 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113, Japan

Copyright © 2005 Joseph M Capus All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means: electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the publishers. First edition published 1993 Second edition published 1996 Third edition published 2000 Fourth edition published 2005

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A CIP Catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 1856174794 Whilst every care is taken to ensure that the data published in this report are accurate, the Publisher cannot accept responsibility for any omissions or inaccuracies appearing or for any consequences arising therefrom. No responsibility is assumed by the Publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein. Published by Elsevier Advanced Technology The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, UK Tel: +44(0) 1865 843000 Fax: +44(0) 1865 843971 Transferred to Digital Printing 2006

Contents

List of Tables List of Figures About the Author About Elsevier Advanced Technology Acknowledgements

ix XlII ° = ,

xiv xv xvi

Summary Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Introduction 1.1 Scope 1.2 Historical Summary: Development of Powder Metallurgy 1.3 Metal Powders in the 1990s 1.4 Methodology 1.5 Bibliography

8 12 16 17

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene 2.1 North America 2.1.1 Canada 2.1.2 Mexico 2.1.3 USA 2.2 Japan 2.3 Western Europe 2.3.1 Austria 2.3,2 France 2.3.3 Germany 2.3.4 Italy 2.3.5 Spain 2.3.6 Sweden and other Nordic Countries 2.3,7 UK 2.4 Russia and East Europe 2,5 Asia and Australia 2.5.1 Australia 2.5.2 People's Republic of China 2.5,3 India 2.6 South Africa 2.7 South America

19 19 22 23 23 25 29 31 32 33 34 36 37 39 40 41 42 44 46 48 49

Metal Powders

iii

Contents

2.8 2.9

Chapter 3

iv

Metal Powders

Economic and Technical Issues Affecting the Markets for Metal Powders 2.8.1 Rising Raw Materials and Energy Costs Auto Industry Developments Impacting PM 2.9.1 The Global Automotive Market 2.9.2 PM Usage in the Auto Industries 2.9.3 Auto Parts Makers Squeezed 2.9.4 Advanced Auto Technology for a Cleaner Environment

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010 3.1 Global Overview- Metal Powders in the Present Decade 3.2 Iron and Steel Powders 3.2.1 Applications 3.2.2 Global Consumption 3.2.2.1 North America 3.2.2.2 Europe 3.2.2.3 Japan 3.2.2.4 China 3.2.2.5 Rest of the World 3.2.3 Global Summary and Forecast of Iron and Steel Powder Consumption to 2010 3.3 Stainless and Other High Alloy Steel Powders 3.3.1 Applications 3.3.2 Global Markets for Stainless and High Alloy Steel Powders 3.3.2.1 North America 3.3.2.2 Europe 3.3.2.3 Japan 3.3.2.4 Rest of the World 3.4 Copper and Copper Alloy Powders 3.4.1 Applications of Copper and Copper-based Powders 3.4.2 Global Consumption of Copper and Copperbased Powders 3.4.2.1 North America 3.4.2.2 Europe 3.4.2.3 Japan 3.4.2.4 China 3.4.2.5 Rest of the World 3.4.3 Global Summary for Copper and Copper-based Powders 2001-2010 3.5 Nickel and Nickel Alloy Powders 3.5.1 Applications of Nickel and Nickel Alloy Powders 3.5.2 Global Consumption of Nickel and Nickel Alloy Powders 3.5.2.1 North America 3.5.2.2 China 3.5.2.3 Europe, Japan and the Rest of the World 3.6 Tin Powder 3.6.1 Applications of Tin Powder 3.6.2 Global Consumption of Tin Powder

50 51 52 52 53 54 55

57 57 60 60 61 61 66 69 72 73 75 76 76 76 77 79 79 81 81 81 82 82 84 86 87 88 89 90 90 91 92 94 94 96 96 96

Contents

3.6.2.1 North America 3.6.2.2 Europe, Japan and the Rest of the World Aluminium and Magnesium Powders 3.7 3.7.1 Applications of Aiuminium and Magnesium Powders 3.7.2 Global Consumption of Aluminium and Magnesium Powders 3.7.2.1 North America 3.7.2.2 Europe, Japan and the Rest of the World Titanium and Titanium Alloy Powders 3.8 3.8.1 Applications of Titanium and Titanium Alloy Powders 3.8.2 Global Consumption of Titanium and Titanium Alloy Powders 3.9. Tungsten Powder 3.9.1 Applications of Tungsten Powder 3.9.2 Global Consumption of Tungsten Powder 3.9.2.1 North America 3.9.2.2 Europe 3.9.2.3 Japan and the Rest of the World 3.10 Molybdenum Powder 3.10.1 Applications of Molybdenum Powder 3.10.2 Global Consumption of Molybdenum Powder 3.10.2.1 North America 3.10.2.2 Europe, Japan, China and the Rest of the World 3.11 Cobalt Powder 3.11.1 Applications of Cobalt Powders 3.11.2 Global Consumption of Cobalt Powders 3.11.3 Cobalt Substitution Chapter 4

End User Industry Analysis 4.1 Market Segmentation by Application 4.2 PM Applications 4.2.1 PM Structural Parts 4.2.2 PM Bearings 4.2.3 PM Hot-Forged Parts 4.2.4 PM Cutting Tools and Wear Parts 4.2.5 PM Wrought and Semi-Finished Products 4.2.6 PM Filters and Porous Parts 4.2.7 PM Friction Materials 4.2.8 Metal Injection Moulding 4.2.9 Electrical and Magnetic Applications 4.3 Welding Electrode Manufacture 4.4 Thermal Spraying/Hardfacing 4.5 Cutting, Scarfing and Lancing 4.6 Photocopier Applications 4.7 Magnetic Particle Inspection 4.8 Metallic Flake Pigments and Printing Inks 4.9 Brazing and Soldering 4.10 Other Applications

96 97 98 98 100 100 101 102 103 103 104 104 105 107 110 110 111 112 113 113 114 115 119 119 120 121 121 128 128 132 134 136 137 139 140 141 143 145 147 148 148 149 150 150 151

Metal Powders

v

Contents

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

vi

Metal Powders

Technical Overview- Metal Powder Production 5.1 General 5.2 Chemical Methods 5.2.1 Decomposition of Gaseous Compounds (Carbonyl Process) 5.2.2 Hydrometallurgical (Sherritt Process) 5.2.3 Electrolytic Deposition from Solution 5.2.4 Reduction of Oxide 5.3 Physical Methods 5.3.1 Water Atomization of Liquid Metals 5.3.2 Gas Atomization of Liquid Metals 5.3.3 Oil Atomization of Liquid Steel 5.3.4 Centrifugal Atomization (Rotating Electrode Process) 5.3.5 Rapid Solidification: Spinning Disc Atomization 5.4 Mechanical Methods 5.5 'Hybrid' Processes 5.5.1 Production of Iron Powder by the QMP Process 5.5.2 Production of Iron Powder by the Domfer Process 5.5.3 Production of Copper Powder by the Copper Oxide Process 5.6 Commercial Production Methods for Metal Powders 5.6.1 Aluminium Powder 5.6.2 Cobalt Powder 5.6.3 Copper Powder 5.6.4 Copper Alloy Powders 5.6.5 Iron Powder 5.6.6 Magnesium Powder 5.6.7 Molybdenum Powder 5.6.8 Nickel Powder 5.6.9 Nickel Alloy Powders 5.6.10 Steel (Including Low-Alloy Steel) Powders 5.6.11 Stainless Steel and Tool Steel Powders 5.6.12 Tin Powder 5.6.13 Titanium Metal and Alloy Powders 5.6.14 Tungsten Powder 5.7 Production of Fine and Ultrafine Powders Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers 6.1 North America 6.1.1 Canada Canbro Inc Domfer Metal Powders Ltd Eutectic Canada Inc INCO Special Prducts Quebec Metal Powders Sherritt International Corp U MEX Inc Umicore Canada Inc 6.1.2 USA ACuPowder International LLC ACuPowder TN lnc

153 153 154 154 154 155 155 156 157 157 157 158 158 159 159 159 160 160 160 161 161 162 162 162 163 163 163 163 163 164 164 164 164 164 167 167 167 167 168 168 169 169 170 171 171 171 172 173

Contents

6.2

Advanced Specialty Metals Inc ALCOA- Specialty Metals Division American Chemet Corp Ametek Specialty Metal Products Division AMPAL Inc Carpenter Powder Products Inc Crucible Compaction Metals FW Winter Inc & Co Hart Metals Inc HC Starck Inc Hoeganaes Corp Homogeneous Metals Inc International Specialty Products International Titanium Powder LLC Kobelco Metal Powder of America Inc Micron Metals Inc Mitsui/ZCA Zinc Powders Co North American H6gan~s High Alloys LLC North America H6gan~s lnc Novamet Specialty Products Corp OM Group Inc OSRAM Sylvania Products Inc Pyron Corp Reade Manufacturing Co Inc SCM Metal Products Inc Toyal America Inc UltraFine Powder Technology Inc United States Bronze Powders Inc Valimet Inc Zinc Corporation of America Europe ALUMA GmbH The Aluminium Powder Co Ltd AUBERT & DUVAL BASF AG BSA Metal Powders ECKA Granulate MicroMet GmbH ECKA Granulate Velden GmbH ECKA Granules ECKA Granules Poudmet SAS Erasteel Kloster AB Eurotungst~ne Podres SA Hoeganaes Corporation Europe SA H6ganiis AB H6gan~is Belgium SA HC Starck GmbH INCO Special Products Makin Metal Powders Ltd Mepura Metallpulver GmbH MI~TAC- France Sarl Metapol SA Non Ferrum Kranj DOO Non Ferrum Metallpulvergesellschaft OMG Kokkola Chemicals Oy Pometon SpA Poudres Hermillon SA

Metal Powders

173 174 174 174 175 176 176

177 177 177

178 180 181 181 181 182 182 182 183 183 184 184 185 185 186 186 187 187 187 188 188 188 189 189 190 191 191 192 192 193 194 195 195 196 198 198 199 199

200 20O 200 2OO 201 201 201 202 vii

Contents

6.3

6.4

6.5 6.6

6.7

6.8

Chapter 7

viii

Metal Powders

Japan

Powdrex Ltd QMP Metal Powders GmbH Sandvik Ospey Ltd - Powder Group Shamrock Aluminium Ltd U m i c o r e - Engineered Metal Products Union Mini~re- Cobolt and Energy Products

Atmix Corp Daido Steel Co Ltd Fukuda Metal Foil and Powder Co Ltd H6gan~s Japan KK JFE Steel Corp Kobe Steel Ltd Rest of the World 6.4.1 Australia ECKA Granules Australia Pty Ltd WMC Resources Ltd 6.4.2 Bahrain Bahrain Atomisers International BSC Ltd 6.4.3 Brazil HSgan~is Brasil Ltda Metalp6 Industria e Com6rcio Ltda 6.4.4 China HSgan~is (China) Ltd 6.4.5 India H6gan~is India Ltd 6.4.6 Russia MMC Norilsk Nickel STAKS UEM-ECKA Granules GmbH Ranking of the World's Leading Metal Powder Producers Metal Powder Trade Organizations Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) 6.6.1 European Powder Metallurgy Association 6.6.2 (EPMA) Japan Powder Metallurgy Association 6.6.3 (JPMA) Fachverband Pulvermetallurgie 6.6.4 Associazione Operatori Metallurgia Polveri 6.6.5 (ASSINTER) Other Related Trade Organizations 6.7.1 The Cobalt Development Institute (CDI) 6.7.2 International Tungsten Industry Association (ITIA) 6.7.3 International Molybdenum Association (IMOA) Other Related Associations 6.8.1 The Powder Metallurgy Association of South Africa

Appendix

202 202 203 203 203 203 204 204 205 205 206 206 206 207 208 208 208 209 209 209 209 209 210 210 210 210 21.1 211 211 212 212 213 213 214 215 215 216 216 216 217 217 217 217

219

List of Tables

Summary Table 1 Summary Table 2 Summary Table 3 Table 1.1 Table 1.2 Table 1.3 Table 2.1 Table 2.2 Table 2.3 Table 2.4 Table 2.5 Table 2.6 Table 2.7 Table 2.8 Table 2.9 Table 2.10 Table 2.11 Table 2.12 Table 2.13

Estimated Global Markets for Metal Powders 2005 Estimated Breakdown of Ferrous and Copper-base Powders for PM Fabrication and Other Applications 2004 (tonnes) Regional Markets for Ferrous and Copper-base Powders 2001-2010 (tonnes) Non-Ferrous Metal Powder Shipments in North America 1990-1999 (tonnes) West European Shipments of Ferrous and Copper-based Powders for PM 1990--99 (tonnes) Japanese Consumption of Ferrous and Copper-based Powders 1990-1999 (tonnes) North American Metal Powder Shipments 1995-2003 (tonnes) Iron-based and Copper-based PM Part Production in Japan 1998-2004 (tonnes) Breakdown of Japanese PM Production 1998-2004 (tonnes) Japanese Production of Non-Automotive PM Structural Parts 1998-2004 (tonnes) Analysis of Japanese PM Bearings Production 1998-2004 (tonnes) Value of PM Products Manufactured in W Europe 1998 and 2001 (E million) Estimated Market Shares of W European Countries in PM Parts Production 2002 Production of PM Structural Parts, Bearings and Filters in Germany 1997-2003 (tonnes) Production of Metal Powders and PM Parts in Italy 1997-2002 (tonnes) Ferrous PM Parts Production in Russia and East Europe (tonnes) PM Part Production in Asia and Australia, ex-Japan 1998-2004 (tonnes) Breakdown of PM Part Production in Asia 2003 (%) Motor Vehicle Production in Asian Countries 2003 (thousands)

Metal Powders

13 14 15

20 26 26

27 28

30 30 34

35 40

41 42 42

ix

List of Tables

PM Part Production and Applications in Australia 1998-2002 (tonnes) PM Parts Production in China 1998-2004 (tonnes) Table 2.15 PM Parts Production in India 1998-2003 (tonnes) Table 2.16 Car and Light Vehicle Production in Leading Table 2.17 Countries, from Various Sources (million) Development of PM Content in Cars, N America, Table 2.18 W Europe and Japan 1998-2004, kg/vehicle Summary of Global Markets for Ferrous and Table 3.1 Non-Ferrous Powders 2001-2010 (tonnes) Summary of Global Markets for Ferrous Table 3.2 and Non-Ferrous Powders by Approximate Value (US$ million) North American Consumption of Iron and Table 3.3 Steel Powders 1990-2004 (thousands of tonnes) Estimates of Weight (in kg) of PM Parts in a Table 3.4 Typical North American Family Vehicle 1992-2004 W European Consumption of Iron and Steel Table 3.5 Powders 1992-2003 (tonnes) West European Consumption of PM Parts and Table 3.6 Bearings by End Use Sector 2001 Ferrous PM Part Production in East Europe and Table 3.7 the FSU (tonnes) Japanese Iron and Steel Powder Shipments for Table 3.8 1990-2004 (tonnes) Production of Japanese PM Parts and Products Table 3.9 1995-2004 (tonnes) Iron and Steel Powder Production in China Table 3.10 1999-2004 Analysis of Iron and Steel Powder Production Table 3.11 in China by Type of Process (tonnes) Estimated Ferrous-based PM Parts Production Table 3.12 in East Asian Countries, excluding Japan Estimated Consumption of Ferrous Powders in Table 3.13 the Southern Hemisphere (tonnes) Global Summary of Iron and Steel Powder Table 3.14 Consumption 2004 (thousands of tonnes) Global Summary of Iron and Steel Powder Table 3.15 Consumption and Forecast to 2010 (tonnes) North American Shipments of Stainless Steel Table 3.16 Powders 1990-2003 (tonnes) Japanese Shipments of Stainless Steel Powders Table 3.17 1990-2003 (tonnes) North American Shipments of Copper and Table 3.18 Copper-Based Powders 1990-2004 (tonnes) European Shipments of Copper and Copper-based Table 3.19 Powders for PM 1989-2003 (tonnes) Japanese Shipments of Copper Powder 1990-2004 Table 3.20 (tonnes) Copper-based PM Part Production in China Table 3.21 1998-2004 (tonnes) Asia/Oceania Copper-based PM Part Production, Table 3.22 ex-Japan and China 1998-2004 (tonnes) Summary of Global Consumption of Copper and Table 3.23 Copper Alloy Powders 2004 (tonnes) Table 2.14

X

Metal Powders

43 44 47 52 54 58 59 62 63 67 68 69 69 71 72 72 73 74 75 75 78 80 83 85 86 88 89 89

List of Tables

Table 3.24 Table 3.25 Table 3.26 Table 3.27 Table 3.28 Table 3.29 Table 3.30 Table 3.31 Table 3.32 Table 3.33 Table 3.34 Table 3.35 Table 3.36 Table 3.37 Table 3.38 Table 3.39 Table 3.40 Table 3.41 Table 3.42 Table 3.43 Table 3.44 Table 3.45 Table 3.46 Table 4.1 Table 4.2 Table 4.3 Table 4.4 Table 4.5

Global Summary of Copper and Copper Alloy Powder Consumption and Forecasts to 2010 (tonnes) US Consumption of Nickel Powder and Flake 1990-2003 (tonnes) Estimates of Nickel Powder and Flake Consumption in Europe and Japan 1989-1991 (tonnes) Nickel Powder uses in Japan 1989-1990 (tonnes) Global Summary of Nickel Powder and Flake Consumption and Forecast to 2010 (tonnes) North American Consumption of Tin Powder 1990-2003 (tonnes) Global Summary and Forecasts for Tin Powders to 2010 (tonnes) North American Consumption of Aluminium Powder and Flake 1990-2003 Breakdown of European Market for Atomized Aluminium Powder 1991 Global Summary of Aluminium Powder and Flake Consumption and Forecasts to 2010 (tonnes) Breakdown of Tungsten Metal Applications 2003 Breakdown of Hardmetal Tool Market in 1997 (US$ million) US Shipments of Tungsten Powder and Tungsten Carbide Powder 1990-2003 (tonnes) US Net Production of Tungsten and Tungsten Carbide Powders 1999-2003 (tonnes) US Imports, Exports and Consumption of Tungsten Powders 1999-2003 (tonnes) Global Summary of Tungsten Powder Consumption and Forecasts to 2010 (tonnes) Estimated Overall Consumption of Molybdenum by Region 1999-2002 (tonnes) US Statistics for Molybdenum Powder 1990-2003: Powder Shipments, Imports, Exports and Mill Products made from Powder (tonnes) US Molybdenum Metal Powder Statistics 1999-2003 (tonnes) Global Availability of Refined Cobalt 1995-2003 (tonnes) World Markets for Cobalt 1996-2002: Breakdown by Application (%) Breakdown of Cobalt Consumption in China 2002 Global Summary of Cobalt Powder Consumption and Forecasts to 2010 (tonnes) Current Applications of Consolidated Metal Powders Selected Applications of Unconsolidated Metal Powders North American Consumption of Metal Powders for PM Estimated Breakdown of North American Metal Powder Consumption by End Use North American Consumption of Metal Powders in Porous Self-Lubricating Bearings 1992, 1994, 1998 (tonnes)

90 92 94 95 96

97 97 100 101 102 105 107 108 109

109 111 112 114

114 116 116 118

120 121 124 127 127 134

Metal Powders xi

List of Tables

Table 4.6 Table 4.7 Table 4.8 Table 4.9 Table 4.10 Table 5.1 Table 5.2 Table 6.1 Table 6.2

xii

Metal Powders

North American Consumption of Iron Powder for Powder Forging Nominal Compositions of some Copper-based and Iron-based Friction Materials Estimated Markets for MIM Parts 1999-2010 (US$ million) North American and European Shipments of Welding Grade Iron Powder 1990-2003 (tonnes) Estimated US Consumption of Photocopier Powders (tonnes) Classification of Chemical Process Routes for Metal Powder Production Summary of Current Commercial Production Methods for Metal and Alloy Powders Ranking of Leading Ferrous Metal Powder Producers by Production Capacity Ranking of Leading Producers of Non-Ferrous Metal Powders by Capacity

136 140 143 146 149 154 161 212 213

List of Figures

Figure 1.1 Figure 1.2 Figure 1.3 Figure 3.1 Figure 3.2 Figure 3.3 Figure 3.4 Figure 3.5 Figure 3.6 Figure 3.7 Figure 3.8 Figure 3.9 Figure 3.10 Figure 3.11 Figure 3.12 Figure 3.13 Figure 4.1 Figure 5.1

Metal powder applications in the modern automobile Development of iron and copper powder production in North America, in short tons 1940-1986 Production of sintered machine parts (PM structural parts) and numbers of automobiles produced in Japan (1961-84) Breakdown of global metal powder consumption by weight 2004 Breakdown of global metal powder consumption by approximate value 2004 North American shipments of iron and steel powders 1990-2003 (tonnes) Breakdown of North American PM parts market 1999 W European consumption of iron and steel powders 1992-2003 (tonnes) Japanese shipments of iron and steel powders 1990-2004 (tonnes) Breakdown of PM structural parts in Japanese vehicles 2003 North American shipments of stainless steel powders 1990-2003 (tonnes) Japanese shipments of stainless steel powders 1990--2003 (tonnes) North American shipments of copper and copper-based powders 1990-2004 (tonnes) W European shipments of copper base powders for PM 1990-2003 Japanese consumption of copper powder 1990-2004 (tonnes) US consumption of nickel powder and flake 1990-2003 (tonnes) Schematic of process steps for the manufacture of pressed-and-sintered PM parts Application of metal powders as a function of particle size and size range

10 11 58 60

63 64 67 70 71 78 80 84 85

87 93 129 156

Metal Powders xiii

About the Author

Dr Joseph M Capus is an internationally recognized authority on metal powders and their technology, having been involved in the industry for the past 35 years. He has published more than 200 technical papers and articles, and compiled or edited 10 volumes of PM conference proceedings, as well as contributing to the ASM Metals Handbook and the Steel Heat Treatment Handbook. The first, second and third editions of his industry report Metal Powders: A Global Survey of Production, Applications and Markets were published by Elsevier Advanced Technology in 1993, 1996 and 2000 respectively. Born and educated in the UK, Dr Capus held research posts with INCO Ltd and The Gillette Co before becoming technical director of Quebec Metal Powders Ltd, one of the world's leading metal powder producers. He has been actively involved in PM standardization at national and international levels for over 30 years, and has co-chaired North American as well as World conferences on powder metallurgy and particulate materials. He lives in Beaconsfield, a suburb of Montr6al, Canada and consults on powder metallurgy and advanced materials.

xiv

Metal Powders

About Elsevier Advanced Technology

Elsevier Advanced Technology is an international B2B publishing group dedicated to serving the information requirements of industry and business professionals working in a range of industrial markets. Elsevier Advanced Technology publications provide a high-quality, reliable source of information to professionals within engineering, materials, IT security and energy. Products include specialist newsletters, journals and trade magazines, technical handbooks, market reports and conferences. Information on metal powder-related titles, including Metal Powder Report magazine, can be found at www.metal-powder.net.

Metal Powders

xv

Acknowledgernents

The author is indebted to many colleagues in the powder metallurgy industry for help with information and advice. In particular, the friendly assistance of Peter K Johnson, formerly director, Public Relations and Government Affairs, MPIF, and Dr Leander F Pease III, president, Powder-Tech Associates, has been greatly appreciated. Thanks are also due to the trade associations and journals for permission to reproduce copyright material. Metal powder statistics for iron and copper, and PM uses of stainless steel powder in Japan, Japanese production statistics for PM products (bearings, machine parts, friction materials, electrical contacts, and miscellaneous), the analysis of demand for machine parts and for bearings (vehicles, industrial machines, electrical machines, and other uses) and the breakdown of machine parts for Japanese-made automobiles and weight of PM per car, the value of Japanese-produced PM machine parts and bearings, and the production of iron-base and copper-base PM products and the analysis of application fields for countries in Asia and Oceania, from the JPMA Annual Reports 2000-2004, are reproduced by permission of the Japan Powder Metallurgy Association. North American metal powder shipments and consumption statistics for 2000-2004 included in MPIF press releases and published in various issues of the International Journal of Powder Metallurgy (IJPM), PM industry statistics given in country review articles for Australia, Austria, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the Nordic countries, and the UK, published in IJPM in 2002 and 2003, PM production statistics for South America quoted by Donald White at the Kyoto PM World Congress in 2001 and published in IJPM, the metal injection moulding market estimates given by Metal Injection Molding Association president Paul Hauck and published in IJPM in 2003, the global copper powder consumption review by Pierre

xvi

Metal Powders

Acknowledgements

Taubenblat, published in IJPM in 2003, and the global market estimates for PM High-Speed Steels quoted by Peter Johnson in IJPMin 2005, are reproduced by permission of APMI International. European PM production statistics and breakdowns by value, and market share by country are reproduced by permission of the European Powder Metallurgy Association. European PM industry statistics to 2002, quoted by O Morandi in Powder Metallurgy (PM 2003, 46(4), pp294-296), titanium powder prices and market for gas-atomized titanium from an article by Mark Hull (PM 2004, 47(1), pp12-14), PM industry statistics for India from an article by Prof. Dube (PM2004, 47(1), pp17-28), and PM shipment statistics for 2003 given in an address by Dr Cesar Molins, president of EPMA, at the 2004 PM World Congress in Vienna and reported in PM 2004, 47(4), pp309-310, are reproduced by permission of The Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining. Estimated overall consumption of molybdenum by region in 1999-2002, and commentary on global production and consumption of molybdenum from the IMOA website are reproduced by permission of The International Molybdenum Association (IMOA). The breakdown of tungsten metal applications in 2003 by region is reproduced from the ITIA website by permission of The International Tungsten Industry Association (ITIA). Figure 1.1, entitled: "Metal powder applications in the modern automobile", has been adapted, with permission, from the chart "Powder Metal Usage on Automobiles" published by Cincinnati Inc, Cincinnati, Ohio. Lastly, the global sales value for all sectors of the PM industry, and the table of ferrous PM parts production in Russia and East Europe for 1986, 1990 and 2001/2002, from the global market review article by Bernard Williams published in the International PM Directory (IPMD, 11th Edition, 2004-2005, pp5-11) are reproduced by permission of MPR Publishing Services Ltd, Shrewsbury, UK. Finally, the author is grateful to the managements of metal powder companies and trade organisations around the world for their help in updating the profiles for the World Review of Metal Powder Producers in Chapter 6.

Metal Powders xvii

This Page Intentionally Left Blank

Summary

Metal powders are just a tiny fraction of the global metals industry, yet they play a key role in such high-profile sectors as cars and consumer electronics. The global value of metal powder consumption has risen since 2000 to over US$3.7 billion from close to US$3 billion. Part of this increase is due to recently escalating primary metal prices. The increase in overall tonnage shipped is in the order of 20% (Summary Table 1).

Summary Table 1 Estimated Global Markets for Metal Powders 2005 Iron and steel Aluminium Copper and Copper-base Nickel Tungsten Cobalt Tin *Values based on

Tonnes

US$ (million)*

1 060 000 110 000 65 500 50 000 37 000 6000 2600

930 550 330 1000 600 300 32

approximate prices of typical grades, in 2005 dollars

The large majority of this tonnage is made up of iron and steel, aluminium, and copper, with the ferrous powders close to 80% of the total. Iron powder is mostly used to make small automotive components such as gears, cams, sprockets, beatings, beating caps and connecting rods. The huge growth in the consumption of ferrous powders over the past few decades has been driven by the success in providing cost-effective, material- and energy-saving parts production. In the powder metallurgy (PM) process, suitably formulated metal powder blends are compacted in a die to the required

Metal Powders

1

Summary

shape and then heated in a high-temperature furnace (sintering) to increase the hardness and strength to the desired level. There has also been great success in manufacturing connecting rods by hot-forging of sintered preforms. The prospects for the ferrous branch of the metal powder industry is thus highly linked to the automotive industry and is best understood as a segment of the automotive supply chain. An estimated breakdown of ferrous and copper-base powders for PM and other applications in 2004 by region is given in Summary Table 2 and overall estimates and forecasts for these materials to 2010 are given in Summary Table 3.

Summary Table 2 Estimated Breakdown of Ferrous and Copperbase Powders for PM Fabrication and Other Applications 2004 (tonnes) PM

Other

North America* Ferrous Copper-base

391 000 18 600

39 000 4300

Europe (E & W)** Ferrous Copper-base

172 000 14 500

33 000 2500

Ferrous Copper-base

119 000 5900

62 000 1100

Asia and ROW**** Ferrous Copper-base

140 000 14 000

70 000 2500

Japan***

Source: * MPIF *9 E P M A a n d e s t i m a t e s *9* J P M A *9* * J P M A a n d e s t i m a t e s . A l l f i g u r e s are r o u n d e d

2

Metal Powders

Summary

Summary Table 3 Regional Markets for Ferrous and Copper-base Powders 2001-2010 (tonnes) 2001 *

2005

2010

Copper-base

350 000 19 000

420 000 23 000

480 000 27 000

Europe (E & W) Ferrous Copper-base

183 000 18 000

200 000 18 000

230 000 21 000

Ferrous Copper-base

160 000 6000

185 000 7500

210 000 9000

Asia and ROW Ferrous Copper-base

150 000 12 000

255 000 15 000

310 000 23 000

North America Ferrous

Japan

*These figures are a combination of reported and estimated shipments. The rest are forecasts

Because of their much higher unit values, cobalt, nickel, and tungsten now represent about half of the global market for metal powders in dollar terms, even though they are used in much smaller quantifies. Part of the reason for their high value is rapidly-increasing demand for rechargeable batteries in the case of nickel and cobalt, and the industrialization of China in the case of tungsten, which is mostly used in carbide cutting tools. For metal powders in the loose or un-compacted state there is a hugely diverse range of applications, although the quantities are generally much smaller. They range from rocket fuels to jet-engine coatings to photocopier toner carriers, and on through metallurgical and chemical manufacturing to paints and pigments, and even as iron-enrichment in bread and breakfast cereals. Most metallic powders are made by atomizing a liquid metal or alloy. Atomization is done by pouting a liquid metal stream into high-pressure jets of water, air, or gas. Powders of high melting point metals such as tungsten and molybdenum are usually made by reduction of finely ground oxides. The method of manufacture controls many characteristics of the powder and hence its suitability for the various applications. In other words, this is a specialty product industry with relatively few interchangeable grades, rather than a commodity business. As with many industries, geo-political events at the beginning of the new century washed out the forecasts of continuing growth that were made at the end of the 1990s. In North America, 2000 proved to be a banner year for many of the metal powder producers and consumers. Then, as the output of the automotive industry was cut back in 2001, shipments of ferrous and copper-base powders and the parts fabrication industry suffered their biggest

Metal Powders 3

Summary

one-year fall. Although the US recession was short-lived, it took until 2003 for the PM parts business to recover. While 2004 saw the North American industry reach a new peak, the outlook to the end of the decade is not so rosy because of the continuing loss of market share by the big domestic auto producers and the much lower use of PM parts by the transplant manufacturers. This trend will be exacerbated by the increased popularity of hybrid vehicles and the decline in large SUVs. In Europe and Japan, the down-draft from the US recession was not apparent in ferrous powder shipments for PM parts manufacture. After perking up in 2000, both European and Japanese markets remained essentially flat until 2003-4 when the PM business began rising again. Europe will be looking towards the East for growth in the PM automotive sector, while in Japan new automotive PM applications are expected to be the key over the next few years. In China and other Asian countries, metal powder consumption for PM part fabrication has been accelerating since the turn of the century; China will likely set the pace as auto production and infrastructure building construction gather pace. Outside the automotive sector, the phenomenal growth in mobile phones and other portable electronics devices has had a significant impact on the demand and pricing for nickel and cobalt powders. Special grades of nickel powder for rechargeable batteries have seen substantial growth over the past decade or so, along with the shift of battery manufacture to the Far East. Changing battery technology leading to the replacement of nickel-cadmium batteries by nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion types is having a major effect on the demand for cobalt chemicals and powder, principally in China. The industrialization of China is creating an increased demand for tungsten carbide-based cutting tools for machining, etc., and hence the tungsten powder from which the carbide is usually made. China is also the world's main source of tungsten minerals. By regulating export quotas, the Chinese government is restricting the supply of tungsten raw materials to other countries and encouraging local industry to focus on manufacture of downstream products for export as well as the domestic market. This move has clear implications for the tungsten powder market and downstream products elsewhere.

4

Metal Powders

Introduction

This fourth edition of Metal Powders: A Global Survey of Production, Applications and Markets has been revised and updated to include information available up to the end of April 2005. As before, the main purpose of the report is to review published information on the manufacture, applications and markets for the metal and alloy powders of most commercial significance. As a result, the bulk of the report deals with ferrous powders (iron and steel, stainless steels and high alloy tool steels). Most of the non-ferrous metals and alloys are also reviewed, including aluminium, copper, nickel, cobalt, and the refractory metals tungsten and molybdenum. Other metallic powders such as zinc, precious metals and cemented carbides have been excluded, either because they are used in separate specialist markets or because they are manufactured in very small quantities. The production of metal and alloy powders is a modern development that has grown to an output of over 1.3 million tonnes per year, representing a global market value of over US$3.5 billion. This figure can be compared with the estimate of over US$20 billion for the global sales of all sectors of the PM industry: PM Parts and Beatings, PM Semifinished Products, Powder Magnets and Hard Materials (Bernard Williams, IPMD, 11th Edition, 2004-5, p5). Metal powders are used in a wide variety of industries, but the major volume application is the manufacture of small precision components such as gears, sprockets and bearings etc, most of which go into the construction of motor vehicles (Figure 1.1). Metal powders are defined as metals or alloys in the form of particles, normally 0.001-1 mm in size. The powder particles come in a variety of shapes and sizes, including spherical, flake-like, and irregular granules. Metal powders are used today in an extremely broad range of applications from the mundane to the latest high-tech devices. Despite the involvement of several hundred companies worldwide in the production and consumption of metal powders, the industry has remained in comparative obscurity, and still represents only a minute fraction of the

Metal Powders

5

1

Introduction

Figure 1.1 Metal powder applications in the modern automobile (based on the chart "Powder Metal Usage on Automobiles", published, by Cincinnati Inc, Cincinnati, Ohio) Source: Cincinnati Inc

global metals business. Most of the commercially-produced metals and alloys are available in powder form in addition to their cast and wrought forms, but only a handful are produced and used in powder form on a significant scale. However, most of the metal powders that are produced

6

Metal Powders

1

Introduction

have found applications or market niches where they are the material of choice, rather than just another alternative material supply source. By far the largest group of applications for metal powders is in the manufacture of solid articles or components by powder metallurgy (PM). Both ferrous and non-ferrous powders are used in the PM production process, with widely ranging types of end product. The PM consolidation process follows a variety of different routes to achieve its design ends. In the past, the reasons for choosing the powder route have been mainly economic, but more recently the process has come to be recognised as environmentally attractive from the viewpoints of energy conservation, cleanliness and recycling. The most widely practised consolidation process is that described as the 'press-and-sinter' method. In this process, loose powder is compacted in a die cavity shaped like the desired component, to produce a 'green' part, which is then removed from the die and heated in a furnace to fuse or sinter the particles together. Sintered parts usually have residual porosity, which influences the mechanical strength and other properties. This porosity is sometimes a key positive feature of the sintered part, as in filters and in oilimpregnated self-lubricating bearings. FuUy-densified PM components can also be manufactured by using the press-and-sinter approach to make a 'pre-form' that is subsequently reheated and hot forged to close up the residual porosity. Metallic powders may also be formed into highly-densified components by isostatic pressing (hot or cold), and by injection moulding of uhrafine powder/binder mixtures. Fully dense PM wrought or semi-finished products such as sheet, strip and wire are produced by powder rolling or extrusion, followed by sintering, annealing and further processing by conventional metal-working techniques. Loose or unconsolidated metal powders are generally used in comparatively much smaller volume applications. They are found in a myriad of applications, from solid rocket fuels to additives in bread and breakfast cereals. Some of the major applications include: flux-coatings for welding electrodes, thermal spray powders, photo-copier powders, brazing and soldering pastes, as well as metallic flake for paints, pigments and printing inks.

The large geographical spread and range of materials covered in this report means that the treatment is necessarily in the form of a 'broadbrush overview'. The emphasis has been on providing a coherent picture of the development and status of the metal powder industries based on information in the public domain, and the report does not claim to be a Metal Powders 7

1

Introduction

comprehensively researched market study. Nevertheless it is hoped the material provided here will help the reader decide on the merits of a more detailed market study for a specific sector of the global metal powders business. In this first chapter a summary is given of the historical development of the modern powder metallurgy industry and the current status is briefly reviewed. In Chapter 2, an overview is given of the metal powder producing and consuming industries in the major industrial countries. A discussion is also given in this chapter on the significance for the metal powder industries of trends in the automotive industry, technology advances and environmental issues. Chapter 3 reviews the consumption of metal and alloy powders by type of powder and by geographical area, based on the most recently available statistics. Forecasts are given for consumption of various metal powders in North America, Japan and Asia to the year 2010. In Chapter 4, markets for metal powders are analysed by type of application, based on the situation in the world's leading industrial countries. Production methods for all the major types of metal and alloy powders are reviewed in Chapter 5. In Chapter 6, a global survey is given of the relevant activities of major metal powder producing companies and industry trade associations.

Powder metallurgy is an ancient manufacturing technique that was revived in the late 19th Century to produce refractory and precious metals. It has been developed and applied to the more common metals since the 1920s, though it is only in the post World War II period that the technology experienced major growth and diffusion across the industrialized world. The essentials of powder metallurgical technology are the production of metal powders and their consolidation into solid forms by the application of pressure and heat at a temperature below the melting point of the major constituent. The metallurgy of platinum as practised in Europe in the 18th and 19th Centuries, eg the Wollaston process, is considered to be one of the most important early stages of development for modern powder metallurgy. The first commercial applications of powder metallurgy occurred at the end of the 19th Century and early 1900s when a variety of refractory materials were developed for incandescent lamp filaments but were found to be very brittle. At the beginning of the 20th Century, Coolidge discovered that sintered compacts of tungsten powder could be hot-worked in a certain temperature range and retain ductility at room temperature. The Coolidge process is still the standard method of producing incandescent lamp filaments. An outgrowth from 8

Metal Powders

1 Introduction

refractory metal processing for lamp filament wire led to the development of cemented tungsten carbide by OSRAM in Germany, initially for wiredrawing dies, but eventually into a much larger industry with many applications. Serious commercialization of cemented carbide cutting tools began with the introduction of 'Widia' sintered tungsten carbide-cobalt materials by Krupp in 1927-28. Cemented carbides have since grown into a multi-billion dollar worldwide industry. Self-lubricating porous bronze bearings, composite refractory metal electrical contacts, and metallic filters also saw their beginnings in the 1920s. Carbonyl iron powder cores for radio tuning devices and PM permanent magnets were also developed in the period before the Second World War. Iron powder technology did not begin its advance to significant commercialization until the beginning of World War II in Europe. A spectacular advance in volume of production was made with the development of sintered iron driving bands for shells, as a substitute for scarce copper-zinc alloy. Production reached some thousands of tonnes per month, far in excess of previous PM output. (Production of porous iron bearings had commenced in the USA in the 1930s, in an effort to substitute for more expensive copper and tin powders: shipment of 725 tonnes of Swedish sponge iron powder were recorded between 1936 and 1940.) However, World War II apart, the growth of the PM industry has been much more closely tied to that of the automotive industry, especially in North America. The advent of mass production methods in the automotive industry made possible the use of iron and copper powder parts in large quantities, and spawned many of the technologies of the modern PM industry. 1927 saw the first commercial application of the self-lubricating bearing, a PM product, in an American car. It was made from a combination of elemental copper and tin powders. About the same time, self-lubricating bearings were also introduced to the home appliance market as a component in a refrigerator compressor. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, sintered copper-based bearings were the principal volume products of the PM industry. Since that time, growth in ferrous PM fabrication of components such as gears, cams, sprockets and other structural parts has far outstripped that of sintered bronze beatings and other non-ferrous components. By 1955, of the 18 000 tonnes of iron powder consumed in the USA, 15 000 tonnes were for PM production. Between 1961 and 1970, the North American consumption of ferrous powders increased more than three-fold while copper powder shipments stagnated (Figure 1.2). The meteoric rise of the North American PM industry during the 1960s and early 1970s attracted a number of companies to invest in PM facilities and iron powder plants.

Metal Powders 9

1

Introduction

Figure 1.2 Development of iron and copper powder production in North America, in short tons 1940-1986. Source: MPIF As the iron powder graph in Figure 1.2 indicates, the PM industry ran into considerable turbulence during the 1970s, despite hitting a record of over 190 000 tonnes in 1978, ending up in 1982 just about where it was 10 years earlier. These difficulties, sparked off by the oil crises and the ensuing turmoil in the North American car industry, had considerable fall-out for the metal powder industry, both ferrous and non-ferrous. Several of the newly created iron and steel powder producers, as well as some of the more mature suppliers, did not survive this period. On the part fabrication side, large scale PM plants run by the 'Big Three' automotive manufacturers were sold off or closed down as the car companies sought to cut costs by outsourcing and downsizing. Ownership of a number of independent PM fabricators changed hands during the 1980s and 1990s as consolidation of the industry produced several large multi-plant groups that were in a better position to deal with the large end users. In Europe, iron powder consumption grew at a steadier pace of around 9% per annum until the mid-1970s after which the rate declined significantly. A major difference between the European and North American patterns was that PM usage of iron and steel powders did not become the dominant sector until 1978. For example, in 1955 only 2400 tonnes of the 10 000 tonnes shipped were for PM, while 7000 tonnes were consumed in welding rods. In fact, iron powder consumption for welding electrode coatings exceeded that for PM until 1976. Since the end of the 1970s however, changes in technology and the shift of the

10

Metal Powders

1

Introduction .

.

.

.

Figure 1.3 Production of sintered machine parts (PM structural parts) and numbers of automobiles produced in Japan 1961-84. Sources: Machinery Statistics, MITI; Statistical Data, Japan Association of Automotive Industry, T. Kimura, MPR 1986, 41(1), p. 58

shipbuilding industry to the Far East has caused a serious decline in European consumption of powders for welding applications. Ferrous powder consumption in Europe remained stalled for a decade while increasing PM applications counterbalanced declines in the welding area, only increasing again in the late 1980s. In Japan the PM industry, which started almost from scratch at the beginning of the 1960s, followed the automotive industry more closely than anywhere else (Figure 1.3). This chart shows how quickly the automotive applications came to dominate the sintered parts industry, already reaching about 75% by 1980. The trend illustrated here underlines the degree to which automotive applications of PM have come to dominate the metal powder industries in almost all areas of the globe. However, after doubling in the 1980s, Japanese iron powder consumption for PM applications peaked at 104 000 tonnes in 1990 after being hit by the recession that lasted to the late 1990s. In the years following World War II there was also a widespread development of powder metallurgy applications in the aerospace and nuclear energy fields. These developments were mostly concerned with refractory and reactive metals and components that could not be fabricated in other ways. PM wrought products, ie fuUy-densified metal or alloy mill products that start as powders, began to emerge in the 1950s and 1960s. These included roll-compacted strip, hot isostatically

Metal Powders

11

1

Introduction

pressed superalloys, PM forgings, PM tool steels and dispersion strengthened copper alloys. Research on rapid solidification and other advanced techniques in the 1970s led to the development of highperformance PM materials such as superalloys, for very specialized markets such as military and aerospace applications.

The 1990s saw the most significant changes in the production and application of metal powders in a generation- possibly since the 1950s. The decade opened with a global recession that had begun in the USA in 1989, putting a brake on powder-using industries throughout the world. Serious losses in the US auto industry led to widespread plant closures among the 'Big Three' car manufacturers. The PM parts producing industry, however, was saved by the continuing growth in the number of automotive applications, eg in engines, transmissions and braking systems (Figure 1.1), which offset the decline in vehicle production. As a result, the North American consumption of iron and copper powders in PM applications increased significantly from 1992 until the end of the decade. The North American consumption of iron and steel powders for PM applications grew at an astonishing rate of over 18% between 1992 and 1995, producing a cumulative advance of over 120% for the decade 1990-1999. The resurgence of the North American PM market sparked a major series of investments in production capacity and industry consolidations. The success of ferrous PM application developments is reflected in the 52% growth of PM usage by the North American auto industry from an estimated weight of 10.7 kg per typical family vehicle in the 1991 model year to 16.3 kg in 2000. While almost all of that gain was in iron and low-alloy steel PM materials, on a much smaller scale the emergence of PM stainless steel applications in new exhaust systems produced a doubling in the North American consumption of stainless steel powders (from about 3000 tonnes to over 6000 tonnes, mostly between 1994 and 1999. Some of the major items in the success of PM during the 1990s included significant adoption of PM main bearing caps and powderforged connecting rods, the latter growing several-fold with expanded adoption in new engines, to consume approximately 45 000 tonnes of atomized steel powder by the end of the decade. Warm compaction, a technique developed at the beginning of the 1990s for improving the strength and endurance of PM steels by increasing the density, became commercialized in the second half of the decade and was being employed in dozens of auto and non-auto applications by 1999.

12

Metal Powders

1

Introduction

By contrast, the total of non-PM applications for ferrous powders (welding, chemical, metallurgical etc) remained static in North America during the 1990s at around 29 000 tonnes per annum. Overall, the recovery in the US economy and the increased penetration of PM applications in the automotive sector led to the 1990s ending with eight successive new records in shipments of ferrous powders, closing the century with consumption of over 400 000 tonnes for the first time ever. North American consumption of non-ferrous powders during the 1990s followed rather different paths (Table 1.1). Copper and copper-based powders came closest to following the trend for ferrous powders with an overall rise of about 30% for the decade, or an average of just under 3% per annum. The sharp divergence from the growth of ferrous powder usage may be surprising, given that the PM applications for copper-based powders continued to represent about 85% of the total. Even more surprising from this viewpoint is that nickel powder consumption, based on US import statistics, did not vary by more than a few hundred tonnes from the mean of 9400 during the whole decade. The real explanation for this is likely to be that the growth in PM usage of nickel powder was offset by declines in other areas such as electronics. Likewise, consumption of tin powder showed no discernible trend, ending the decade where it began. Table 1.1 Non-Ferrous Metal Powder Shipments in North America 1990-1999 (tonnes) Year 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

Copper-base Nickel* Aluminium Tin 17 400 16 300 18 200 20 400 20 900 21 100 20 800 22 200 22 700 22 900

9130 8890 8980 8710 9070 9500 9700 10 470 9860 9370

32 500 910 31 300 750 26 900 860 26 800 1000 39 700 1130 33 600 980 31 000 920 40 300 940 43 600 980 48 800 920

Tungsten Molybdenum 2300 1900 1300 1700 1300 1300 700 600 1300 1400

2250 2100 2250 2250 2250 2270 2270 2270 2270 2270

* US Nickel powder consumption based on import statistics Source: MPIF

The North American consumption of aluminium powder and flake showed wide fluctuations during the 1990s, ending at 48 000 tonnes in a sharply upward trend between 1996 and 1999. This was the highest level seen in over 20 years. There are no immediate explanations except the unpredictable effect of military purchases. The use of aluminium powder in automotive PM parts, for example PM camshaft bearing caps, began to climb sharply in the second half of the 1990s but the quantities amounted to less than 3% of total North American consumption.

MetalPowders

13

Shipment statistics for tungsten powder in the US also showed irregular year-to-year changes. The numbers listed in Table 1.1 represent tungsten shipped as powder mostly for use in fabricated shapes. They do not include tungsten powder that has been converted to tungsten carbide, which is the case for about two-thirds of the tungsten powder consumed in the US. While tungsten powder used as metal declined significantly during the 1990s, tungsten powder consumed as carbide rose by over 40% to 6560 tonnes in 1998 before dropping 18% in 1999. Molybdenum powder, used chiefly in specialised high-temperature applications, seems to have held steady during the 1990s in North America, although actual industry statistics are not collected for this item and the figures in the table are estimates published by MPIF. Cobalt powder is another orphan material category with no published statistics for North American consumption. However, since about threequarters of cobalt powder is used in the manufacture of hardmetal and diamond tools, consumption of several hundred tonnes can be assumed to have risen at a modest pace during the 1990s. In Western Europe, until recently, there has been a continuing dearth of information on metal powder consumption, despite the formation in 1989 of an international trade organisation for the PM industries. Iron and steel powder consumption for PM applications rose from an estimated 80 000 tonnes in 1990 to 133 000 tonnes in 1999, an increase of over 60%, or about half the rate of increase for the North American market (Table 1.2). The European ferrous I'M industry thus moved into second place in the mid-1990s, coming from behind Japan. Since there was little change in the estimated non-PM uses of ferrous powder, the I'M proportion rose from 70 to 80% during the decade, and the overall consumption increased about 43% to 165 500 tonnes. The very small European consumption of stainless steel powders in I'M applications is included in these numbers. Table 1.2 West European Shipments of Ferrous and Copper-based Powders for PM 1990-99 (tonnes) Year

Iron & Steel

Copper-based

1990 1991

80 000 (E) 83 000

10 000 (E) 10 500

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

89 500 73 100 93 600 103 100 103 300 123 200 132 100 133 100

Source: EPMA, except (E), which are estimates of this report

14

Metal Powders

9500 9700 13 100 13 800 14 200 14 800 15 900 15 600

1

Introduction

According to statistics provided by the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA), European shipments of copper and copper-based powders for PM applications rose over 50% from around 10 000 tonnes during the 1990s, most of the increase being attributable to a sharp jump of over 30% in 1994, while the peak of almost 16 000 tonnes was reached in 1998. Non-PM applications are believed to consume an additional 15-20% of material, although there are no overall published statistics. Most of the European consumption of copper powder was for atomized grades, although it ha been pointed out that a sizeable demand exists for electrolytic copper powder. European consumption of nickel powder, which began the 1990s at around 5000 tonnes, faced two negative influences during that decade: the drop in European nickel powder consumption has been related to the shift of battery production to the Far East, and to a much smaller extent to EU environmental legislation moves prompting PM users of nickel powder to look at alternatives such as pre-alloyed powders. Although no systematic statistics were published during the 1990s, there was a sizeable market for atomized aluminium powders in Europe, but this declined to the 20 000 tonnes range by 1993 from a reported 24 500 tonnes in 1991. European consumption of the refractory metal powders tungsten and molybdenum, as well as cobalt powder, although significant on the global scale, remained more or less obscure in the 1990s, due to the lack of published data. In Japan, after more than doubling in the previous decade, iron powder consumption for PM applications declined early in the 1990s and did not recover, ending down 10%. Consumption for other applications rose 36% to 54 000 tonnes, more than making up for the decline in the PM sector, so that overall iron powder consumption ended the decade 3% higher. Stainless steel powder consumption only grew at the end of the 1990s with the advent of PM automotive exhaust components, ending up 60%.

Table 1.3 Japanese Consumption of Ferrous and Copper-based Powders 1990-1999 |tonnes) Year __

Ferrous PM

Ferrous Total

Copperbased P M

Copper-based Total

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

104 000 101 500 98 400 95 000 92 000 96 000 96 300 95 300 88 000 94 000

143 500 143 600 142 900 139 600 139 100 145 900 142 500 146 300 139 900 147 600

5800 6000 5600 5300 5600 5600 4900 5400 4800 5300

7000 7300 6700 6400 6700 6700 5900 6400 5600 6300

Source: JPMA annual reports; figures do not include exports

MetalPowders

15

1

Introduction

Japanese consumption of copper powders trended down during the 1990s (Table 1.3), following an almost continuous climb for both PM and other uses. Sintered bearings, PM structural parts and PM friction products continued to account for over 80% of copper powder usage. The overall decline was about 10% in both PM and non-PM categories. By contrast, import statistics published by the US Geological Survey indicated that nickel powder consumption in Japan doubled during the 1990s, principally due to the growth in nickel-cadmium battery production, electronics and chemical products. On the other hand, following the trend in the economy, consumption of tungsten and cobalt powders appear to have remained flat. In the rest of the world, the sketchy nature of available statistics makes it difficult to present an adequate summary of the trends in the 1990s. Following the break-up of the Soviet Union and the economic collapse and financial crisis of 1998, surviving ferrous powder producers and PM parts fabricators were reported to be operating at only 10-20% of capacity. In China, the consumption of ferrous powders probably doubled during the last decade to about 50 000 tonnes, although at least half of this was used in non-PM applications such as welding electrode coatings. A similar rate of overall growth is believed to have occurred in the other East Asian industries outside of Japan. A much slower rate of growth was experienced in the southern hemisphere, where the total consumption of ferrous powders in Australia, South Africa and South America reached a little over 20 000 tonnes by 1999. Consumption of copper-based powders in Asia outside Japan increased moderately during the 1990s, apparently little affected by the Asian financial crisis. China remained a substantial user of tungsten metal powder, for production of hardmetals, tungsten heavy alloys as well as other applications, while consumption in the former Soviet Union plunged steeply in 1992/3 and did not recover.

This report is an overview of the production, applications, and markets for the more common metals and alloys that are made and sold as powders. Because of the widely varying prices of these powders and in recent times extreme volatility in some of the basic metal prices, the market data are presented primarily in terms of tonnage rather than monetary value. Markets for each of the metal powder types are discussed in terms of the major application areas, some of which are quite distinct.

16

Metal Powders

1

Introduction

Market data for the main geographical areas are based on industry statistics, where available, supplemented by company annual reports and by private estimates. Other data and forecasts for this report have been compiled from literature searches, telephone interviews and extensive desk research.

For a very readable book on the ins-and-outs of metal powders, how they are made and used, Fundamentals of Powder Metallurgy by Leander F Pease III and William G West, published in 2002 by Metal Powder Industries Federation, Princeton, New Jersey, is highly recommended. This volume also includes a brief history of the American PM industry. The International Powder Metallurgy Directory and Yearbook, 11th Edition, 2004-5, published by MPR Publishing Services Ltd, Shrewsbury, UK, contains a series of articles reviewing developments in metal powder production, PM fabrication and equipment, in addition to a global market review to 2002 by Bernard Williams, former executive director of the European Powder Metallurgy Association. The industry directory lists companies worldwide involved in manufacturing metal and alloy powders, PM products as well as processing equipment.

MetalPowders 17

This Page Intentionally Left Blank

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive

Scene

In this chapter an overview is given of the metal powder producing and consuming industries in each of the major economic zones. In doing this, emphasis has been put on changes since 2000. Also, where available, a brief comment is made on the current and expected economic conditions. Considerable use has been made of the most recent published country surveys. These have been largely drawn from the International Journal of Powder Metallurgy (IJPM). This chapter also contains commentaries on various economic and other factors that impinge on the usage of metal powders, and finally a discussion of the big customer- the global automotive industry and how its future will impact the metal powder producing and consuming industries.

The North American metal powder industry represents about half of global activity in this field. The Canadian, Mexican and US industries operate as an integrated market under NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, but the US PM parts fabricating industry is by far the dominant factor. This is due to the importance of PM applications in North American automobiles, whose manufacture consumes over 70% of PM parts. In this context the PM industry is now more clearly understood as a part of the automotive industry supply chain. Several hundred companies are listed as participating in the North American PM industry either as manufacturer or supplier, according to the International Powder Metallurgy Directory. The North American PM trade association MPIF has a membership of over 250 public and private companies manufacturing PM products, including powders and processing equipment, even after a decade of consolidations. According to the MPIF, more than 100 North American companies or PM operations were acquired between 1990 and 2004. Over 90% of the industry is located in the US, employing an estimated 40 000 people. Metal Powders

19

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

Business for the North American PM industry peaked in the year 2000 after nine successive years of growth. As indicated in Table 2.1, North American shipments of metal powders fell more than 10% in 2001 after reaching an all time high of over 500 000 tonnes. Shipments of powders and PM parts were thus seen as still sensitive to economic conditions, even as the usage of PM materials in North American-buih automobiles continued to rise. The powders most affected by the 2001 downturn were iron and steel, copper and copper-based powders, as well as nickel. By 2003, however, shipments of ferrous powders (iron and steel, as well as stainless) had recovered almost to their 2000 peak levels, and by the latest reports have made a new record in 2004. On the other hand, shipments of copper-based powders have been slower to recover and were still down over 10% in 2003.

Table 2.1 North American Metal Powder Shipments 1995-2003 (tonnes) 1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000 404 015

2001

314 954

318 067

353 698

372 454

402 119

3629

4435

4759

5330

6493

Copper, Copper-based

21 062

20 767

22 176

22 726

22 240

22 933

Aluminium

33 603

31 007

40 295

43 687

48 788

51 230(E) 45 000(E)

623

1325

1391

1760

2270

2270

2270

9864(R)

Iron and Steel Stainless Steel

Tungsten

1311

707(R)

Molybdenum(E)

2270

2270

Nickel*

9504

9696(R)

Tin Total

10 465

916

941

975

387 3 0 8 3 8 7 865

435 227

4 5 8 631

975

7700(E)

350 371 7300(E) 18 826

2002 394 000 7700(E)

2003 401 707 8100(E)

20 560

20 530

45 000(E)

45 000(E)

1590(E)

2270(E)

2700(E)

2270

2270

2270

2700

9374

14 424

8300

6967

9124(R)

922

1044

671

696

848

4 9 3 597 505 3 7 6

434 328

479 463

490 709

* Nickel powder shipments are based on US import statistics

Source: MPIF; (E) = Estimate; (R) = Revised

Although the North American markets for ferrous and copper-based powders hit a new peak in 2000, business began to weaken by the middle of that year, so that the 2000 totals were only slightly ahead of 1999. The MPIF (IJPM2001, 37(4) pp33-41) reported that North American PM part production fell significantly (by 15.7%) in the first quarter of 2001 due to cutbacks in production of the 'Big Three', pulling powder shipments down with it. Thus economic factors swamped the continuing advance in PM automotive applications, which were said to have brought the PM parts content of the typical North American family vehicle to 17 kg in the 2001 model year. An outstanding item at that juncture was the 18% rise in stainless steel powder shipments in 2000, largely attributed to increased use of PM stainless steel auto exhaust parts such as flanges and sensor bosses. General Motors and Ford Motor Co were reported to be major users of PM exhaust parts with Daimler-Chrysler at the sampling stage. Further growth in this area was anticipated, also from Asian 'transplant' and European car manufacturers. Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) powder consumption increased substantially in 2000 and the North American market for MIM parts in 2000 was estimated by the Metal Injection Moulding Association (MIMA)

20

Metal Powders

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

at US$125 million (versus US$120 million for ceramic injection moulded parts). In his last 'State-of-the-North-American PM Industry' address before retiring, MPIF executive director, Don White reported at the 2002 PM World Congress in Orlando, Florida that the North American PM industry suffered a significant downturn in 2001 due to the decline in automotive production and recession in the US. While vehicle production was off about 10%, shipments of ferrous powders for PM parts and friction products declined 12.7% compared with the record set in 2000. Copper and copperbased powders, 85% of which are used in PM, did worse, declining 18%. Nickel powder shipments suffered an even larger decline, plunging over 40% as markets for rechargeable batteries, catalysts and electronics 'took a beating' and were also hit by inventory adjustments. White reported that MIM part production also declined in 2001 to just over US$100 million, but that the outlook for this sector was still positive with major growth markets in automotive, medical devices, electronics and telecommunications applications. White also noted that the North American PM industry in general survived the 2001 recession in the US relatively unscathed and as far as the automotive sector was concerned, it was expected to continue to capture business from castings, forgings and machined parts. He pointed to new engines and transmissions for North American built cars, vans and SUVs that would be launched in coming years, enlarging the market for powderforged connecting rods, and PM planetary carriers, for example. However, PM hot-forged connecting rods were now facing new competition from C70 forged steel bar, long favoured by European carmakers. Brockhaus of Germany had lined up North American business with General Motors and DaimlerChrysler to make C70 forged connecting rods for three new engines at a plant in Canada. White estimated that connecting rods were now consuming about 45 000 tonnes of steel powder annually. The relative merits of powder-forged and C70 forged steel rods is an ongoing debate. The North American PM industry rebounded from its 2001 low during both 2002 and 2003. Reports by David Schaefer (current president of MPIF) and C James Trombino, successor to White as executive director/CEO of MPIF, at the 2003 and 2004 International Conferences on PM and Particulate Materials, in Las Vegas and Chicago, respectively, tracked the recovery of the industry (IJPM, 2003, 39(5), pp31-36 and IJPM, 2004, 40(4), pp27-32). As indicated in Table 2.1, iron powder shipments rose 12.4% in 2002 and another 2% in 2003, bringing the rate close to the year 2000 record. Copper powder shipments were slower to recover, rising less than 10% over the 2002-3 period. The recovery from the short-lived recession was not entirely smooth, with North American PM parts producers reporting rather variable business conditions through the period. This was no doubt related to the production cutbacks announced by the 'Big Three', and resulting in a drop in North American light vehicle production to 15.8 million from 16.7 million in 2002. The year 2004 also began with a very positive trend in the first quarter, which was later toned

MetalPowders 21

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

down a shade but still resulted in a new record being set for ferrous powder shipments. With the continuing struggles of North American car producers over market shares, the PM industry's progress has been based chiefly on increasing the content of PM parts in the current vehicles. This has climbed about 25% since 1999, versus an increase of 43% between 1990 and 1999. Although it is hoped that the North American PM industry is resuming its growth trend or entering a new growth phase, there are a number of challenging factors that have been developing over the past few years. Aside from the inevitable influences of national and international politics and economic cycles, there has been a gradual levelling off in North American car sales on the one hand and an increasing trend to globalization of manufacturing on the other. Furthermore, the recent run up in raw materials and fuel prices is unlikely to see any meaningful near-term reversal, with negative consequences for the sales of SUVs and other vehicles with large V-8 engines, which generally contain the highest level of PM components. It is probably too early to see how in fact the emergence of more environmentally-friendly vehicles such as hybrids and fuel cell powered cars will truly impact the PM industry, but some fall-out is inevitable. The medium and longer effects are discussed more fully at the end of this chapter.

2.1.1 Canada The Canadian PM industry consists of a relatively small number of companies, about a couple of dozen with manufacturing plants, half of which make some kind of PM component. However, only a handful can be considered major players. The most prominent in recent years is Stackpole, operating four plants in Canada, and a leader in production of high-density, high-performance automotive transmission parts. This company has expanded substantially over the past decade and has achieved a high profile for a series of award-winning surface-densified transmission parts. It was purchased by Tompkins plc of the UK in 2003. The other major name in Canadian PM parts fabrication is GKN Sinter Metals, with a large plant in St. Thomas, Ontario. On a much smaller scale, Metal Powder Products Co of Carmel, Indiana, acquired the Sinteris division of Dynagear, in Ontario in 2003. This plant also makes PM parts for auto engines and transmissions. The concentration of Canadian PM parts fabricators in Ontario is undoubtedly related to the proximity of the Canadian and US automotive assembly plants. Canadian automotive production in Ontario topped 2.7 million units in 2004, just ahead of the total output of the state of Michigan, across the border, at 2.6 million. Although there are no published statistics, the Canadian PM parts industry is now believed to consume over 40 000 tonnes/year of metal powders. On the powder production front, over a quarter of North American ferrous powder capacity is located in Quebec, with Quebec Metal Powders Ltd and Domfer Metal Powders providing a complete range of iron and steel powder

22

Metal Powders

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

products. In non-ferrous powders, INCO Special Products, a business unit of INCO Ltd based in Ontario, is the world's leading supplier of nickel powders, expanding its range of products over a number of years into newer application areas such as rechargeable batteries, fuel cells, electronics etc. In Alberta, Sherritt International and Umicore also produce a range of nickel and cobalt powder products including high-purity nickel briquettes for stainless steel manufacture, and fine nickel and cobalt powders for electronics, hardmetals and MIM. Nano-scale nickel powders for electronics applications are now being produced by Canadian Electronic Powders Corp, a spin-off from Noranda, in St Laurent, Quebec.

2.1.2 Mexico The Mexican PM parts producing industry has benefited from the NAFTA treaty as several US and European parts manufacturers have set up or purchased operations to take advantage of the access to the US auto industry. However, the attraction of low cost production in Mexico has begun to dim in recent years in the light of developing PM manufacturers in Asia, particularly China. Well-known groups with plants in Mexico include AMES of Spain, Capstan, Metal Powder Products and Metaldyne Sintered Components of the US, and Sintermetall, belonging to the Schunk group of Germany. PM component manufacturing includes conventional parts such as self-lubricating bearings, filters, engine sprockets, beating caps, as well as powder-forged connecting rods.

2.1.3 U S A The PM industry in the US is so large and diversified that it would take another volume to give it adequate review. In some sectors, eg ferrous PM parts, it is larger than the rest of the world combined. Companies in the US are active in every conceivable aspect of powder metallurgy and particulate materials technology and manufacturing. The industry's trade association, MPIF, is actually a federation of several sectoral associations, and at a recent count boasted over 250 member companies. The largest sector, PM part fabrication, has over 220 members. More than 30 US metal powder producers make every type of powder in commercial use from aluminium to zinc, with the exception of pure nickel powder, which is imported, mainly from Canada. The US PM parts fabrication industry went through a decade of consolidations in the 1990s, with more than 50 acquisitions in the second half of that period. The industry emerged with several strong groups mostly within multi-national suppliers of automotive components. Leading the pack with 7000 employees after buying 13 PM parts companies since 1998, is British-owned GKN Sinter Metals, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, with plants in 19 US locations in addition to its Canadian operations in St. Thomas, Ontario, and several plants in Europe and other continents. GKN Sintered Metals is part of GKN plc. GKN Sintered Metals

Metal Powders 23

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

reported sales revenue for 2003 of s million (about US$1.2 billion) including US ferrous powder manufacturer Hoeganaes Corp. Other groups with plants in multiple locations are BorgWarner Automotive, Federal Mogul Corp, Hawk Group, Metal Powder Products, and Metaldyne Sintered Components. The financial strength and global reach of these multi-national corporations has increased the competition to supply the auto industry, itself more globalized than ever. With over 70% of PM parts going into the automotive market, this has become by far the most dominant factor in the whole metal powder and PM product industry. Several other international groups have one or more PM operations in the US, including those involved in specialty products. The largest of the remaining independent PM parts fabricators is Keystone Powdered Metal Co, based in St Marys, Pennsylvania, with additional plants in Ohio and North Carolina. Keystone has been a leading parts manufacturer from the early days of the North American industry and is still controlled by the family of one of the founders. However, in early 2005 it was announced that Keystone was looking for a buyer. Keystone is a major supplier to the auto industry with 750 employees and sales of about US$86 million. Much of the change in the industry since the last edition of this report has been on the powder producing side. The most significant development has been the establishment of a new major atomized steel powder plant with an initial capacity of 90 000 tonnes/year by North American HOgan~is, subsidiary of the Swedish H0gan{is AB. The plant at Stony Creek in HoUsopple, Pennsylvania was converted from a dis-used steel plant and the first stage of the investment was completed in October 2001. Bonded powder production was added in 2002. The entry of North American H6gan~is in the atomized steel powder market has intensified competition with established suppliers, most of whom had already increased capacity ahead of expected demand. The success of North American HOgan~is has been quite remarkable in the light of the choppy market conditions of the past few years. It is perhaps due partly to the new plant's ability to reproduce well-known atomized powder grades from its Swedish parent as well as those previously produced by the Pyron Corp that had already been taken over by H6gan~is. Another factor could be that some independent powder users preferred to have a source that was not affiliated with GKN Sinter Metals, a major competitor in parts fabrication. Meanwhile, Hoeganaes Corp, the leading North American manufacturer of ferrous powders, following the acquisition of its parent company by GKN plc, has been consolidating its position as supplier to the now related PM parts fabricators within GKN Sinter Metals, and spreading its wings overseas with sales and distribution centres in Europe and Asia, building a 45 000 tonnes/year powder processing plant in Germany and acquiring Ductil Iron in Romania (see Sections 6.1 and 6.2). In 2001 Hoeganaes Corp increased its atomized stainless steel powder capacity by setting up a new wateratomizing facility in partnership with Electralloy at the latter's plant in Oil

24

Metal Powders

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

City, Pennsylvania, and later opened a new stainless steel powder blending facility in Ridgway, Pennsylvania. On the non-ferrous powders side, SCM Metal Products Inc, was acquired for US$65 million by Hrgan~is AB in early 2003 from OM Group Inc, of Cleveland, Ohio. Hrgan~is later (in 2004) sold the copper-base powder production business to Gibraltar Steel Corp for US$41 million, but retained the stainless and tool steel production unit in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, as well as the Glidcop dispersion-strengthened copper products. The H0gan/is subsidiary involved in the transaction was renamed North American H/3gan~is High Alloys LLC and continues production of stainless steel, gasatomized nickel alloys and electrolytic iron powders at the Johnstown plant. The SCM copper powder business had sales of about US$45 million in 2003. Gibraltar Steel had sales in 2003 of US$758 million. Zinc Corp of America (ZCA), headquartered in Monaca, Pennsylvania, the largest US producer of zinc metal, zinc oxide, zinc dust and zinc powder, together with its parent Horsehead Industries, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2002. However, operations were continued while a financial reorganization was put in place. Horsehead Industries later exited bankruptcy, selling its assets to Sun Capital. As elsewhere in North America, the prospects for the PM industry in the US is highly dependent on the future of the North American car manufacturers. After the downturn in 2001, the 'Big Three' have faced a number of challenges in efforts to maintain market share against import competition. Also, the rate of increase in PM content in the 'typical' North Americanbuilt family vehicle has been slowing down since the late 1990s, as the 'easier' parts have been converted to PM. Furthermore, as discussed elsewhere in this chapter, some of the significant coming technological changes have yet to seriously impact the automotive manufacturing industry and its suppliers. No other end user sector of the PM industry is likely to take up the slack, since they are collectively dwarfed by the auto industry.

The PM industry in Japan comprises several dozen companies involved in the supply of raw materials and equipment and the manufacture of PM products. The Japanese PM trade association JPMA lists 75 companies as members or associate members, seven of which are overseas, and is believed to represent over 90% of the industry. The Japanese industry is involved in virtually every sector of PM manufacturing and is a leader in PM technology. It is highly geared to the automotive industry and has a number of worldclass facilities. Of all the trade associations, JPMA in its annual reports provides the most comprehensive industry statistics.

Metal Powders 25

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

Table 2.2 Iron-based and Copper-based PM Part Production in Japan 1 9 9 8 - 2 0 0 4 (tonnes)

Iron-based Copper-based

Total

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

76 600

80 100

88 200

83 200

86 700

92 200

100 000

2900

3300

3900

3100

3300

3000

3300

79 500 83 400 92 100 86 300 90 000 95 200 103 300

Source: JPMA Annual Reports

The tonnage of iron-based and copper-based PM production in Japan for 1998-2004, as reported by JPMA, are shown in Table 2.2. Comparison of these figures with the breakdown into types of PM product given in Table 2.3 suggests that the figures for iron-based and copper-based products correspond closely with the totals for PM structural parts and bearings. It can be deduced that the large majority of PM bearings in Japan are made from ferrous-based powders. After the economic stagnation of the 1990s, Japanese PM component production began to recover after 2001, reaching a new peak of 95 200 tonnes in 2003 followed by an increase to 103 300 tonnes in 2004, which also set a new record. The proportion of these parts manufactured for the automotive industry was 90.2%, up 2.4% in five years from 87.8% in 1999. Thus the Japanese PM industry remains the most highly related to automotive applications in the world, with industrial equipment and electrical applications at a mere 5% each in 2003. Apart from a down year in 2001, Japan's domestic four-wheeled automotive vehicle production has remained flat at just over 10 million since 1999, indicating a continuing increase in the PM content per vehicle. Nonautomotive PM structural parts rose for a third year to 9362 tonnes in 2004 after dropping from a peak in 2000 at 10 960 tonnes. The breakdown of Japanese PM part production by type is shown in Table 2.3. Table 2.3 B r e a k d o w n of Japanese PM Production 1 9 9 8 - 2 0 0 4 (tonnes) 1998 PM Structural Parts 72 328 Bearings 7243 Frictional Materials 555 Electrical Contacts 173 Miscellaneous* 509

Total

80808

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

75 572 7791

83 369 9007

78 792 7725

83 397 7847

87 821 7559

95 283 8010

613 172 366

718 203 502

690 164 488

688 93 497

671 99 591

718 103 895

84514

93 799 8 7 8 5 9

91 522 96 741 1 0 5 0 0 9

*Includes electrical collectors, but not refractory metals, magnetic materials or cemented carbides Source: JPMA Annual Reports

PM bearings production i.n 2004 recovered to 8010 tonnes from a low in 2003 at 7556 tonnes after peaking in 2000 at 9007 tonnes. The table also

26

Metal Powders

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

shows a parallel trend in PM friction materials but at a much lower level in the 600-700 tonnes range. The increase in PM structural parts production was credited by JPMA to the upturn in the Japanese economy, combined with continuing favourable export performance and recovery in capital expenditure. The value of PM part production in 2004 was u billion (about US$1.1 billion), up 6% from 2003. According to JPMA president Takayoshi Sugiyama, speaking at the 2004 PM World Congress, both domestic and export demand for PM products was now very good. Since Japanese domestic vehicle production had remained relatively flat, the growth in volume of sintered parts was attributed to the growth in new applications, for example emission control products as well as increased application of power-steering related parts and vehicle air-conditioners.

Table 2.4 Japanese Production of Non-Automotive PM Structural Parts 1998-2004 (tonnes) 1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

3953

4687

6037

na

na

na

3672

3802

4133

na

na

na

na

598

733

791

na

na

na

na

9 2 2 2 10 9 6 0

9922

8590

8965

9362

For I n d u s t r i a l Machines

na

For Electrical Machines Others

Total

8223

na = not available Source: JPMA Annual Reports

The production volume of structural PM parts for non-automotive applications has been categorized by JPMA into 'For industrial machines' (agricultural machinery, business machines, construction equipment and general-purpose engines), 'For electrical machines' (air-conditioners, communications equipment, power tools etc) and 'Other'. The breakdown of non-automotive PM structural part production in Japan from 1998 to 2004 is shown in Table 2.4. The production of PM parts for industrial equipment peaked in 2000 at over 6000 tonnes, a new record after an interval of 16 years. This was said to be due to improved sales of photocopier machines and a recovery in exports of construction equipment, sewing machines, textile equipment and the like. In the following years, 2001 and 2002, Japanese production of PM parts in this category declined, believed to be due to the shift of production of copier machines and related items to China. However, the trend was actually reversed strongly in 2003 by an increase of 12.6% followed by an increase of 4.4% in 2004, believed to be due to increased demand from China together with increased exports of construction equipment and growth in other items. Japanese production of PM parts for electrical equipment also peaked in 2000, but did not set a new record. However, this sector has declined significantly since 2000, and production of PM parts for both industrial and electrical uses have been seriously affected by transfer of production to China and elsewhere. Metal Powders 27

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

Table 2.5 Analysis of Japanese PM Bearings Production 1998-2004 (tonnes)

For Vehicles

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

3189

3246

3629

3781

4058

3979

4207

2367

2687

3045

na

na

na

na

1307

1456

1889

na

na

na

na

375

403

447

na

na

na

na

7243

7791

9007

7725

7847

7559

8010

na

14.5

14.1

na

na

13.8

14.4

For Electrical Machines For Industrial Machines Others

Total Value, u billion na = not available

Source: JPMA Annual Reports

PM beating production in Japan is summarized in Table2.5. As indicated in the table, the production of PM bearings peaked in 2000 at a record 9010 tonnes, up 15.6% from 1999, but fell back in the subsequent years to the range of 7500-7800 tonnes. PM bearings production for transportation vehicles (mainly cars) increased significantly (25%) between 1999 and 2002 before levelling off at about 4000 tonnes. Production of PM bearings for non-automotive applications such as industrial machinery and electric motors etc, peaked in 2000 with strong increases over 1999, but fell in the three subsequent years, due in part to the shifting of production to China and the substitution of plastic bearings for use in ink-jet printers. Production of MIM parts in Japan has risen significantly in recent years, reaching 275 tonnes in 2003 versus 178 tonnes in 2001 and 213 tonnes in 2002. Consumption was going up in cell phone and computer parts, according to Sugiyama. The closely-watched trend in the usage of PM parts in Japanese automobiles shows an advance from 7.2 kg per vehicle in 1999 to 7.6 kg in 2002 and 8.0 kg in 2003, but still lower that the typical figures for North American cars. The distribution of PM parts among the various elements of Japanese-made cars has seen a slight but significant shift over the same period. From JPMA's own researches, the proportion of PM parts used in the engine passed the half-way mark in 2003, at 52%, versus 46.3% in 1999 models. As before, the drivetrain and chassis were the second and third biggest uses at 24% and 15%, respectively. The balance of 9% was made up of parts in electrical, body, fuel and other sectors. As noted elsewhere, Japanese shipments of metal powders have been on the rise again, after stagnating and even declining during the 1990s. In the case of ferrous powders, total shipments in 2003 were up over 33% from 1998. Although a large portion of this is due to recovery and growth in the domestic PM part fabrication industry, exports of iron powder have climbed over 40% since 1998, to a level that would feed a sizeable PM industry. It is

28

Metal Powders

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

assumed that much of this powder is used to fabricate components whose production has been transferred out of Japan, mostly to other parts of Asia. According to OECD Secretary-General Donald Johnston, the Japanese economy is picking up, benefiting from robust growth in the US and China, Japan's key export markets. Growth will not be strong but the OECD is forecasting Japanese growth of about 1.5% for 2005 and 2006. The Japanese PM industry is dominated by a number of strong global companies, many of which are household names: Toyota Motor Corp, Kobe Steel, Hitachi Powdered Metals, Mitsubishi Materials Corp, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Kawasaki Steel Corp, (now JFE Steel Corp), Toshiba etc. There is little in the way of foreign ownership in the Japanese PM industry. On the other hand, several Japanese companies involved in PM have major stakes overseas. The strength of the Japanese companies also means that the industry will continue to invest in new technology and materials development. This is witnessed by the annual display of award-winning PM parts at conferences around the world.

There are significant powder metallurgy industries in about a dozen Western European countries. Most of these are reviewed in this section. The basic technology of metal powder production and PM component fabrication was largely pioneered in Europe, for example in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the UI~ Strong developments are still taking place there, although business has expanded to larger markets in North America, Japan and Asia. Western European companies are involved in all phases of metal powder production, PM product manufacturing and applications. Europe is particularly strong in hardmetal production, which represents a bigger share of the total PM industry than in other economic regions. The most recent estimated breakdown of the value of PM products manufactured in Western Europe was given by EPMA at the 2002 PM World Congress in Orlando, Florida. As indicated in Table 2.6, hardmetals represented the largest value in 2001 at ~2135 million (35%), just exceeding the combined value of PM structural parts and semi-finished products (34%).

Metal Powders 29

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

Table 2.6 Value of PM Products Manufactured in W Europe 1998 and 2001 (~ million) Ha rd meta Is PM Structural Parts PM Semi-finished Products PM Magnets Diamond Tools

Total

1998

2001

1794 1092 598 884 780

2135 1403 671 976 915

5200

61 O0

Source: EPMA and C Molins presentation at 2002 PM World Congress in Orlando, Florida

Comparison with the estimates for 1998 also given in the table indicates that the PM structural parts sector was growing fastest, averaging 8.4% pa, compared with the total Western European PM products value that increased at an average 5.5% rate over those three years. As a result, the PM structural parts portion increased from 21% to 23%, and from about C I.1 billion to C1.4 billion. Table 2.7 Estimated Market Shares of W European Countries in PM Parts Production 2002 Germany Spain Italy France UK Austria Switzerland Belgium, Netherlands, Scandinavia and Others

25% 20% 14% 9% 9% 7% 4% 12%

100% Source: EPMA and O Morandi, Power Metallurgy 2003, 46 (4), p294

In terms of tonnage of PM parts production in Western Europe, Germany, Spain and Italy are the three leading countries, with 25, 20 and 14% respectively (Table 2.7). These percentages would be slightly reduced if production in Russia, East Europe and Turkey were included. 2002 was a down year for the European PM industry due to the economic situation following the US recession, but, as expressed by Dr Cesar Molins in his EPMA annual report, 2003 was 'at best a transition )rear' to better times. The flurry of mergers and acquisitions in the 'traditional' PM industry more or less came to a halt in 2002. European shipments of PM products fell slightly in 2003 and the usage of PM in European cars remained at an average of 8.1 kg/vehicle for the fourth consecutive year. EPMA's executive director, Jonathan Wroe, noted that with the apparent levelling off in total production of the European automotive industry, growth and development of the PM industry would likely depend on diversification of applications. The success of the Italian PM industry in this direction was cited as an

30

Metal Powders

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

example of what could be achieved with concerted effort. The development of new MIM markets beyond the automotive industry was also seen as encouraging. In his keynote address at the 2004 PM World Congress in Vienna, Dr Molins gave a more detailed review of the PM industry performance in 2003-4 and the current outlook. European metal powder shipments for PM of around 160 000 tonnes in 2003 represented about 18% of the worldwide total, estimated at 880 000 tonnes, which was up 5% from 2002. After dipping in 2001-2 with the recession, European PM shipments advanced through 2003 and 2004 to an estimated 170 000 tonnes. Western Europe should see some further recovery in the year ahead, while PM production in East Europe should see continuing higher growth. The recent improvements were seen as a reflection of the increased use of PM in European-built cars. European car sales were also turning upwards after being down in 2002/3. He added that Europe now represented 35% of global annual car sales of around 40 million vehicles. Another positive trend was the steady increase in the number of Western European cars with diesel engines, now approaching 45%, up from 25% in 1998, and could reach 55% by 2010. The more efficient 'clean' diesel engines use slightly more PM parts than petrol engines. A further optimistic sign was the increasing use of automatic transmissions in Europe, estimated to rise to 18% in 2005 from 12% in 2000. The increasing presence of VVT (variable valve timing) 'a good user of PM parts' was another positive sign. The PM parts industry now faces a serious problem in rising raw materials and energy costs. A study made by the German Fachverband ftir Pulvermetallurgie in June 2004 indicated that the combination of powder price increases and higher energy costs (see below) had increased PM part manufacturing costs by an estimated 2.5% in the first half of 2004. Further increases since June made the year-end figure even higher. Some European parts fabricators were now moving production to China. There was also increased pressure on the quality and liability front, as well as from Asian competitors. Another major headache for the European PM industry and its suppliers was the impending new EU legislation REACH that will replace the former New Chemicals Policy. The problem here is that metal powders tend to be regarded as hazardous. There is a need for lobbying to get the correct treatment of metal powders. As Molins said, 'EPMA is on the case'.

2.3.1 Austria Austria has had a long involvement in PM, dating back to the 1920s. In the most recently published review (IJPM, 2002, 38(8), pp26-32), Professor H Danninger noted that the Austrian PM industry was active in virtually all sectors, and was a major player on the global scene despite the country's small population. The small size of the domestic market explains why typically over 90% of the Austrian PM industry's products are exported. Metal Powders 31

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

Austrian metal powder manufacturers are mainly involved in the production of specialty materials- refractory metals and carbides, high-alloy steel powders, as well as aluminium-based powders and granules. Privately-owned Plansee AG in Reutte, Tyrol, makes tungsten, molybdenum, and tungsten carbide powders essentially for internal use in the manufacture of semifinished products. Two other companies also produce tungsten and tungsten carbide powders: Wolfram Bergbau und Hiitten in Styria, specializing in fine and ultrafine tungsten and tungsten carbide powders of high purity, and Treibacher Industrie in Carinthia. Treibacher also produces other carbides, cermets, thermal spray powders and rare earth nickel-base powder for NiMH batteries. Treibacher employs about 600 people and was reported to have an annual turnover of about C200 million. Aluminium-based powders and granules are manufactured by MEPURA GmbH (see Section 6.2) at Ranshofen, north of Salzburg. This company is part of the ECKA Granules group based in F~irth, Bavaria, Germany, and is also active in preparing precursor materials for aluminium foams. MEPURA produced l l 000 tonnes of aluminium-based powders in 2001. B6hler Uddeholm Powder Technology (BUPT) in Kapfenberg, Styria, is a part of B6hler Uddeholm AG, a global market leader in tool steels. B UPT makes gas-atomized HSS powders for HIPing into semi-finished PM tool steels, characterized by a high degree of cleanliness. The products also include cold work tool steels and high-chromium steels for plastic moulding dies. B UPT is the PM producing source for B6hler Ede|stahl of Austria and Uddeholm Tooling, Sweden. Together these companies were reported to cover about 30% of the world market for PM tool steels, estimated by Danninger to be about 10 000 tonnes in 2000. Ferrous sintered parts are manufactured in Austria by two companies that have become global players in recent years: MIBA Sintermetall AG, located in Upper Austria, and Plansee, through its subsidiary Sinterstahl GmbH. Both companies specialize in sintered automotive parts, particularly highstrength components. These groups also operate plants in Germany, Spain, Italy, Slovakia, and the USA. PM friction materials are manufactured in Austria by MIBA Fritec GmbH, which split off from MIBA Sintermetall in 1989. Altogether, the manufacture of sintered components and friction products employs about 800 people in Austria, generating estimated annual sales of over C100 million on 5000 tonnes, representing about 6% of the European total in 2002. The production of hardmetals and tooling systems for metal cutting and wear parts, as well as diamond tools is an even larger item in the Austrian PM industry, with the Plansee companies and Tyrolit Schleifmittelwerke Swarovski KG being major players in these sectors.

2.3.2 France Although a large number of international companies are represented in France, the core of the French PM industry is fairly concentrated. Major consolidations took place during the 1990s and there have been few

32

Metal Powders

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and theAutomotive Scene

significant changes in the present decade. Leading PM structural parts fabricators in Grenoble and Pontoise (Paris region) are under the Federal Mogul flag. Powder production facilities are mainly involved in non-ferrous metals and alloys (copper, tin, aluminium), stainless steels, superalloys and refractory metals. There have been no recent reviews of the French PM industry, and the latest statistics (see Table 2.7) indicate a 9% share of the Western European PM parts production in 2002, a decline from earlier levels.

2.3.3 Germany The German economy bounced back in 2004 with GDP increasing 1.7% versus a decline of 0.1% in 2003, according to figures issued in January 2005 by the German Federal Statistics Office. Despite weak consumer demand, 2004 was the best year for the German economy since 2000, when it grew 2.9%. Based on a growing number of signs, further recovery was expected in 2005, although unemployment was reported to have passed 5 million in the early months of the year. The PM industry in Germany is the biggest in Europe, and until 2002 it was the world's third largest national PM industry (after USA and Japan). In 2003, Germany's production of PM parts and beatings was finally overtaken by C h i n a - a sign of the times. As the Eurozone's largest producer of PM structural parts, beating and filters, Germany still accounted for about a quarter of Western European output in 2003, although this fraction has fallen slightly since 1998 with the rise of the Spanish and Italian industries. (Germany's share of the European parts market drops to 23% if Russia is included.) Several dozen companies are listed in Germany as producers of PM products, including MIM parts, magnets, and hardmetal, diamond and CBN tooling. After remaining relatively static below 25 000 tonnes/year in the early 1990s, German shipments of PM structural parts, bearings and filters began growing at around 15% in 1997, peaking at over 43 000 tonnes in 2001 (see Table 2.8). As the table indicates, German PM production has declined about 10% since the peak. The table also shows that most of the growth in PM production in recent years has been in ferrous parts which have increased about 50% since 1997, while non-ferrous parts have grown by less than 15% and now represent 2.5%-3% of the total. The sales value of the German PM parts output is about ~400 million. About 38% of PM structural parts are for export. In other parts of the German PM industry, sintered hardmetal cutting tools and wear parts amount to C1 billion, while hard magnets account for ~250 million. MIM sales in 2004 are estimated at s million-30 million, up from ~10 million-15 million in 1999.

Metal Powders 33

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

Table 2.8 Production of PM Structural Parts, Bearings and Filters in Germany 1997-2003 (tonnes) 1998 Ferrous Non-Ferrous

Total

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

25 213(E) 29 801 960(E) 951

34 335 930

39 544 1096

42 464 1068

38 079 1042

38 197 1081

26 173

30 752 35 265 40 640 43 532 39 121 39 278

Source: Fachverband fQr Pulvermetallurgie; (E) = Estimate

As the largest European PM parts industry, Germany boasts some heavy hitters. Industry leader GKN Sinter Metals has a collection of seven plants, including technology leaders such as GKN Sinter Metals Radevormwald (PM, PF, bearings, filters, PM-HSS and MIM production). Other names include Schunk Sintermetall Technik, EHW Thale Sintermetall, Sinterstahl Fiissen, Schw~ibische Htittenwerk, Bosch-Tekeda and Bleistahl. Germany has several important domestic powder suppliers, notably BASF and QMP Metal Powders for MIM and PM iron and steel powders, respectively, ECKA Granules for non-ferrous, and HC Starck for refractory and more exotic metal powders. The last two groups are global suppliers with plants around the world in addition to major production facilities in Germany. Tungsten and molybdenum powders are also made by OSRAM in Schwabmtinchen. In recent years there have been some major changes in the industry. In 2001, the Eckart-Werke company was split up into two separate firms, enabling the newly-formed ECKA Granules (see Section 6.2) to concentrate on the non-ferrous powders and granules business. In 2002, ECKA Granules acquired MicroMet GmbH from Norddeutsche Affinerie AG in Hamburg, making ECKA the world's largest producer of copper powders. The MicroMet plant employs 60 people and makes electrolytic copper powders, with sales of about C25 million. MicroMet also makes fine and sub-micron powders in a proprietary precipitation process, for MIM and electronics applications. ECKA is now a leading global producer of non-ferrous powders with 16 plants around the world. H C Starck acquired the molybdenum powder and PM products producer CSM Industries of Cleveland, Ohio, with four plants in the USA, two in the UK and one in Germany. In the PM structural parts sector, GKN Sinter Metals bought two plants in 2002" Schunk's Oberhausen plant and Nichol Portland's facility in Berlin. Mahle Ventiltreib GmbH built a new plant in Liebertingen in 2002 to produce composite automotive camshafts with PM lobes. Finally Cloyes Gear and Products Inc, of Paris, Arkansas, USA, formed Cloyes Europe GmbH in a joint venture with Sumitomo Corp, and built a 4000 m 2 plant in Zittau, near the border with Poland and the Czech Republic. 2.3.4

Italy

The Italian PM industry now ranks third in Europe and is largely composed of PM structural parts fabricators, plus one major powder producer,

34

Metal Powders

2 Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene Pometon SpA. Pometon (see Section 6.2) is a producer of steel shot and grit for sand-blasting, shot-peening, marble- and granite-cutting, and also produces ferrous and non-ferrous powders at three plants in Northern Italy. Iron powder and shot production capacity was recently increased to 100 000 tonnes/year. Pometon also produces copper-base, magnesium, tin and zinc powders for a variety of applications. The bulk of Italian powder production is for domestic uses, with exports of ferrous powders running about one-fifth and copper-based at just over one third of production. The domestic consumption of iron powder for PM structural parts in Italy in 2002 was estimated at 20 000 tonnes, the bulk of which was imported, mainly from Sweden. Non-ferrous powder consumption was estimated at 5000 tonnes, while stainless steel powder consumption was about 300 tonnes, up from 200 tonnes in 2001. Table 2.9 Production of M e t a l P o w d e r s and P M Parts in Italy 1 9 9 7 - 2 0 0 2 (tonnes) PM Parts Ferrous Stainless Steel, Non-Ferrous Metal Powders Iron (for PM) Copper & Bronze

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

17 300

18 560

20 050

21 340

24000

24 150

24 300

1500

1860

2030

2060

2630

2200

2200

3565 1385

4464 2932

4834 3260

5919 4044

6200 4150

6300 4375

Source: ASSINTER and Oreste Morandi, PM, 2003, 46(4), pp294-296

Italian PM parts producers manufacture sintered structural parts and bearings, MIM components, and carbide tools in over 20 plants. The trade association ASSINTER (see Section 6.6.5) gathers quite comprehensive statistics on the progress of the PM industry in Italy, and this account is drawn largely from an article by Oreste Morandi, the current General Secretary of ASSINTER (PM, 2003, 46(4), pp294-296; see also IJPM, 2003, 39(1), pl6). The Italian PM structural parts industry's output grew fairly steadily during the 1990s and peaked in 2000 at 26 300 tonnes of ferrous and copper-based parts, valued at E193 million (Table 2.9). Since then the tonnage and values have flattened off. The Italian PM industry can be expected to continue to develop in parallel with the rest of Europe, although the proportion of PM parts going into the auto sector has traditionally been lower than elsewhere in Europe. This has risen from 50% in 1996 to about 55% in 2002. The balance of applications is found in mechanical devices, D IY equipment and household appliances. The Italian PM industry has also maintained a high level of exports, now valued at over El00 million. Production of MIM parts in Italy is still quite small, at E2.25 million, but growing strongly.

Metal Powders 35

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

More than a dozen companies are active in Italy in the production of cemented carbide tools and wear parts. The output of this sector of the industry in 2002 was estimated by ASSINTER at El 50 million, over 60% of which was represented by cutting tools.

2.3.5 Spain The PM industry in Spain has grown very substantially over several decades, notably in the fabrication of PM sintered parts where Spain is now the second largest producer in Europe after Germany, having recently overtaken Italy. The industry in Spain was reviewed in 2002 by Dr Cesar Molins, president of EPMA and managing director of AMES SA (IJPM, 2002, 38(3), pp53-60). There are currently more than a dozen companies in Spain manufacturing metal powders, PM parts, hardmetals, MIM products and equipment for the PM industry. The main producer of metal powders is Metapol SA, since 1996 a subsidiary of Pometon SpA of Italy. Metapol produces about 2000 tonnes/year of nonferrous powders, the bulk of which are exported. The major activity of the Spanish PM industry is in the production of sintered parts and powder forgings. In 2002, the output exceeded 30 000 tonnes, valued at over s million, including about 4000 tonnes of powder-forged connecting rods made in Valencia by Metaldyne for the nearby Ford Motor Co assembly plant. Privately-owned AMES SA is the largest P M group in Spain, established over 50 years ago and operating three manufacturing plants in Spain as well as two overseas factories. One of its Spanish plants is dedicated to the manufacture of sintered self-lubricating bearings, for which it is one of the largest suppliers in Europe. The group has a small facility for the production of copper-based powders, as well as its own tool and die manufacturing and equipment construction departments, relics from the period of Spain's closed economy. AMES specializes in high-precision parts and produces 8000 tonnes of PM components, about 75% of which are destined for the automotive industry. About 85% of the PM parts are ferrous-based, while 80% of production is exported either within Europe or to the USA. Several of the other PM manufacturers in Spain belong to international groups. Sintermetall SA of Ripollet, near Barcelona, has been owned by the MIBA group since 1999. Its staff of 350 specialize in PM automotive parts for shock absorbers, engines and transmissions. The plant produces main bearing caps at the rate of 10 000 per day. Elsewhere in Spain, Polmetasa, part of the Sinterstahl group since 1991, produces shock absorber components and ABS sensor rings at its Mondragon plant where 230 are employed, with an output of 5000 tonnes/year. Another Sinterstahl plant in Asturias province specializes in manual transmission parts and is the European leader in the fabrication of PM synchronizer hubs. Also in Northern Spain, Stadler SA, although one of the smallest sintering

36

Metal Powders

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

companies in Spain with a staff of 80, has managed to triple its sales during the past decade. Stadler currently manufactures both ferrous and nonferrous parts, primarily for the automotive, hardware and industrial equipment sectors. Finally, two small companies in Northern Spain, MIMECRISA and Tecmin have made rapid progress in production of MIM parts in recent years, while PM-related R&D in Spain is supported by several active research institutes and universities.

2.3.6 Sweden and the other Nordic Countries Of the Nordic countries, Sweden has by far the largest PM industry, and in certain respects ranks only behind the USA and Japan on the global scene. Swedish companies have world-leading positions in ferrous powder production, PM high-speed steels and tool steels, as well as cemented carbides. With one or two exceptions, the PM companies in Denmark, Finland and Norway are smaller firms involved in specialized niche markets. The PM industries in the Nordic countries were last reviewed in 2002 by Jan Tengzelius and Olle Grinder (IJPM, 2002, 38(4), pp19-28). They reported 2001 sales for the Nordic PM companies totalling US$2.6 billion, with 16 000 employees, about half of whom actually work outside the Nordic countries. Powder production in Sweden covers a wide range of products: iron and steel powders for all applications, high-speed steel (HSS) and tool steel powders for HIPing as well as pressing and sintering, and carbide powders for production of hardmetal cutting tools and wear parts. Htgan~is AB, headquartered in the town of H/~gan/is in Southern Sweden (see Section 6.2) is the world's largest supplier of iron and steel powders. The company also produces nickel-based and cobah-based powders for thermal coating at its Coldstream division in Belgium and water-atomized HSS powders at Powdrex in the UK. In Sweden, Htgan~is produces sponge iron powders, water-atomized iron and steel powders, diffusion-alloyed powders as well as insulated iron powders for soft magnetic applications. Overseas, H6gan/is has iron and steel powder production facilities in USA, Brazil, India, China and Japan. It also makes high alloy and stainless steel powders in Belgium, the UK and the USA. In the year 2003, the volume of powders produced was over 350 000 tonnes, valued at SEK3750 million (about US$490 million), up from 286 000 tonnes and US$310 million in 2001. H6gan~is continues to invest heavily in R&D programmes to support its global expansion. Carpenter Powder Products AB (formerly ANVAL Nyby Powder AB) of Torshalla, Sweden, is a leading producer of gas-atomized high alloy steels, including stainless steel, tool steels and HSS powders, as well as nickel- and cobalt-based powders. Much of this powder (primarily tool steel and HSS) is HIPed into billets, bars etc. for further processing. Carpenter Powder Products AB and its sister company Carpenter Powder Products Inc in the USA, are part of Carpenter Technology Corp.

Metal Powders

37

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

In addition to Carpenter, Bodycote Powdermet AB, Metso Powdermet AB, Erasteel Kloster AB and Uddeholm Tooling AB all specialize in the production of HIPed high alloy and stainless steels from gas-atomized powders, some of which is made in-house. Kanthal AB, a fully-owned subsidiary of Sandvik AB, produces materials and systems for electrical heating and control. The products include metallic, intermetallic and ceramic materials. In early 2001, Kanthal acquired the gas atomization plant of Bodycote Powdermet AB, for the production of metallic powders. The plant makes iron-and nickel-based powders for HIPing. Of the small number of PM parts producers in the Nordic countries, four are located in Sweden and two of these make sintered parts for internal use. Total production in 2001 was estimated at about 5000 tonnes. GKN Sinter Metals AB (formerly Kolsva Sinterteknik AB) produces a wide range of components for high strength applications, primarily for the Swedish automotive and transportation industries. The Sandvik group is the largest producer of cemented carbides in the world, with sales of well over US$1 billion and over 9000 employees. The largest company in the group, AB Sandvik Coromant, fabricates carbide cutting tools and tooling systems, with production plants in Sweden as well as 30 countries around the world. Other units of Sandvik fabricate cemented carbide blanks, wear parts, rolls for hot-rolling mills, as well as rock drilling tools. The world's fifth largest hardmetal producer, Seco Tools AB, headquartered in Fagersta, Sweden employs about 1400 of its 4000-strong workforce in Sweden and had sales of about US$410 million in 2001. Also based in Fagersta is Atlas Copco Secoroc AB, one of the world's largest manufacturers of percussive rock drill tools. In Finland, OMG Kokkola Chemicals Oy, part of the US-based OMG group, is the world's largest producer of cobalt products with 2003 output totalling approximately 8000 tonnes, a significant portion of which was fine cobalt powder for the manufacture of cemented carbides and diamond tools. A sister company, Harjavalta Nickel Oy, operates a refinery producing about 60 000 tonnes/year of nickel, including nickel powder for PM applications. On a smaller scale, Tikomet Ltd, in Tikkakoshi, Finland, reclaims hardmetal powders from cemented carbide scrap, and EOS Finland Oy is into rapid prototyping via direct laser sintering of fine steel and bronze powders. Neorem Magnet produces sintered NdFeB magnets. PM companies in Denmark are mostly involved in manufacture of stainless steel components and low-alloy steel parts with close dimensional tolerances, as well as permanent magnets. The most well-known, Dansk Sintermetal A/S, has about 100 employees and is the largest manufacturer of stainless steel sintered parts in the Nordic countries, producing about 1000 tonnes of components annually, mostly for non-automotive markets. Dan Spray A/S, in Taastrup, is using spray-forming technology licensed from Sandvik Osprey of the UK, to produce tool steel and HSS billets for further processing into

38

Metal Powders

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

semi-finished products. Commercial production began in 2000, with a 2500 tonnes/year capacity plant. Dan Spray has entered into a long-time arrangement with Uddeholm Tooling AB, of Sweden, to process and market the spray-formed billets. Finally, in Norway, metal powders of another kind are manufactured by Hafslund Metall A/S, a wholly-owned subsidiary of FESIL ASA, which operates a ferro-silicon smelter near Sarpsborg. Hafslund MetaU runs a 10 000 tonnes/year water-atomization plant for the production of 15% FeSi powder for the heavy-medium separation of ores and scrap, and 45% Fe-Si powders for use in coatings on welding rods. Elsewhere, two Norwegian companies, Lyng Motor A/S and Smart Motor A/S are using soft magnetic composite materials (SMCs) in electrical machine applications, utilizing the three-dimensional magnetic properties of SMCs.

2.3.7 UK Despite continuing economic growth in the UK during the past decade, the traditional PM structural parts industry has seen a significant decline since the mid-1990s. This has been in part due to the high exchange value of sterling and also overseas competition. As reported by David Whittaker and Alan Cocks (IJPM, 2002, 38(7), pp19-23), the number of PM structural parts fabricators fell from nine in the early 1990s to five in 2002, following various acquisitions and re-organizations. Consumption of powders for PM part manufacture fell to about 15 500 tonnes in 2001, two-thirds of which was imported. The leading parts producer is Federal-Mogul Sintered Products, in Coventry. This operation has grown by specializing in niche automotive products such as valve-seat inserts, valve guides, and piston tings, using proprietary technology. The GKN Sinter Metals plant in Lichfield and BSA Advanced Sintering in Ipswich (formerly Manganese Bronze Holdings) concentrate on automotive structural parts and sintered bronze bearings. The MIM business previously operated by Manganese Bronze was closed down. Altogether, the UK PM parts industry accounted for 8% of the European market, valued at about Cl10 million. Metal powder production in the UK is largely confined to the non-ferrous sector, where major global and European suppliers dominate. INCO Special Products produces nickel powders at the INCO refinery in Clydach, South Wales, Makin Metal Powders (subsidiary of United States Bronze Powders) manufactures copper-based powders in Rochdale, Lancashire, and The Aluminium Powder Co (Alpoco) makes aluminium powders in Holyhead, North Wales, and Sutton Coldfield in the Midlands. Most of the more than 2000 people employed in the UK PM industry are involved in the production of hardmetals, cutting tools, diamond tools, magnets and other specialty products not covered in this review.

Metal Powders 39

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

The end of the Soviet era and the 1998 financial crisis in Russia left that country's PM industry operating at a very low level. The same was true for other former Soviet Union countries such as Ukraine and Belarus. As a result of the economic collapse, very little information has emerged from the FSU countries. According to figures quoted by Bernard Williams in the 1 l th edition of the I P M D (2004/5), see Table 2.10, PM production in Russia is slowly recovering after a 10-year slump, with ferrous PM parts production increasing 4% to 12 500 tonnes in 2002. Williams went on to note that signs of growth in Russia were linked to production of new cars, many with West European technology: the average weight of PM parts in a Russian-built car was about 4 kg, only half of the West European average. Table 2.10 Ferrous PM Parts Production in Russia and East Europe (tonnes)

Russia Ukraine Belarus Slovakia Others

1986

1990

2001

2002

32 800 22 270 4800

37 400 22 150 7540

12 000 1500 600 3000 900

12 500 1500 600 3000 1400

18 000

19 000

Total Source: B Williams, IPMD 2004-5, 11th Edition, plO

Possibly the greatest potential for growth in Europe is in Central and East Europe. Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, and other non-FSU countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Yugoslavia produce a combined 7000 tonnes of PM parts. These countries are optimistic about growth due to low production costs. As noted by Dr Cesar Molins, EPMA president, in his address at the PM2004 World Congress (PM, 2004, 47(4), pp309-310), 'the new EU member states and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe represent a significant potential market for cars. Automotive production is relatively under-developed, with current capacity of 4.8 million vehicles but running at only 52% of capacity. Russia has more than one third of the total capacity, followed by Poland at 19% and the Czech Republic (11%). Many new plants are planned in Russia and East European countries, with car production forecast to increase about 8% per annum'. Molins reported 2003 shipments for Russia of 7500 tonnes of ferrous-based powders and 7000 tonnes of copper-based powders, 70% of the latter being exported to the EU. Production of tungsten powders was reported as 3000 tonnes and molybdenum powder at 1500 tonnes. Production of PM parts

40

Metal Powders

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

was close to 10 000 tonnes, with 8000+ tonnes of ferrous and 1500 tonnes of copper-based parts. On the powder production side, Russia has the world's largest source of primary nickel production in Norilsk Nickel, which also has a small plant for the production of carbonyl nickel powders, now mostly exported. In Romania, the main recent news was the purchase of Ductil Iron's atomized steel powders business in late 2003 by Hoeganaes Corp of USA, and the subsequent expansion of capacity to 30 000 tonnes/year.

Growth in the Asian PM industries stalled in the late 1990s, but began to pick up again by 1999 and then advanced significantly in the present decade (Table 2.11). Production of PM parts in Asia, ex-Japan, increased over 80% between 1998 and 2003 and advanced a further 22% in 2004, fuelled by rapid growth in China, Korea, Malaysia and Thailand. The combined total of ferrous-based and copper-based PM part production in 2004 is estimated at 155 000 tonnes.

Table 2.11 PM Part Production in Asia and Australia, ex-Japan 1998-2004 (tonnes) China

Korea Taiwan India Australia Malaysia Singapore Thailand

Total

1998

1999

2000

17 366 18 234 19 500 5860 2288 3240 1480 802

18 913 29 835 18 777 23 478 20 580 21 000 7020 8435 2325 2180 4156 4632 1540 1594 1240 2021

2001

2002

2003

2004

31 207 27 459 17 000 8280 1967 4544 1225 2366

37 491 23 982 21 900 8375 2010 5040 1449 3488

48 597 35 244 22 900 8700 na 5513 1351 4363

62 902 38 416 27 100 na na 6467 1323 6309

68 770 74 551 93 175 94 048 103 735 127 O00(E) 155 O00(E)

na = not available; (E) = Estimate, this report Source: JPMA Annual Reports

In Thailand and Korea, PM part production is heavily geared to automotive applications, as in Japan (see Table 2.12), where it now accounts for 89% of PM parts. In Australia, China, Taiwan and Malaysia, on the other hand, less than half of PM production is for transportation equipment (mainly cars). Some of the Asian countries, such as Malaysia and Singapore are highly involved in production of PM parts for electrical and electronics equipment.

Metal Powders 41

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

Table 2.12 Breakdown of PM Part Production in Asia 2003 (%) Transportation

Industrial Equipment

Japan Thailand

89 87

5 10

5 3

1 0

Korea Australia* China Taiwan Malaysia

83 64 44 41 25 21

0 7 28 8 34 0

12 27 19 24 33 79

5 2 8 27 8 0

Singapore

7

6

87

0

India

Electrical Equipment

Other

Source: JPMA annual reports; *Australia figures are for 2002

In his address at the opening session of the 2004 PM World Congress in Vienna, JPMA president Takayoshi Sugiyama (Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd) reviewed the current state of the PM industries in Asia, noting that 'both domestic and export demand were very good and would continue to grow the industry'. Vehicle production in China increased 35% in 2003 to 4.4 million units, of which 1.8 million were passenger cars (up 84%). Vehicle production in major Asian countries is shown in Table 2.13. China is now the world's fourth largest automotive producer and is expected be No 3 behind the USA and Japan by the end of the decade. Table 2.13 Motor Vehicle Production in Asian Countries 2003 (thousands) Japan China Korea

India

Thailand

Total

10 300 4 400 3 200 1 200 800

19 900

Source: JPMA president Takayoshi Sugiyama at the 2004 PM World Congress in Vienna

2.5.1 Australia The PM industry in Australia consists of a small number of structural parts, bearings and cutting tool manufacturers, plus a couple of notable powder producers. The largest PM parts producer in Australia is ACL Powder Met operating within ACL Bearing Co, a division of Automotive Components Ltd, in Launceston, Tasmania. This company manufactures engine and transmission components in ferrous and non-ferrous materials for domestic and export markets. Typical products include timing pulleys and sprockets, valve seat inserts, ABS sensor rings, water- and oil-pump components and brake parts. ACL PM also makes sintered parts for the white goods and security locking device markets. Copper, copper-alloys and tin powders are produced in the company's own atomizing plant, for in-house PM bearings and structural parts manufacturing and to supply other manufacturers of

42

Metal Powders

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

sintered components, friction products, anti-fouling paint additives and chemical products. Intercast and Forge Pty Ltd, and Monroe Australia, a division of Tenneco Automotive, also operate PM plants in South Australia, mostly making automotive components, and consuming about 1000 tonnes/year of ferrousbased powders. Boart Longyear and Sandvik Australia make a variety of hardmetal tools and other parts for drilling, crushing as well as wear parts for the mining and manufacturing industries. Western Mining Co, now called WMC Resources (see Section 6.4.1), the world's third largest nickel producer, with a capacity of over 100 000 tonnes/year of nickel in concentrate, operates a refinery in Kwinana, Western Australia. Nickel matte received from the company's Kalgoorlie smelter is refined to pure nickel by the Sherritt process (see Section 5.2.2) to high quality nickel powder and briquettes. Atomized aluminium powders and pellets are produced in Tasmania by ECKA Granules using hot metal from the adjacent smelter of Comalco. The ECKA Granules plant (see Section 6.2) has a capacity in excess of 12 000 tonnes/year and makes products mainly for use in the refractory industry and chemical applications, and since 2001 for use in pigments and automotive finishes. The Australian economy has been growing strongly since the early 1990s. However, the PM industry has followed a somewhat different path. Sales of the Australian PM industry remained relatively static during the 1990s, in the range of A$19 million-24 million, while the consumption of ferrous and copper-based powders actually declined from about 2700 tonnes in 1995 until reversing this trend in 2002 when the production of copper-based PM parts more than trebled to 178 tonnes for a total of 2010 tonnes (Table 2.14). The breakdown of Australian PM part production shows that automotive applications now represent less than 50% of the total with the balance divided between industrial, electrical and other applications. Table 2.14 PM Part Production and Applications in Australia 1 9 9 8 - 2 0 0 2 (tonnes) PM Parts Production Ferrous-based Copper-based Total

1998

1999

2000

2243 45

2273 52

2130 50

1916 51

1832 178

2288

2325

2180

1967

2010

PM Parts Applications by Sector % Automotive Industrial Equipment Electrical Equipment Other

52 25 23 1

2001

2002

44 28 19 8

Source: JPMA Annual Reports

Metal Powders

43

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

2.5.2 People's Republic of China After slowing briefly in the late 1990s, the rate of expansion of the Chinese economy has accelerated since the turn of the century. According to the OECD, China's GDP is expected to grow at between 8% and 9% for the rest of the decade. The boom in the manufacturing sector is illustrated in the production of PM parts (Table 2.15). The combined production of ferrousand copper-based PM parts has more than doubled since 1999. Table 2.15 P M Parts Production in China 1 9 9 8 - 2 0 0 4 (tonnes)

Ferrous-based Copper-based

Total

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

15 876 1490

18 088 825

26 501 3334

27 487 3720

33 642 3849

44 240 4357

56 968 5934

17366

1 8 9 1 3 29 835 3 1 2 0 7

37 491 48 597 62 902

Source: JPMA Annual Reports

The Chinese automotive market is the fastest growing in the world, with sales recently advancing at 25-30% pa. This has drawn a number of global automotive manufacturers to establish a foothold, resulting in an actual surfeit of supply (in 2004). Nevertheless, vehicle production is forecast to reach 5 million before the end of the decade and 10 million by 2015. The typical passenger car made in China is reported to contain 10.4 lb (4.7 kg) of PM parts. The PM industry in China is still at an early stage of development but is growing at a tremendous pace, at least twice the rate of the overall economy. There are several hundred mostly very small PM parts fabricators in China, but according to observers at the PM Asia 2005 conference in Shanghai, only four or five are able to manufacture highquality PM parts (PM 2 Newsbytes, 18 April 2005). The top three PM producers, according to a report by Peter K Johnson, are Ningbo Tongmuo New Materials Co Ltd, Porite and Shanghai Automotive Co Ltd (SAIC), Powder Metallurgy Works. The last named plant employs over 200 people and has 25 compacting presses. It reported sales ofUS$14.4 million in 2004 and expects to produce US$17 million worth of parts in 2005. They make parts (such as synchronizer hubs) for Volkswagen cars that are manufactured in China. The growth prospects have prompted a number of Japanese, US and European companies to set up manufacturing in China. Sixteen are already there and four more are on the way. The combination of Western (or Japanese) PM technology and low production costs makes this development a very attractive proposition for both the domestic and export markets. International PM companies that have set up manufacturing or joint ventures in China include Porite, mGmini-Gears of Italy, Metaldyne and Mitsubishi Materials Corp. On the powder production side, the current situation has been reviewed in two keynote presentations at the PM Asia 2005 conference. Cui Jianmin and Yuan Yong (PM Association of China Steel Construction Society and Laiwu Iron and Steel Group Powder Metallurgy Co Ltd) reported that there were

44

Metal Powders

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

about 50 manufacturers of iron and steel powders in China, but only four of these produced more than 10 000 tonnes in 2004. The largest 28 manufacturers produced a total of 130 000 tonnes, up from 118 000 tonnes in 2003, and double the production in 1999. About 78% of the output is reduced iron or sponge iron powder made from mill scale or purified iron ore concentrate. According to Jianmin and Yong, several water atomizing units have recently been put into production. In 2002, Atomising Systems Ltd, of the UK, signed a contract with Laiwu Iron and Steelworks in Shandong Province, to build a 40 000 tonnes/year atomized iron powder plant. Laiwu Iron and Steel Group Powder Metallurgy Co Ltd, Gangcheng Laiwu City, Shandong, is the largest iron and steel powder producer in China, using both reduction and atomization process technology (MPR, February 2002, p37; December 2002, p4). H t g a n ~ (China) has been operating an atomized steel powder plant since the mid 1990s, while QMP has recently established a powder mixing and processing plant near Shanghai. Non-ferrous powder production was reviewed by Professor Wang Limin (GRIPM Advanced Materials Co Ltd and Beijing General Research Institute for Non-Ferrous Metals). He said there were more than 10 enterprises producing copper powder in 2004, totalling nearly 10 000 tonnes, mostly electrolytic. Half of this was made by the top three companies, of which the leader was GRIPM Advanced Materials Co Ltd in Beijing, with 3000 tonnes. Atomized copper powder was relatively recent in China, but several companies now had a combined capacity of 5000 tonnes/year, the largest of these being Zhongke Tongdu Powder New Material Co Ltd. It is expected that atomized copper powder will eventually replace electrolytic, due to energy savings, cost advantages and environmental issues. Copper alloy powders were said to be produced by several companies, with annual capacity totalling over 10 000 tonnes. These alloys were tin bronze and leaded bronze powders used to make self-lubricating beatings, filters and bushings. Nickel powder in China is made by four different processes, of which the main one was electrolysis. However, the quantifies were small and the specialist grades used in the rapidly growing rechargeable battery market were imported from INCO in Canada. Nickel powder is also used in the diamond tool industry and to make nickel-based PM products containing heavy metals. China is one of the major consuming countries for cobalt. About 10 enterprises in China were said to be using imported cobalt metal to produce cobalt salts and cobalt powder. Cobalt powder is used in the hardmetal and diamond tool industries, but this application has now been surpassed by consumption in China by the rapidly growing battery industry. Fine cobalt powder is produced in a subsidiary plant of Zhuzhou Cemented carbide Group Co Ltd. Umicore has had a joint-venture cobalt powder plant, Shanghai Blue Lotus Metal Co Ltd, in Shanghai for some years, while in

Metal Powders 45

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

tungsten powders, Xiamen Tungsten Co is the world's largest producer of APT, with over 85% of its 8000 tonnes/year output exported worldwide. In 2001, the Chinese Government implemented an export quota of 16 500 tonnes/year for tungsten powder. This was 600 tonnes less than the figure for 2000 (MPR, April 2001, p6). China's Ningxia Orient Tantalum industry Co Ltd, a tantalum smelting business, reported a 20% global market share for tantalum powder in 2000 (MPR, July 2001, p6). In the same year, China produced 6600 tonnes of sintered NdFeB rare-earth magnets, claimed to be 40% of the world market (MPR, September 2000, p4).

2.5.3 India Powder metallurgy in India has a long history, dating back to ancient times. Its development since WWII has been largely related to the rise of India's automotive industry and has been reviewed in some detail by Professor RK Dube (PM, 2004, 47(1), pp17-28). Much of the early post-war growth was the result of joint ventures and collaboration with European and North American companies. In the 1960s and 1970s, Mahindra Sintered Products, for example, a joint venture between the Mahindra and Birfield (UK) groups, began manufacturing PM products using UK technology, and then later copper, tin and iron and steel powders. During the 1980s, structural parts production grew with the establishment of an Indian car manufacturer, Maruti Udyog Ltd (itself a joint venture between the Indian Government and Suzuki Motors of Japan). Many automotive PM parts such as bearing caps, camshaft and crankshaft pulleys etc, began to be manufactured in India. H6gan~is (India) Ltd was also established at this time. Then in the 1990s, following the economic liberalization, not only did Indian production of passenger cars and other vehicles increase, but a number of international automotive manufacturers began building cars in India. As a result, the PM industry 'benefited from this and from the rapid growth in white goods manufacturing'. According to Professor Dube, there are now over 60 PM manufacturing units producing metal powders, PM structural parts, friction products, selflubricating bearings, sintered bi-metallic bearing strip, cemented carbide tools and parts, as well as HSS tools and refractory metal products. Ferrous powder production in India is dominated by H6gan~is India, which produces a range of sponge iron and atomized steel powders at its plant in Amadnagar, Maharastra. This company is reported to control 60%-70% of the Indian iron and steel powder markets, producing 10 000 tonnes,/year, of which 1400 tonnes is sponge iron and the balance of 8600 tonnes is atomized steel powder. The company has plans to produce Distaloy, Astaloy and stainless steel powders in India, and also to supply other markets in Asia and Australia. Another important producer of steel powders is the Iron Powder Division of Sundaram Fasteners, near Hyderabad, a manufacturer of sintered components. Its output of about 2900 tonnes in FY 2 0 0 2 / 3 was mostly used internally. There are also a few much smaller producers of electrolytic and sponge iron powders. Also on a small scale, British Superalloy Ltd,

46

Metal Powders

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

Mehasana, Gujarat, produces water-atomized HSS powders for in-house manufacture of tools and wear parts. Dube reports that about 50% of ferrous powders produced in India are used for making sintered parts, 39% for welding rods and the balance goes into chemical and other applications. India also imports about 2000 tonnes/year of ferrous powders, 300-500 tonnes of which are alloy grades. There are a large number of mostly very small producers of non-ferrous powders in India. Mahindra Sintered Products (now GKN Sinter Metals), which has made copper powders for its own use since the late 1960s, has a joint operation with MicroMet (now ECKA Granules) of Germany, having a capacity for 2400 tonnes/year of water-atomized copper powder. GKN Sinter Metals uses about 600 tonnes/year with the remaining production being marketed by ECKA Granules. Three companies are making atomized copper-lead and copper-lead-fin alloy powders for captive use in the manufacture of bi-metallic beatings for automotive and other engines. These units, operated by Bimetal Bearings Ltd, Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd and Gabriel India Ltd, produce about 1500 tonnes/year. Copper and copperalloy powders are among a number of non-ferrous atomized powders produced by Metal Powder Co, in Madurai. Total production of about 20 000 tonnes/year is mostly for non-PM grades. This company and several others produce atomized aluminium powders for a total annual output in India of around 30 000 tonnes. This powder is used in non-PM applications such as Thermit welding of steel rails, the production of ferro-alloys, steel de-oxidation, pyrotechnics, paint and explosives. Table 2.16 PM Parts Production in India 1998-2003 (tonnes) 1998 Ferrous-based Copper-based

Total

4500 1360

5860

1999 5625 1395

7020

2000 6950 1485

8435

2001 6807 1473

8280

2002 6900 1475

8375

2003 7200 1500

8700

Source: JPMA Annual Reports

Dube lists two dozen companies in India producing PM structural parts, bearings and friction products. The largest of these is GKN Sinter Metals, formerly Mahindra Sintered Products Ltd, in Pune. (GKN bought the controlling stake in 2002). The other large producers are Sundaram Fasteners Ltd, and Goetze (India) Ltd's Sintered Product Division. The remaining PM producers are very small. As indicated in Table 2.16, PM part production grew 60% in the five years between 1998 and 2003. However, most of this growth (50%) occurred by the year 2000 when output peaked. A new spurt of growth was reported by Dr Cesar Molins at the PM 2004 World Congress, when he said that PM parts production had been forecast to reach 10 000 tonnes in 2004, representing an increase of 17% over 2003. In addition, there are several Indian producers of steel-backed sintered bearing strip, which, according to Dube consume about 1500 tonnes/year of copper alloy powders.

Metal Powders 47

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

Automotive applications, which in India includes passenger cars, two- and three-wheelers, light commercial vehicles and utility vehicles, consume about two-thirds of PM production; household appliances use about a quarter, with the remaining 10% going into industrial and other applications. Car production in India has grown from around 400 000 units in FY1997/8 to over 550 000 in 2002/3. While there are more than half a dozen foreign manufacturers operating in India, the car market is still dominated by Maruti Udyog with over 50% share. However, the production of passenger cars is greatly out-numbered by the combined total of scooters, motorcycles and mopeds, which exceeded 5 million in 2002/3. A typical Indian-built car is estimated to contain about 5.5 kg of PM components, while the PM usage in Indian motorcycles has been quoted as ranging between 0.15 kg and 1.2 kg. Growth in demand for cars has been projected at about 8% pa to the end of 2010, according to figures mentioned by Dube, while motorcycles were expected to gain by as much as 14% pa. Healthy growth is thus expected for the PM industry in India, even before considering the future for exports.

South Africa's economy was growing at between 2% and 3% in mid-2004, having improved since the beginning of the new century after a decade in which GDP (now around US$150 billion) grew at between 1% and 2%. The South African metals and minerals industry, continuing a very strong tradition, provides a major portion of the country's exports. The powder metallurgy industry in South Africa consists of a small number of companies mainly serving the coal, diamond and metal mining industries in the provision of hardmetal tools and wear parts, as well as exporting. Carbide and diamond tool inserts are consumed in large quantities by the mining industries and mostly manufactured locally by subsidiaries of large international corporations like De Beers, Sandvik and Boart Longyear. Ken Brookes (MPR, 2000, 55 (11), pp22-41; (12), pp24-26) estimated the production and consumption of hardmetals in 2000 at between 1200 and 1500 tonnes/year. Boart Longyear is South Africa's most global company, represented in 38 countries and employing over 7000 people with a turnover exceeding US$620 million in 2000. (However, Boart Longyear is only a very small part of its parent, Anglo-American Corp). Boart Longyear's South African plant manufactures hardmetal inserts for mining tools, extruded rod for drills and end mills, rolls for steel mills and industrial wear parts. The plant formerly manufactured its own tungsten and tungsten carbide powders but now imports tungsten carbide powders. The only companies reported as producing metal powders are Impala Platinum Ltd, which produces cobalt

48

Metal Powders

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

powder at its base metals refinery near Springs, in Gauteng Province, and Zimco Aluminium Co (Pty) Ltd, Benoni, which makes aluminium powder. The most widely known manufacturer of sintered metal components is GKN Sinter Metal's plant near Cape Town, which makes shock absorber parts, sprockets, bushes and spacers etc, primarily for the automotive industry. Acquired in 1999, it has 100 employees producing 400 tonnes/year of finished parts. Federal Mogul Corp and Powdermet Ltd (now part of the Bleistahl Group, of Germany) also have South African plants manufacturing a variety of sintered structural parts and beatings.

After recovering earlier in the 1990s from the Mexican peso crisis, South American economies suffered from the aftermath of the Asian crisis and the collapse of commodity prices, culminating in the devaluation of the Brazilian currency in 1999. Growth prospects have improved with the continuing boom in the US economy and the recovery in commodity prices, but have been said to be held back by high deficits and political uncertainty. Brazil's economy, constrained by high interest rates aimed at curbing inflation, grew at less than 1% in 2003, but GDP bounced back in 2004, increasing 5.2%, the fastest growth in a decade. According to Brazil's official statistics agency, the improvement was due to record exports and recovery in consumer demand. Economists are said to be expecting Brazil's GDP to expand by about 3.5% in 2005. Brazil's automotive industry produces over one million vehicles per year. The PM industry in South America is largely concentrated in Brazil, with a few additional plants in Argentina and Venezuela. PM parts fabricators in Brazil, mostly making ferrous-based and copper-based sintered parts and beatings for the automotive industry, employ over 1000 people and include a number of well-known names: Brassinter SA, GKN Sinter Metals Ltda, Mahle Metal Leve MIBA Sinterizados and Metaldyne. Metal powders are produced by H/~gan~is Brasil (ferrous and aluminium powders), Metalpo Industria e Comercio (non-ferrous) and Alcoa (aluminium). Htgan~is Brasil (see Section 6.4) opened a new, highly automated annealing and mixing plant in July 2004 at Jacarei, 80 km north of Sao Paulo. The new facility increased capacity and was claimed to be able to produce ferrous powder grades matching those produced at other Htgan~is plants around the world. The original atomizing plant at Mogi das Cruzes remains in production providing raw powders for the new plant as well as welding grades and the aluminium powders. The plant at Jacarei is built on a site that has enough space for eventual construction of a complete plant.

Metal Powders 49

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

The most recent published estimates of metal powder consumption in South America were given by Don White, former executive director of MPIF in a speech at the 2000 PM World Congress in Kyoto, Japan (IJPM, 2001, 37(1). He said that the total estimated iron and steel powder market in South America in 1999 was 20 000 tonnes with Brazil accounting for 17 000 tonnes, and went on to add that the market increased about 10% in 2000 (indicating shipments of 22 000 tonnes for the whole of South America). The ferrous-based PM parts market sector in Brazil was estimated at 12 500 tonnes with the rest of South America at 1000 tonnes, giving a total of 13 500 tonnes. The copper-based PM parts market in Brazil in 2000 was estimated at 1000 tonnes, with the rest of South America only making 60 tonnes for that year.

As already indicated, the major market sector for metal powders is in the manufacture of metal components and other useful products by powdermetallurgical processing. As expressed succinctly in the MPIF's Powder Metallurgy 2004 Facts (www.mpif.org/industry/facts), PM is 'a costeffective method of forming precision net-shape metal components that allows for more efficiently designed consumer and industrial products'. The press- and- sinter process and the powder-forging process are ideally suited to the mass-production of components, taking advantage of the economics of scale. It is not uncommon for the conversion to PM of a component machined from bar stock to result in cost savings of the order of 50%. This is achieved by the elimination of expensive waste material and the lowering of energy and other manufacturing costs through a reduction in the number of process steps. These benefits may also be accompanied by improvements in dimensional control, which in turn means higher quality and productivity. Over the years, the types and designs of PM components have become increasingly sophisticated, resulting in substantial improvements in design and performance of mass-produced products such as automobile engines and transmissions. One-off and short-run PM manufacturing processes such as hot isostatic pressing (HIPing), not only enable economic manufacture of large complex pieces like components for oil- or gas-wellhead drilling equipment, but are sometimes the only way to form components in specialty high-performance materials such as high-speed tool steels, superalloys (for gas turbine engines) and refractory metals like tungsten and molybdenum. The main drivers, then, for the manufacture of metal and alloy components from powders can be categorized as either economics or necessity (no alternative way). Likewise, in the many and diverse applications for loose or

50

Metal Powders

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

uncompacted metal powders, the rationale is provided either by economics or by the provision of special properties, as in welding electrode coatings, thermal spraying, pigments, explosives, food enrichment etc. The production of metal products from powders by virtue of the advantages described above has become an environmentally-attractive option. Eliminating the recycling of waste material, reduction of energy consumption and clean manufacturing (avoidance of the polluting emissions associated with, for example, the melting and casting of metals and alloys in foundries), are the key positive aspects. On the negative side, the release of dusts in the handling of powders is an important concern, especially for the dusts of those metallic elements suspected of being hazardous. Although there are safety procedures and formulations for reducing the incidence of dusting, there is a considerable on-going legislative activity regarding health and safety aspects, particularly in the EU, that is aimed at restricting the use of some metallic powders. The EU's revised New Chemicals Policy regulations, re-named REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals) published in draft form in April 2003, remain a contentious issue for the PM industry and its suppliers. Metals and alloys fall within the definition of chemicals under the regulations. Suppliers are held responsible for the provision of data on health and environmental effects of substances and preparations. Manufacturers will also be required for liability purposes, to preserve records on products for extended periods. Although the aims of the policy are laudable - improving health protection and the e n v i r o n m e n t - compliance will place serious burdens on industry. In addition, some aspects of the regulatory approach have been questioned from the standpoint of scientific validity. European metal industries, including EPMA have been lobbying Brussels for revisions of the proposals in view of the forecast financial impact, especially on smaller companies. There will be much more to come on this issue in the years ahead. For more detail see: Guide to EU Legislation and Environmental Health and Safety in the European PM Industry, 5th Edition, Environment, Health and Safety Group, EPMA, Shrewsbury, 2003, 82pp (www.epma.com).

2.8.1 Rising Raw Materials and Energy Costs Since 2002, as for many other manufacturing sectors, the chief story for the metal powders and PM parts industry has been the spectre of rising raw materials and energy costs. The dominance of the automotive industry as customer has become a mixed blessing. On the one hand, the automotive applications of PM provide a large market for mass-produced components; on the other hand, the automotive companies are so huge that they can more or less dictate pricing to their suppliers. And since there has been little opportunity for the car companies to pass cost increases on to the consumer, due to intense competition, the parts manufacturers are caught in a squeeze, between materials and energy suppliers and the auto customers. As Claes

MetalPowders

51

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

Lindqvist, president of H6gan~is AB, indicated in commenting on the powder producer's 2004 financial results, raw materials price increase was the big headache of 2004. Although H6gan~is introduced raw materials surcharges in its ferrous powder prices from 1 January 2004, they were effectively delayed by up to six months vis-fi-vis the raw materials cost increases incurred in powder manufacture. For high alloy powders, the passthrough of cost increases was effected with a two to four week delay, presumably because these powders were mostly not used in auto applications.

The influence of the automotive industry on the health of the PM parts fabricators, and hence the major metal powder producers can be discussed under three main headings: the overall size and growth of the auto market; the penetration of PM in the different geographical sectors of the auto industry; and the impact of developments in the auto industry itself.

2.9.1 The Global A u t o m o t i v e M a r k e t While the automotive market is most frequently discussed in terms of car sales, the market of interest to the PM industry is, of course, the production of vehicles. The difference between production and sales can be quite marked, as in some Asian countries. Japan, for example, the world's second largest producer, exports more than half the cars it produces. Car and light vehicle production in some of the leading countries in 2004 is shown in Table 2.17.

Table 2.17 Car and Light Vehicle Production in Leading Countries, from Various Sources (million) Country

2004

USA Japan

11.96 10.51

Germany China

5.76 4.4-5.1"

France South Korea Spain

3.7 3.47 3E

Canada Mexico

2.7 1.57

Brazil

>IE

* Figures for China are disputed by some sources E Estimate

Car and light vehicle production in North America (Canada, Mexico and USA) in 2004 was estimated at 16.2 million, up from 15.8 million in 2003,

52

Metal Powders

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and theAutomotive Scene

while production in Japan, which was 10.5 million in 2004, has held in the region of 10 million for several years. Production in Western Europe has remained close to 15 million vehicles. If current trends are maintained, the bulk of future growth in the automotive market will be in the developing economies, with China expected to take the lion's share of the increase. However, the recent experience of the China automotive market provides a cautionary tale concerning the projection of growth forecasts. After China joined the WTO in 2001, there was a sudden boom in sales, prompting leading automotive manufacturers to boost production; but as the Chinese government moved to cool the red-hot market, production ran well ahead of sales by mid-2004 and there was major price-cutting. The prospect of China developing as an 'automotive society' is seemingly rather premature, since the infrastructure is not yet adequate (parking spaces, traffic control, car maintenance and repair services etc). Nevertheless, with the planned production expansions, continuing fierce competition can be expected in the near term. This situation has prompted consideration of exporting surplus Chinese production to Europe and North America! In fact some moves have already begun in that direction. Such a development would appear ironic in the face of US and European car manufacturers efforts to expand their markets by moving to China. It is one more indication of the complexity of the global auto industry. This is not the place to go into more detail on the developments and outlook in general for the auto industry (volumes have been written on these issues). Nevertheless the geo-political events and trends of the past few years are having a profound influence on the financial health of several major players. The ramifications for the auto parts supply industry are far-reaching and the PM industry is no exception. The most obvious aspect already alluded to in the previous section is a result of the intense competition. The large OEMs can use their might to squeeze price concessions from suppliers. Anther aspect is the extent of PM penetration in the various regional sectors of the auto industry.

2.9.2 PM Usage in the Automotive Industries As already indicated, the growth of PM applications in the auto industry varies between the different regions. Table 2.18 shows the development in the weight of PM parts per car for vehicles manufactured in North America, Western Europe and Japan. The wide differences between North Americanbuilt cars and those made in Europe and the Far East is not due to divergent levels of PM technology or to major differences in construction. Rather, the explanation is in the fact that North American vehicles tend to be larger and heavier (with more 6- and 8-cylinder engines) and have more refinements such as automatic transmissions, power steering, power-windows, airconditioning etc. The smaller European and Japanese cars tend to require smaller, lighter components that must consequently have higher specific strength and other properties. This has tended to favour solid wrought materials as opposed to pressed and sintered parts. In Japan, there was

Metal Powders

53

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

another example in the case of connecting rods, where forged steel rods were said to be more price competitive than in North America, so powder-forged (PF) connecting rods have so far not caught on to any great extent. There is a similar story in Western Europe, although PF con-rods have been manufactured there for some time. Another factor that has come into play is the degree of sophistication in the local consumer market and the manufacturing industry. Thus cars made in India are reported to currently contain an average of 5.5 kg of PM parts, while Chinese-made cars currently contain 4.7 kg/car.

Table 2.18 Development of PM Content in Cars, N America, W Europe and Japan 1998-2004, kg/vehicle North America

West Europe

Japan

1998

15.0

7.7

6.7

1999

15.6

2000

16.3

8.1

7.2

2001

17.0

8.1

7.3 7.6

2002

17.7

8.1

2003

18.4

8.1

2004

19.5

8.0*

Sources: American Metal Market, JPMA, EPMA, MPIF * Takayoshi Sugiyama, president of JPMA at the 2004 PM World Congress in Vienna

2.9.3 Auto Parts Makers Squeezed North American auto parts manufacturers are facing some tough years ahead. They are stuck between soaring raw materials and energy costs on the one hand and the relentless demands of the Big Three for price cuts on the other. The situation is doubly negative for Canadian auto parts makers because of the rise in the exchange rate between the Canadian and US dollars and the declining market shares of their largest customers. The problem may be severe enough to cause closure of some Canadian auto parts plants, although it has not been suggested that this would apply to PM plants. Nevertheless, for the North American auto parts market, there does not seem to be any chance of relief in the short term. The prospect of 'profitless growth' does not seem to be a very appealing one. This will be important as the industry moves forward, since progress will be relying more on developing new applications of increased sophistication, as overall volumes of car sales are expected to stagnate for the next few years. As has often been said, as far as the North American automotive industry is concerned, all the easy opportunities for conversion of parts to PM have already been taken, and further growth in PM usage will present increasing challenges in technology and production.

54

Metal Powders

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

2.9.4 Advanced Auto Technology for a Cleaner Environment Automotive manufacturers are being required to produce alternative fuel vehicles to meet fuel economy and emission standards and legislative mandates. There are several varieties of powertrain technology and vehicles that are at different stages of development and implementation. Among I~CSC arc:

9 9 9 9 9

Variable valve timing technology Clean diesel technology Enhanced fuel economy Hybrid-electric vehicles Fuel cells.

All of these have an impact on the consumption of PM parts in the future of the auto industry.

Variable Valve Timing: Is an advanced engine valve control system that can improve fuel efficiency and hence fuel economy. It has been noted that VVT can use additional PM parts, although some existing parts will be made obsolete.

Clean Diesel Engine Technology: Has been promoted in Europe especially because of improved fuel efficiency with the new cleaner diesel fuels. It also uses slightly more PM parts. According to Cesar Molins report at the PM2004 World Congress (see above), the number of Western European cars with diesel engines has been steadily increasing, now approaching 45% and could reach 55% by 2010. Hybrid-Electric Vehicles: Although industry experts say that the internal combustion engine will dominate the market for at least the next 10 years, it is generally acknowledged that hybrid-electric vehicles will increase market share in the next several years. William Clay Ford Jr, chairman of Ford Motor Co, has been quoted as predicting that gasoline/electric hybrid vehicles could account for 20% of new car sales by 2010 (IJPM, 2001, 37(1), p24). All major car manufacturers have either launched or are developing hybrid-electric models. The hot-selling Toyota Prius was named car of the year in 2003 and in 2 0 0 4 / 5 there are more orders than the company can fill. General Motors is attacking so-called gas-guzzling vehicles by bringing out hybrid versions of its pick-up trucks and SUVs. GM had also earlier introduced a 'power-on-demand' system whereby vehicles with six and eight cylinders could use half of the engine's capacity when full power was not required, eg when cruising on the highway. According to a report by W Jandeska (GM Global Powertrain Group) and KS Narasimham (Hoeganaes Corp), future hybrid vehicles will contain fewer PM parts. For example, they may have an internal combustion engine of three cylinders, and transmissions with fewer gear sets. The powertrain in

Metal Powders 55

2

Market Background: Regional Industries and the Automotive Scene

such vehicles could contain up to 13 lb (6 kg) of PM parts, while the electric drive could have 3 lb (1.4 kg) and the chassis 6.5 lb (3 kg). Other opinions see the hybrid combination fitted with a four or six-cylinder I C engine. Whatever the answer turns out to be, this adds up to a major downshift in PM content compared with a current typical North American car with conventional drive. The overall impact for the PM industry needs to be examined in the light of prospective market shares, both for hybrids as well as for traditional vehicles from the major North American producers and the Asian and European imports. Nevertheless, even with the expected further growth in the use of PM in traditional North American-built vehicles, an eventual flattening in total automotive PM parts shipments is likely, if not inevitable. In other words, if the North American hybrids' market share rises to 20% by 2010, and the usage of PM in traditional vehicles grows by 10% (the expectation of about 0.5 kg/year has been mentioned), then the overall North American PM auto parts consumption will end the decade more or less where it was in the 2004 model year. Beyond 2010, the picture obviously gets a deal hazier. There seems to be a general agreement in the industry that the long-term solution to reduction of auto emissions and improvement of fuel economy will be the fuel cell. However, despite the vast expenditure on R&D to develop an effective and affordable fuel-cell drive system for passenger cars, Richard Wagoner, CEO of GM, in a mid2004 interview said it was tough to predict when that would happen. 'There was a lot of invention, a lot of investment, a lot of scientific and engineering work that [still] need[ed] to go on so that it was going to take a long time for something like a fuel cell to completely replace internal combustion engines. So [that] we [would] see things like more use of diesels, more use of hybrids, and ... a proliferation of powertrain sources over the next, probably 10-15 years'. Outside North America, the growing automotive markets in East Europe, China and India will likely mask the impact of such changes, while the current lower penetration of PM provides opportunities for expansion that are yet to be exploited.

56

Metal Powders

.)

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

All the brave forecasts for the new millennium were shattered by geopolitical events at the beginning of this decade. In 2001, the North American PM industry suffered its biggest one-year setback in living memory. The drop in automotive production precipitated a 13% fall in shipments of ferrous and copper-base powders for PM parts production. Business bounced back in 2002 with shipments recovering nearly 44 000 of the 51 000 tonnes decline. However, it took until 2004 for a new peak to be reached. The North American PM industry is now facing severe headwinds for the balance of the decade. Downsizing of the US auto industry as Asian car producers continue to grow market share means increased 'off-shoring' of parts manufacture. This trend and the decline in the sales of large SUVs and pick-ups as well as the switch to hybridelectric vehicles will partially offset the continuing success of PM applications in the automotive sector. The European PM industry did not suffer the recession in the US and should fare better in the next several years due to the growth of autorelated manufacturing in Eastern Europe. Although automotive production remains static, Japan's decade-long recession in the PM industry seems to have come to an end. PM structural parts production reached a new high in 2004 for a second year, with the automotive PM sector showing a third consecutive new high. Meanwhile, PM production in the rest of Asia, led by China, has been catching up with Japan, and iron powder shipments for PM will likely pull ahead in the near future. Outside the traditional PM sector involving ferrous and copper-base powders, two main stories both in Asia, are apparent. The phenomenal

Metal Powders

57

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

growth in portable electronic e q u i p m e n t - mobile phones, laptop computers, CD players, and the like, has created a huge demand for rechargeable batteries. Nickel and cobalt powders are used in some of these batteries, whose manufacture is increasingly concentrated in Asia. For tungsten resources, China has long been the world's largest source. With its rapid industrialization, China has begun restricting the export of tungsten minerals and focussing on downstream tungsten products such as cemented carbides, creating pressure on other producers and causing sharp price increases. Table 3.1 Summary of Global Markets for Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Powders 2001-2010 (tonnes) Powder Type

2001 (E)

2005(F)

2010(F)

Iron and Steel Copper and Copper Alloy Tin Nickel Aluminium

897 000 55 000 2300 40 000 100 000

1 060 000 65 000 2600 50 000 110 000

1 230 000 80 000 3300 60 000 120 000

34 000 5000

37 000 6000

40 000 7000

Tungsten Cobalt

(E) = Estimate, this report; (F) = Forecast

Figure 3.1 Breakdown of global metal powder consumption by weight 2004 The global market for the types of metal powders covered in this report is currently estimated to exceed 1 300 000 tonnes. As indicated in Table 3.1 and Figure 3.1, this tonnage is predominantly ferrous, at about 80%. Aluminium powder represents the next largest item at about 8%, while copper and the remaining powders are at 5% or below. The figures in this

58

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

table also prompt a caution that the estimates and forecasts given here and in the subsequent summary tables in the rest of this chapter are based on very limited data outside of North America and Japan. They should therefore be regarded for the most part as educated guesses. Valuation of global powder consumption is also a highly speculative proposition, as there are virtually no published data. The recent escalation in prices of base metals creates an additional hazard. The figures given in Table 3.2 were based on current (2005) price quotes for standard grades of the metal powders listed. They should be taken as an illustrative guide to the relative value of the various powder markets, rather than an estimate of actual sales. As Table 3.2 and Figure 3.2 indicate, due to sky-rocketing prices, the dollar value of non-ferrous metal powders far exceeds that of the ferrous sector. The latter now represents only a quarter of the total, which amounts to over US$3.7 billion.

Table 3.2 Summary of Global Markets for Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Powders by Approximate Value (US$ million) Powder Type Iron and Steel Copper and Copper Alloy Tin Nickel Aluminium Tungsten Cobalt

2001 (E)

2005(F)

20 IO(F)

790 280 28 800 500 550 250

930 330 32 1000 550 600 300

1080 400 40 1200 630 650 350

Note: Values are expressed in 2005 US dollars, based on approximate typical prices for standard grades (E) = Estimate, this report; (F) =Forecast

Metal Powders 59

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Figure 3.2. Breakdown of global metal, powder consumptio~.~ by approximate value 2004

Industry shipments and consumption figures given in this section are largely derived from statistics published by the three major trade associations: the Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) for North America, the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) for Europe, and the Japan Powder Metallurgy Association (JPMA) for Japanese domestic consumption as well as other Asian and Oceanic countries. Other figures have been derived from some of the country reviews published in the international literature and through personal contacts. The consumption figures for iron and steel powders are the largest in the metal powder industries in both tonnage and value: they are more carefully studied than any others, and are probably more reliable, even if not completely accurate. The statistics discussed in this section are concerned with both iron and steel powders, including carbonyl and electrolytic iron as well as low-alloy steel powders, but excluding stainless and high-alloy steel powders.

3.2.1 Applications As already indicated, by far the largest application for iron and steel powders is in the manufacture of powder metallurgy components by

60

Metal Powders

3

Globaland Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

pressing and sintering. In most advanced industrial countries these PM parts are predominantly used in passenger cars. In less developed countries a greater share of PM parts is used in two-wheeled vehicles, trucks, and non-automotive applications such as industrial and agricultural machinery, domestic appliances and hardware. Much smaller quantities of ferrous powders are used in non-PM applications such as coatings for welding electrodes, in photocopiers, and for metallurgical, chemical or other applications. Statistics for iron and steel powders are broken down only into the broad categories of PM part manufacture (including structural parts, selflubricating beatings, and hot-forged parts, but excluding metal injection moulded parts), welding electrode manufacture and other miscellaneous categories. Where possible, estimates have been broken down for bearings and hot-forged parts. There are negligible applications for iron and low-alloy steel powders in the PM wrought, PM filter, hard-facing and brazing and soldering sections.

3.2.2 Global Consumption 3.2.2.1

North America

After a meteoric rise of over 100% during the 1990s, total shipments of iron and steel powders in North America topped out at 404 000 tonnes in 2000. Breaking a trend of nine consecutive record years, the industry then experienced its largest ever one-year decline, collapsing by over 53 000 tonnes (13.2%) in 2001. This was followed by an almost complete recovery in the subsequent two years (Table 3.3 and Figure 3.3). The drastic changes in shipments since the turn of the century have highlighted the shifts in the pattern of consumption that have taken place over the past quarter-century. Thus while ferrous powder consumption for PM part fabrication and friction products increased over 120% between 1990 and 2000, the total for non-PM applications remained in a narrow range between 27 000 and 31 000 tonnes until 2000 before falling to around 23 000 tonnes. As a result, the percentage of iron and steel powders used in PM fabrication has risen steadily from 76% in 1980 to 86% in 1990 and 93-94% in 2002-3. These changes and the overall behaviour of iron and steel powder consumption both up and down, are largely a consequence of the North American PM industry's increased dependence on the automotive sector. In 1995, auto applications accounted for two-thirds of PM parts production, rising to 70% in 2001. These developments are usually ascribed to technological advances in both PM materials and processing that make the mechanical properties of PM components more closely approach those of cast iron and wrought steel. However, economic factors have also played a role, since the amount of PM part usage in the typical North American family vehicle has risen steadily over the years, increasing by 25% between 1999 and 2004 from 15.6 kg to 19.5 kg (Table 3.4). Economic factors have caused

Metal Powders

61

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

wide swings in the production of North American-built cars and trucks due to inventory build-up and subsequent de-stocking during slower sales periods. For the domestic North American car producers there has also been a significant trend towards heavier vehicles such as SUVs, pickups and minivans, which generally contain bigger engines and a larger weight of PM components. Following the 2000-2001 recession, these trends are seen to be continuing, but more recently there has been a falling off in sales of large SUVs and pick-up trucks by the Big Three. This has been related to the rise in fuel prices. Table 3.3 North American Consumption of Iron and Steel Powders 1990-2004 (thousands of tonnes) PM Parts & Friction

Welding

Products

Electrodes

169.5 164.8 194.9 231.3 275.3 283.9 289.8 322.2 341.8 373.9 375.3 327.6 370.4 372.9 400.O(E)

13.1 12.2 12.2 14.1 16.3 15.2 15.6 15.3 15.8 14.5(E) 14.5(E) 11.0 11.4(E) 14.0(E)

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Other

Total

16.2 15.6 16.3 15.5 14.9 15.8 12.7 15.8 14.9 13.7(E) 14.2 (E) 11.8 12.2(E) 14.8(E)

198.8 192.6 223.4 260.9 306.5 314.9 318.1 353.2 372.5 402.1 404.0 350.4 394.0 401.7 430.0

(E) = Estimate, this report Source: MPIF

Non-automotive PM parts are used in a wide range of applications. The largest sector, representing about half (Figure 3.4) comprises hand tools, recreational and hobby equipment. Household appliances (washing machines etc) and industrial motors, controls and hydraulics account for just over 21%, while hardware, business machines, and a myriad of miscellaneous applications take up the rest. Between 1995 and 1999, non-auto PM consumption of iron and steel powders grew about 18% to 112 000 tonnes, but has since remained flat (to 2003). It seems although the non-automotive sector of this market has seen a substantial long-term growth, there is not the same driving force to find new applications and technical innovations. The exception here would seem to be the manufacture of miniature precision parts by metal injection moulding (MIM). So far, this technology has found few applications in the automotive sector, and while it is growing rapidly, consumption of ferrous powders is mostly in the form of stainless steel (see Section 4.2.8). The consumption of carbonyl iron powder for MIM has so far

62

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Figure 3.3 North American shipments of iron and steel powders 1990-2003 (tonnes). Source: MPIF only reached a few hundred tonnes per annum, and has yet to make a significant impact on the overall market for ferrous powders in terms of tonnage, except for the producers of carbonyl iron. Table 3.4 Estimates of Weight (in kg) of PM Parts in a Typical North American Family Vehicle 1992-2004 PM, kg Wt of car, kg % PM

1992

1994

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

11.3 1422 0.79

12.2 1416 0.86

13.4 1468 0.91

14.1 1473 0.95

14.7 1479 1.0

15.6 1485 1.05

16.3 1490 1.1

17.0 1505 1.1

17.7 1520 1.15

18.4 1530 1.2

19.5

Source: American Metal Market and MPIF reports

North American consumption of iron and steel powders for non-PM applications, about half of which is used in welding electrodes, has seen no overall growth in the past 25 years, and saw a substantial decline (of about 18%) between the turn of the century and 2002, although it bounced back in 2003 to about where it was in 2000. For welding electrodes, the long-term decline can be attributed to several factors, in addition to general economic conditions. The shift off-shore in shipbuilding, the decline of new construction in other heavy industries such as oil refineries and in pipelines, have combined with technological changes to reduce demand. Coated stick electrodes have been increasingly displaced by flux-cored wire electrodes containing less metal powder and by automated processes using wire. Apart from welding, shipments of ferrous powders for cutting and scarfing (see Section 4.5) Metal Powders 63

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Figure 3.4 Breakdown of North American PM parts market 1999 Source: MPIF

have declined dramatically over the past decade or so, to just over 400 tonnes/year in 2001, as a result of downsizing and closures in the steel industry. The other major non-PM application is now in the use of iron and steel powders of various types as carrier core materials in photocopiers (see Section 4.6). This application now accounts for the bulk of miscellaneous non-PM uses in North America, although some of the material is imported. Other miscellaneous applications include chemical and metallurgical uses, as well as food additives, as in enriched bread and cereals. While overall North American shipments of iron and steel powders were slightly up in 2000, the market lost strength in the second half with falling demand for PM parts as the US moved into recession. Production cutbacks by the 'Big Three' auto manufacturers at the beginning of 2001 were also felt by the PM producers. Nevertheless, the PM parts content in the typical US family vehicle continued to rise, by 4.2% to 17 kg for the 2001 model year versus 2000. The auto industry's interest in PM stems largely from its relentless pursuit of cost reduction. New examples surfacing at the 2001 SAE World Congress in Detroit included DaimlerChrysler's 2.7L engine that contains 88 PM parts and GM's Vortec 4.2L inline 6-cylinder truck engine containing 79 PM parts weighing almost 13.6 kg. The economic downturn resulted in a 10% drop in auto production in 2001, and had a larger impact on the PM industry and the consumption of iron and steel powders as the Big Three US manufacturers lost market share to transplants and imported vehicles that use fewer PM parts. By early 2002, prospects for the US auto industry were looking much 64

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

brighter, and as reported by MPIF executive director Donald G White in his 'State of the North American PM Industry' address at the 2002 World Congress on Powder Metallurgy and Particulate Materials in Orlando, Florida (IJPM 2002, 38(5), pp31-37), shipments of ferrous powders bounced back about 14% in the first four months of 2002, or close to the annual rate achieved in 2000. He went on to note that while new engines and transmissions would continue to use more PM parts, PM hot-forged connecting rods faced new competition from C-70 forged steel bar. The German company Brockhaus was planning to supply C-70 forged steel con-rods from a plant in Canada, with GM and DaimlerChrysler as first North American customers. While the initial recovery in iron and steel powder shipments was not quite sustained through 2002, ending up 12.4% for the year as a whole, the PM sector of the market benefited from a 5.7% increase in the production of cars and light vehicles" powder consumption came within a couple of percentage of the record set in 2000. Although vehicle production in North America remained flat in 2003, the 4% rise in PM part content of the typical family vehicle enabled total iron and steel powder shipments to come close to the old record with almost 402 000 tonnes. While the prospects for North American powder consumption have been riding on the gradual climb of automotive PM applications, there are some clouds looming ahead that will impact shipments during the next decade or so. On the positive side, there are recent or new applications that have yet to see full implementation. Such items as high-strength planetary transmission carriers and components for variable valve timing systems spring to mind. There are also other opportunities that will open up as PM materials and process developments bring the mechanical properties and performance ever closer to wrought steel. However, the auto industry has been investing heavily to come up with technological improvements that will meet increasing requirements for fuel efficiency. The significance of vehicle weight reduction in this regard was highlighted in an address at the MPIF Auto Suppliers Luncheon Program during the 2004 SAE World Congress, given by Dr Charles L Wu, director of Manufacturing and Vehicle Design, Research and Advanced Engineering, at Ford Motor Co (PM 2004, 47(3), pp223-224). He noted that while fuel efficiency o5 North American built cars had been slowly increasing, vehicle weiga'. tended to creep higher over time, as customers demanded extra feaz.:.:es etc. He went on to say that increased fuel economy requirements a_q( fighter emission standards could both be addressed by selecting materials that saved weight. He then pointed out areas in which PM aluminium and titanium alloys and other lightweight materials could be substituted for steel and cast iron, including some traditional ferrous PM parts. This turn in the focus of automotive designers away from steel and other 'heavy' metals to alternative lightweight materials should be a red flag for the ferrous powder suppliers in particular.

Metal Powders 65

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

However, the big question mark hanging over the whole PM industry and ferrous powder suppliers in particular is the future of the internal combustion engine. There seems to be general agreement that fuel cells will eventually replace today's IC engines to a significant degree perhaps in fifteen to twenty years time. In between, as discussed in Chapter 2, the shift to hybrid-electric powered vehicles will gather pace. While these developments will seriously impact auto PM applications, it is so far unclear to what extent the loss of so many engine components, for example, will affect the consumption of ferrous powders. The PM industry needs to keep close watch on these developments so as not to find itself sidelined when design decisions are made for new massproduction items. For ferrous powders there are potentially off-setting applications as soft magnetic components of the electric motor element of the drive train. However, as discussed in Section 4.2.9, it is tough for soft magnetic composites to compete with laminated steel without a complete redesign of the motor.

3.2.2.2 Europe Since its formation in 1989, the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) has published iron and steel powder shipment statistics (for PM applications only) for the Western European countries, and since 1995 including East European countries. Because of their very different histories and economic situations, West and East Europe will be discussed separately in this chapter. West European consumption of iron and steel powders for PM and estimates for welding and other applications are shown in Table 3.5 and Figure 3.5. After stagnating in the late 1990s, ferrous powder consumption for PM part production surged 11.5% in 2000 to over 148 000 tonnes, but remained essentially flat until 2003 when there was a slight decline to 145 000 tonnes. Western Europe clearly weathered the global economic slowdown better than North America, although its long-term growth rate has been significantly lower, with an increase of about 13.5% since 1999, or just over 3% per annum. Estimates for iron and steel powder consumption in welding and other applications remain extremely elusive, and continue to represent a declining fraction of powder usage.

66

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Table 3.5 W European Consumption of Iron and Steel Powders 1992-2003 (tonnes)

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

PM Parts & Friction Products

Welding

Other

Total

89 500* 73 125" 93 600* 103 124" 103 258* 123 189" 132 113" 133 122" 148 448* 149 814" 147 365* 145 000"

18 000(E)

19 000(E)

125 000t

17 000(E) 17 500(E) 16 000(E) 16 500(E) 16 000(E) 13 500(E) 13 500(E) 13 000(E) 12 500(E) 13 000(E)

18 000(E) 19 000(E) 17 500(E) 18 500(E) 18 500(E) 18 900(E) 21 000(E) 20 000(E) 19 500(E) 20 000(E)

127 000(E) 140 000(E) 136 000(E) 158 000(E) 166 500(E) 171 000(E) 183 000(E) 182 800(E) 179 400(E) 178 000(E)

* EPMA (figures include stainless steel powders) t Prospectusfor H6ganfis AB share issue, 1994 (E) = Estimate, Metal Powders- A Global Survey' of Production, Applications and Markets, 2nd and 3rd Editions and this report

Figure 3.5 W European consumption of iron and steel powders 1992-2003 (tonnes)

The automotive sector continues to take the lion's share of ferrous PM production in Western Europe, remaining steady at 80% since 1994 (Table 3.6). The balance goes into general mechanical and machine

Metal Powders

67

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

products (15%), electrical equipment and household appliances (3%) and 2% into miscellaneous applications. The amount of PM material in the average European-buih car rose at about 5.5% per annum between 1995 and 2002, indicating that this sector was responsible for most of the growth in consumption of ferrous powders. Since the actual weight of PM per car is still under half of that in North America, there is potential for continuing growth even though car production in the EU has been relatively static at around 14 million-15 million vehicles for the past decade.

Table 3.6 West European Consumption of PM Parts and Bearings by End Use Sector 2001 Percent

End Use Sector Auto Engines Auto Transmissions Auto Chassis Auto Other Automotive Total Machine Products

35 21 14 10 80 15

Electrical Equipment/Domestic Appliances

3

Other

2

Total

100%

Source: EPMA; and C Molins, pM2TECConference 2002, Orlando, Florida

East Europe and Russia The former Soviet Union (FSU) was a very large producer of PM products in the state-controlled industries. Production reached over 71 000 tonnes in 1990 prior to the collapse of the communist regime. Economic activity declined sharply after the break-up of the Soviet Union, accentuated by the Russian financial crisis of 1998. It has taken about 10 years for PM production in Russia and other FSU countries to show signs of growth. (B Williams, I P M D 2004-5, l lth Edition, pp5-11, MPR Publishing Services Ltd, Shrewsbury, UK). Russia was reported to be showing signs of growth with PM part production in 2002 close to 13 000 tonnes (Table 3.7). Poland and Slovakia also have small but growing PM industries, and with Belarus, Ukraine and other non-FSU countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Yugoslavia, currently produce about another 7000 tonnes of PM parts. East European car production has grown from about 1.65 million units in 1996 to about 2.2 million in 2000. The average weight of PM parts in Russian-made cars is about four kg, which gives ample room for further growth.

68

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Table 3.7 Ferrous PM Part Production in East Europe and the FSU (tonnes) Russia Ukraine Belarus Slovakia Others

1986

1990

32 800 22 270 4800

37 400 22 150 7540

Total

2000

13 500(E)

2001

2002

12 000 1500 600 3000 900

12 500 1500 600 3000 1400

18 000

19 000

Source: B Williams, IPMD 2004-5, 11th Edition, plO (E) = Estimate, this report

3.2.2.3 Japan Table 3.8 Japanese Iron and Steel Powder Shipments for 1990-2004 (tonnes)

PM 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Other Applications

Export

Total

39 510 42 092 44 547 44 694 47 024 49 870 46 202 50 960 51 280 52 553 59 324 60 039 58 957 60 393 62 256

11 641 12 123 11 911 11 692 14 229 19 196 14 847 16 332 15 663 25 827 30 598 30 035 35 553 37 986 36 967

155 123 155 687 154 815 151 337 153 337 165 092 157 356 162 629 155 144 170 425 191 751 187 281 196 545 207 085 217 758

103 981 101 472 98 357 94 951 92 048 96 026 96 307 95 337 88 201 92 045 101 829 97 207 102 035 108 535 118 707

Source: JPMA Annual Reports

Japanese shipments of iron and steel powders for PM, non-PM applications, and exports for 1990-2003, shown in Table 3.8 and Figure 3.6 are from the annual reports published by the Japan Powder Metallurgy Association (JPMA). After doubling in the previous decade to over 100 000 tonnes, PM production suffered a series of recessions in the 1990s, falling below 88 000 tonnes in 1998 due to fallout from the Asian financial crisis. It finally recovered to over 101 000 tonnes in 2000, roughly where it began a decade earlier. So far, since 2000, iron and steel powder shipments for domestic PM production have held above 100 000 tonnes except for 2001, advancing 5% in 2002 and 5.6% in 2003 to set a new record of over 108 000 tonnes, surpassing the previous record set in 1990. According to the most recent reports, another new record was set

Metal Powders 69

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

180,000 170,000

II

PM

[~ Otherapplications

160,000 150,000 O9

r- 120,000 C

90,000 60,000 30,000 '90 '91 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04

Year

Figure 3.6 Japanese shipments of iron and steel powders 1990-2004 (tonnes) Source: JPMA

in 2004 at over 118 000 tonnes. There are multiple reasons behind the recent lacklustre performance of the Japanese PM industry. The overall slowdown in the Japanese economy, combined with increased outsourcing of automotive and PM parts production due to the high value of the Japanese currency have outweighed the continuing increase in the use of PM parts in Japanese cars. The latter reached an average of 8.0 kg in 2002-2003, up over 30% since 1990. Thanks to continued growth in non-PM applications and exports, overall Japanese iron and steel powder shipments rose 24% from 1990 to 2000 and a further 6.7% since the turn of the century. Non-PM applications in Japan have grown by about 50% since 1990 to 60 393 tonnes in 2003, while exports have shot up over 300% to 37 986 tonnes in 2003. One of the significant factors in the non-PM sector is the growth in the use of iron powder in 'hand warmers', which have been reported to consume over 25 000 tonnes of iron powder annually. The growth in exports is related to the rise in PM production in China and South East Asia (see next section).

70

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Table 3.9 Production of Japanese PM Parts an d Products 1995-2004 (tonne s) 1995 Bearings 7641 PM Parts 78 744 Friction Product 522 Electrical Contacts 183 Miscellaneous 629

Total PM Transport Applications

87 7 1 9 67 133

1996

1997

1998

7432 77 963

8248 79 767

7243 72 328

557 184 598

592 174 666

555 173 509

1999

2000

7791 9007 75 572 83 369 613 172 366

718 203 502

2001

2002

2003

2004

7725 78 792

7847 82 397

7559 87 821

8010 95 283

690 164 488

688 93 497

671 99 591

718 103 895

86 725 89 447 80 808 84 5 1 4 93 7 9 9 87 8 5 9 91 522 96 741 105 0 0 9 66 532

69 902

64 105

66 330

72 409

68 870

73 807

78 718

Miscellaneous = Electrical Collectors and Others Source: JPMA/MITI

Figure 3.7 Breakdown of PM structural parts in Japanese vehicles 2003 Source: JPMA

Japanese production of PM structural parts, beatings, and other PM products peaked briefly in 2000 at 93 799 tonnes (Table 3.9), but then fell back. It then recovered to reach new peaks of 96 741 tonnes in 2003 and 105 009 tonnes in 2004, helped by three consecutive years with domestic production of 10 million vehicles. Automotive applications still represent over 80% of the total consumption of PM parts. The breakdown of PM structural parts in 2003 Japanese vehicles, Figure 3.7 shows some changes from the 1998 figures, with engines and transmissions accounting for about 75% of the components, and engine parts alone passing 50% for the first time.

Metal Powders 71

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

The outlook for the consumption of iron and steel powders in Japan will still depend on the economy as much as on technological innovations that are ongoing in the auto sector.

3.2.2.4 China The following summary is based on keynote presentations at the PM Asia 2005 conference in Shanghai by Cui Jianmin and Yuan Yong of the PM Association of China Steel Construction Society and Laiwu Iron and Steel Group Powder Metallurgy Co Ltd and reports from attendees. There are about 50, mostly very small, producers of iron and steel powders in China. Four of these each produced over 10 000 tonnes in 2004. The 28 largest producers made 130 000 tonnes of iron and steel powders in 2004, up 10% from the previous year, and double the production for 1998 (Table 3.10). The bulk of China's ferrous powder production is reduced iron made from mill-scale or from purified iron ore concentrate. Water atomized powder represented only 22% of the total in 2003, see Table 3.11. In addition, 500 tonnes of electrolytic iron and 200 tonnes of carbonyl iron powder were produced. Table 3.10 Iron and Steel Powder Production in China 1999-2004 1999

2000

Number of Manufacturers Surveyed 22 Output, Tonnes 65 500 Growth Rate, % 2

22 73 800 11

2001

2002

2003

2004

22 28 28 28 74 800 101 600 118 200 130 000 1.4 35.8 16.13 10

Source: Cui Jianmin and Yuan Yong, PMAsia 2005 Conference, Shanghai, April 2005

Table 3.11 Analysis of Iron and Steel Powder Production in China by Type of Process (tonnes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . Production Process Reduction of Mill Scale Reduction of Purified Concentrate Water Atomization Electrolysis Carbonyl Decomposition

2002

2003

70 350 10 740 19 940 400 200

74 750 16 890 25 950 500 210

Source: Cui Jianmin and Yuan Yong, PMAsia 2005 Conference, Shanghai, April 2005

The sponge iron powder made from purified concentrate was said to be of higher quality than the reduced mill scale due to lower levels of silicon and manganese. The output of sponge iron powder made from concentrate has been increased in recent years, from 10 074 tonnes in 2002, 16 890 tonnes in 2003 to 30 000 tonnes in 2004. More advanced grades of ferrous powder such as pre-alloyed powders, diffusion-alloyed and pre-mixed powders, account for a very small percentage of the market, mostly supplied by non-Chinese manufacturers.

72

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders2001-2010

In contrast to major industrialized countries, PM represents a minor use of ferrous powders, despite the rapidly growing Chinese economy. As shown in Table 3.12 Chinese production of PM structural parts rose from just under 15 000 tonnes in 1998 to over 44 000 tonnes in 2003, according to figures published by JPMA. Furthermore, according to Jianmin and Yong, only about 44% of PM sintered parts are used in the automotive and motorcycle industries. However, the average Chinesemade automobile contains only 4.7 kg of PM parts, compared with much higher levels in Japan, Europe and North America. Not much detail is available on non-PM applications of ferrous powders in China, but Jianmin and Yong mentioned chemical, metallurgical and the medical sector, including recent testing of iron powder as a food additive. Table 3.12 E s t i m a t e d F e r r o u s - b a s e d P M Parts P r o d u c t i o n in East A s i a n C o u n t r i e s , excluding Japan . . . . . . . . . PM Part Production (tonnes) 1998 1999 2000 2001

1995

1996

1997

China 13 741 Korea 16 655 Taiwan 12 500 India 4560 Malaysia 3012 Singapore 874 Thailand 357

14 757 18 615 12 000 5000 3785 996 433

15 092 17 710 14 700 4650 3750 1060 346

15 876 17 178 17 700 4500 3171 1050 802

18 088 18 121 18 480 5625 4091 1025 1240

26 501 22 550 18 850 6950 4573 980 2021

55 5 8 6

57 3 0 8

60 277

65 6 7 0

82 425

Total

51 699

Source: JPMA Annual

27 487 26 160 15 000 6807 4494 768 2366

2002 33 642 23 746 20 000 6900 5008 905 3488

83 082 93 6 8 9

2003 44 240 33 478 21 000 7200 5463 840 4363

2004 56 968 36 491 25 000 8300(E) 6384 788 6288

97 9 8 9 140 O00(E)

Reports

3.2.2.5 Rest of the World

Apart from the figures provided by JPMA for Asian and Pacific Rim countries, there is little in the way of published data for ferrous metal powder consumption in the rest of the world. Central and East Asia, excluding Japan. Estimated ferrous PM production in China, Korea, Taiwan, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, for 1995-2004, as published in the JPMA Annual Reports is given in Table 3.12. After growing at just over 5% earlier, led by Korea and Taiwan, production surged ahead after 1998, gaining over 50% by 2002. Output of ferrous-based PM parts more than doubled in China to almost 57 000 tonnes, overtaking both Korea and Taiwan, which grew at more moderate rates to 36 4,91 and 25 000 tonnes, respectively. China, Korea and Taiwan represent more than 80% of East Asian production. PM production in India also grew over 60% in this period, while Thailand jumped over 600%, admittedly from a very small base below 1000 tonnes.

In addition to PM applications there are significant markets in Asia for welding grade powders, particularly in China, Korea, Taiwan and India.

Metal Powders 73

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

When other miscellaneous applications are included the total consumption of iron and steel powders in East Asia are believed to have grown by about two thirds from an estimated 90 000 tonnes in 1995 to about 150 000 tonnes in 2003.

Near and Middle East. Turkey has a number of PM parts producers with a total output estimated at 3000 tonnes. PM part production in the Near and Middle East from Israel to Pakistan has been estimated by EPMA (1994) at about 1000 tonnes per annum. Southern Hemisphere. Ferrous powders are used in PM fabrication and other applications in South America, Australia, and South Africa, Table 3.13. In South America the PM parts market is dominated by the automotive industry, which is concentrated in Brazil and Argentina. Automotive accounts for 90% of PM output, followed by domestic appliances and business machines. The total iron powder market in South America was estimated by MPIF in 1994 at 13 600 tonnes, of which almost 11 000 tonnes were used in PM structural parts and bearings, while the balance was consumed in friction products, welding and other applications. The PM portion was reported to have grown to about 12 700 tonnes by 1997, half of which were produced in Brazil. The total market for iron powder was reported to have grown by 6% pa to approximately 18 000 tonnes in 1999 (Table 3.13). Table 3.13 Estimated Consumption of Ferrous Powders in the Southern Hemisphere (tonnes) _ Australia* South A f r i c a * * South A m e r i c a * * *

Total

1 9 9 4 1995 1 9 9 6 1997 1998

1999

2 275 2 681 2 373 2 358 2 243

2273

1 000 13 600

17 0 0 0

17 000 18 000

2000

2001 2 0 0 2

2130 1916 1832

20 000

21 0 0 0 23 0 0 0

Source: *PMIA (1994) and JPMA Annual Reports **Estimate, Metal Powders: A Global Survey of Production, Applications and Markets, 3rd Edition ***Estimate, DG White, MPIF: IJPM, 2001, 37(1), p19, and with information from South American industry and North American suppliers

MPIF executive director Don White reported on trends in South American PM industries at the 2000 World Congress in Kyoto (I]PM, 2001, 37(1), p19). With about 20 PM parts producers and a handful of metal powder manufacturers, the South American PM industry is dominated by Brazil, which account for most of the PM business in the region. Argentina, Venezuela, and Colombia also have I'M parts plants. He said the total estimated iron and steel powder market in South America in 1999 was slightly more than 20 000 tonnes with Brazil accounting for about 17 000 tonnes. The market increased 10% in 2000, when the ferrous-based PM parts market in Brazil was estimated at 12 500 tonnes, and the rest of South America at 1000 tonnes. Growth in 2001 was projected at 4%, mostly from Brazil.

74

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

PM part production in Australia, mostly ferrous, peaked at 2681 tonnes in 1995, but has been in steady decline since then, to 1832 tonnes in 2002. The auto sector accounted for 45% of total PM sales in 1994, with domestic appliances next in importance at 24%. Very little is known about the ferrous PM industry in South Africa, which has been estimated to produce about 500 tonnes per annum. This is presumed to represent the production in the whole of Africa. There is additional ferrous powder consumption for welding electrodes etc.

3.2.3 Global S u m m a r y and Forecast of Iron and Steel

Powder Consumption to 2010

Actual and estimated consumption of iron and steel powders for the various regions are summarised in Table 3.14. Figures are given for the reported or estimated usage for PM as well as the totals for each region. The analysis indicates that the proportion of ferrous powders used in PM applications continues at a level of about 80%.

Table 3.14 Global Summary of Iron and Steel Powder Consumption 2004 (thousands of tonnes) PM North America* Europe Japan** Asia and ROW

Total

Other

Total

400(E) 172(E) 119 140(E)

30(E) 33(E) 62 70(E)

430 205(,E) 181 210(E)

83 I(E)

195(E)

1026(E)

Source: * MPIF

*9JPMA (E) -- Estimate,this report

Actual, estimated, and forecast consumption of ferrous powders for 2001-2010 are given in Table 3.15 for North America, Europe, Japan, Asia and the rest of the world.

Table 3.15 Global Summary of Iron and Steel Powder Consumption and Forecast to 2010 (tonnes) 2001 North America Europe (E & W) Japan Asia and ROW

350 183 160 150

370* 000(E) 153"* 000(E)

Total

897 O00(E)

2005(F) 420 200 185 255

000 000 000 000

1 060 000

2010(F) 480 230 210 310

000 000 000 000

1 230 000

Source: * MPIF

*9JPMA (E) = Estimate, this report; (F) = Forecast

Metal Powders

75

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Pewders 2001-2010

Markets for stainless steel, tool steel and high speed steel powders have been grouped together in this section because they are frequently served by the same suppliers. This is mainly because the powders, either gas- or water-atomized, can often be produced in batches in the same equipment.

3.3.1 Applications Stainless steel and tool steel powders have widespread applications as PM structural parts and also in PM wrought-form products where their special properties are required. The corrosion resistance of both austenitic and ferritic stainless steels makes these powders the materials of choice where resistance to atmospheric corrosion or chemical attack are features of the application. Ferritic stainless powders are used, for example, in ABS sensor rings where the combination of corrosion resistance and magnetic properties is needed. Significant growth in stainless PM applications has occurred in recent years owing to the popularity of automotive ABS braking systems and the introduction of PM stainless steel flanges and HEGO sensor bosses for exhaust systems. Applications for PM tool steel and HSS powders include wear-resistant parts such as automotive valve seat inserts and cam lobes, in addition to traditional tool bits and forming tools. Both stainless and tool steel powders are being used to fabricate semi-finished products, an example being mill shapes from extruded gas-atomized powders. Other applications include filters (stainless steel), stainless steel flake for coating applications, and hardfacing by thermal spraying methods (tool steels). Fine powders of both stainless and tool steel are also being used in metal injection moulding.

3.3.2 Global Markets for Stainless and High Alloy Steel Powders While there are limited statistics on shipments of stainless steel powders, the consumption of tool steel powders is an elusive item. This is partly because most of the tool steel and high-speed steel powders are used inhouse by manufacturers that are producing fully dense PM wrought and semi-finished products. So sales of powders are only a fraction of total consumption. The fragmentary information available indicates that this sector went through a difficult patch in the last few years but is now growing again. In 2000, Olle Grinder estimated the worldwide consumption of tool steel and HSS powders at about 14 000 tonnes, of which 12 000 tonnes was for HlPed billets and near-net-shaped parts, 50 tonnes was extruded,

76

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

while 2000 tonnes was used in uniaxiaUy pressed and sintered parts. About 10 tonnes was used in MIM (IJPM, 2000, 36(8), p33). In 2001, the international PM tool steel market was said to be growing and was estimated by Don White in his State of the North American PM Industry address at 14 000 short tons (12 700 tonnes) of which 4000 short tons (3630 tonnes) was in the US (IJPM, 2001, 37(4), p39). Applications included high-speed broaches, hobs, milling cutters, form tools, drills, caps, end mills and thread-rolling dies. In reviewing the PM industry in Austria in 2002, Professor Danninger quoted a figure of 10 000 tonnes as the estimated world market for PM tool steels in the year 2000 (IJPM, 2002, 38(8), pp26-32). He added that the companies Bthler Uddeholm Powder Technology in Austria and Uddeholm Tooling AB in Sweden 'cover about 30% of the world market for PM tool steels'. More recently, in an interview with Peter K Johnson in 2004, Claes Tornberg, consultant and former general manager of Bthler Edelstahl GmbH, Kapfenberg, Austria, estimated the world market for PM HSS at about 10 000 tonnes, growing at 5% (IJPM, 2005, 41(2), pp7-9). He noted that PM materials represented about 10% of the world HSS market.

3.3.2.1 North America Shipments of stainless steel powders in North America just about doubled during the 1990s, rising to a record 6493 tonnes in 1999 from 2700 in 1990. Most of the growth came in the second half of the decade with increasing use of PM in automotive ABS sensor tings and stainless steel components for exhaust systems. Shipment statistics are given in Table 3.16 and Figure 3.8. Since 1999, North American shipment statistics for stainless steel powders have been published as estimates. Because of the small number of domestic producers, some have declined to continue submitting shipment data. However, the recent estimates in Table 3.16 indicate that after rising sharply by well over 10% in 2000, the consumption has remained flat at around 7500 tonnes. Nevertheless, according to forecasts, as the automotive market develops, the total North American consumption should more than double to reach about 18 000 tonnes. This prospect has prompted North American producers of stainless steel powders to expand capacity (See Ametek, Hoeganaes and North American Hoganas, Section 6.1).

Metal Powders 77

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Table 3.16 N o r t h A m e r i c a n S h i p m e n t s of Stainless Steel P o w d e r s 1 9 9 0 - 2 0 0 3 (tonnes) Tonnes 1990

2700

1991

2960

1994

3600(E)

1995

3630

1996

4440

1997

4760

1998

5330

1999

6490

2000

7710(E)

2001

7260(E)

2002

7710(E)

2003

8070(E)

Source: MPIF (E) = Estimate. MPIF did not publish statistics on shipments of stainless steel powders between 1991 and 1995; since 1999, shipments have been estimated due to reluctance of suppliers to furnish data

8000 7000 6000 5000 c 4000

C

3000

2000 1000 0

1990 1991 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Year

Figure 3.8 North American shipments of stainless steel powders, 1990-2003 (tonnes). Source: MPIF

PM high-speed steels were introduced to North America in the early 1970s for cutting tool applications. Tool steel powders are used in netshape part fabrication as well as PM mill-shapes production, mostly carried out in-house. There are no published statistics for shipments of tool steel powders in North America. In the late 1.980s, the consumption of tool steel powders was estimated at 5000-6000 tonnes, but more recently at about 4:500 tonnes (1997) and 5900 in 1999, growing at

78

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

10-20% per annum. The most important grades are quoted as M-4, CPM10V and M-3. The HIP PM high-speed steel and tool steel powders markets in North America were estimated at 4000 short tons (3630 tonnes) and to be growing at 5-6% annually. In 2002, the North American PM tool steel market was still estimated at 3630 tonnes, so despite suggestions to the contrary, this market seems to be stagnating. In the US, it is claimed that 50% of broaching tools are now made from PM tool steels.

3.3.2.2 Europe Europe is relatively rich in production resources for stainless steel and tool steel powders, with several plants engaged in gas- or wateratomization, or both. Sweden has the world's largest capacity for gasatomized high alloy powders. It appears that there are no published statistics that are collected specifically for consumption of stainless or tool steel powders in Europe. According to EPMA, the small amount of stainless used in PM part fabrication (estimated in this report at much less than 2000 tonnes) is included with other ferrous powders, while the largest fraction is that produced by Anval and converted into semi-finished products as noted earlier, and sold as fabricated PM mill shapes in both stainless steel and HSS, much of this for export. There is a significant market for high alloy powders in thermal coating operations, for wear applications, as in the spray coating of aerospace components and automotive valves, and oil and chemical industry equipment. There is an additional market for the fabrication of filters. The EPMA published estimate of 20 000 tonnes for the volume of semifinished PM products of all materials shipped in 1989-90 is believed to be largely made up of PM stainless steels, HSS, and HIPed superalloys. The volume of pressed and sintered tool steel powders is still very small in Europe despite recent growth, eg in valve seat inserts, and was estimated at about 1000 tonnes in 1995. As in North America, the small number of producers is the likely reason for the lack of published market data.

3.3.2.3 Japan As indicated in shipment statistics provided by JPMA (Table 3.17 and Figure 3.9), Japanese consumption of stainless steel powders jumped about 1000 tonnes in 1999, after remaining stagnant in the previous decade. However, consumption has not advanced beyond the 2700-3000 tonnes range due to the continuing economic difficulties.

Metal Powders 79

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Table 3.17 Japanese S h i p m e n t s of Stainless Steel P o w d e r s 1990-2003 (tonnes) Stainless Steel, tonnes 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

1716 1787 1372 1539 1597 1862 1710 2757 2991 2680 2949 3263

Source: JPMA

3000 2500 2000 Q~ = C

1500 1000 500 0

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Y~.~r

Figure 3.9 Japanese shipments of stainless steel powders 1990-2003 (tonnes) Source: JPMA

Stainless steel powders in Japan are mostly used for PM structural parts and filters. ATMIX Corp (formerly Pacific Metals Co) is also producing ultrafine stainless steel powder for MIM. The major Japanese producer of PM HSS, Kobe Steel, manufactures its own powder in-house at a separate gas atomization facility with about 1000 tonnes/year capacity. Powder statistics from this operation are not available, as the material is for internal use. The most recent statistic found for consumption of tool steel powders in Japan was the figure of 700 tonnes fbr 1986 (up from 300 tonnes in 1982).

80

Metal Powders

3 3.3.2.4

Globaland Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Rest of the World

There appears that there are no published statistics available for the consumption of stainless and tool steel powders in the countries outside North America, Europe and Japan. There are a number of small firms manufacturing stainless steel PM parts and filters elsewhere in the world, mainly in Eastern Europe, Asia and South America. There are relatively few companies listed as supplying tool steel (HSS) sintered parts or PM wrought semi-finished products. Cui Jianmin and Yuan Yong reported Chinese production of atomized stainless steel powders as 220 tonnes in 2002 and 250 tonnes in 2003.

Through decades of development efforts, copper and copper alloy powders have evolved into a sophisticated series of products with properties tailored to a range of applications. Pure copper powders are available in the form of electrolytic, reduced oxide and water-atomized powders. Copper alloys such as fin-bronze, brass and nickel silver, are either air- or water-atomized. Recent developments have included improved infihrant powders, low-inclusion copper powder for blending with ferrous powders in powder forging, uhrafine powder grades for MIM and electronic grades for printed circuits and other applicatons.

3.4.1 Applications of Copper and Copper-Based Powders The largest application for copper powder is in the manufacture of porous, self-lubricating, PM bronze bearings, primarily for the automotive sector, but also for home appliances, electronic equipment and business machines. Sintered bronze bearings are usually made either from pre-mixed copper and tin powders, typically in the ratio 90:10, or from 'diluted bronze' where cheaper iron powder substitutes for at least 50% of the copper and tin. Diluted bronze PM bearings are quite satisfactory in many applications. A small percentage of bearings are made from pre-alloyed copper-tin bronzes. Sintered iron-graphite bearings made from sponge iron with 3% graphite, have been making bigger inroads in the PM bearings market for some time, particularly with users who are buying on price. Copper and copper alloy powders (mainly brass powders) are also used to make conventional PM parts, such as copper PM parts for electrical applications and brass PM parts for the automotive and domestic hardware markets. The second most important application is the use of copper powder as a blended alloying addition in ferrous PM parts (eg iron - 2% c o p p e r - 0.8% graphite). It is used in this way to provide improved sintered strength without diminishing the compressibility of the premix. Elemental and pre-alloyed copper powders are also used as components of infiltrant powders in an alternative process

Metal Powders

81

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

that increases the density, strength and hardness of pressed-and-sintered ferrous parts. Finally, smaller quantities of copper and copper-base powders are used to manufacture carbon brushes, steel-backed bearings, sintered friction materials, diamond tools, MIM parts and porous filters. Some copper powder as well as dispersion-strengthened copper powder is fabricated into fully-dense wrought products by canning and extrusion, for production of specialised components where higher electrical conductivity is important, such as in spot-welding electrodes. Outside the PM applications there are significant uses for copper powder and bronze powder as flake in paints and inks, brazing powders and pastes, and for electronics, as well as in chemical applications, for example, catalysts.

3.4.2 Global Consumption of Copper and Copper-Based Powders As mentioned in earlier sections, during the last few decades copper and copper-alloy powders have become a less significant factor in the total metal powder picture. The major reason for this is the considerable rise in consumption of iron and steel powders. Although the total annual consumption of copper-base powders has followed the economic ups and downs more or less in step with ferrous powders, in North America, after appearing to stagnate for many years, consumption rose during the 1990s before flattening off at the end of that decade. And while the Japanese market has remained more or less static for a lot longer, there was growth elsewhere in Asia as well as Europe. A recent estimate of global consumption of copper-base powders in 2002 by P Taubenblat (IJPM 2003, 39(4), pp25-28) gave figures of 22 000 tonnes for North America, 18 000 tonnes for Europe, and the same for Japan and Asia, and 4500 for the rest of the world. These figures suggest there could be some under-reporting in published industry statistics. Nevertheless with expansions and new producers coming on stream in the past decade, there is evidently still a sizeable worldwide over-capacity for copper powder production.

3.4.2.1 NorthAmerica From a low of 17 400 tonnes in 1990, copper and copper-based powder shipments in North America rose nearly 32% to a post-1980 peak of 22 933 tonnes in 2000 (Table 3.18 and Figure 3.10). That represented an average growth rate of almost 3% per annum. Since 2000, copper powder shipments have fluctuated with the economy, dropping 18% in 2001 but bouncing back 9.2% in 2002. All this time the ratio of PM versus other uses remained constant, with PM consuming close to 85% of the total, indicating there were no major shifts in application areas. Despite the attractive properties of copper, eg high thermal and electrical conductivity, it is never likely to regain its earlier prominence in the PM

82

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

world. This is partly due to development of alternative materials, as in the substitution of less-expensive iron-graphite sintered bearings and diluted bronze bearings. Also PM structural parts have evolved into applications where copper-based sintered parts would be inappropriate from the viewpoints of both mechanical properties and cost. Nevertheless, PM self-lubricating bearings have remained the number one application for copper powder at 55%. According to Taubenblat (loc.cit.) 13% of copper powder is used as a blended additive in iron powder premixes, 12% in infiltration applications, 10% in sintered brasses and the balance (10%) in other applications such as friction materials, chemicals, heavy metal alloys, and in the form of flake for coatings, paints, pastes and inks.

Table 3.18 North American Shipments of Copper and Copper-Based Powders 1990-2004 (tonnes) PM Applications (incl Friction Materials)

Other

Total

14 800 13 900 15 800 17 700 17 800 18 300 17 700 19 000 19 400 19 300 19 400 15 900 17 100 17 300 18 600

2600 2400 2400 2700 3100 2800 3100 3200 3400 3600 3500 2900 3500 3200 4300

17 400 16 300 18 200 20 400 20 900 21 100 20 800 22 200 22 700 22 900 22 900 18 800 20 600 20 500 22 900

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Source: MPIF

Metal Powders 83

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

25

BB PM applications (including friction materials) I--I Other applications r---] [-7 r -

20 co t'c"

15 0 co cor) E3

10

o cF-

'90 '91

'92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01

Year

'02 '03 '04

Figure 3.10 North American shipments of copper and copper-based powders 1990-2004 (tonnes). Source: MPIF

3.4.2.2 Europe Consumption of copper and copper-based powders in PM applications published by EPMA for Western Europe and including East Europe from 1995 are shown in Table 3.19 and Figure 3.11. As experienced elsewhere in the world, shipments reached a peak in 2000, at 18 500 tonnes, with a 32% rise over 1995, but then lost all that gain by 2002. The copper powder segment is one area in which consumption statistics for North America, Europe and Asia (including Japan) are more evenly matched. However, the figures do throw up one possibly surprising aspect. This is that the ratio of PM consumption of copper-based powders to PM consumption of ferrous powders is much higher in Europe at 9.5%, than in North America or Japan, both of which stood at 5.2% in 2002. Asia, excluding Japan, fell in between at 8.8%. A possible explanation is a greater use in Europe and Asia of copper-based bearings and friction products, as opposed to ferrous based materials. However, it is hard to square this with the fact that the automotive market accounts for 70-80% of PM production in all three zones (North America, Europe, Japan) and through globalization the auto manufacturers have tended towards similar specifications worldwide. There may be another explanation: a higher percentage of Western European copper powder is exported out of the Eurozone than is the case for North America or Japan. Future growth in copper powder consumption in Europe may well depend on economic prospects for East Europe.

84

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Table 3.19 European Shipments of Copper and Copper-based Powders for PM 1989-2003 (tonnes) Tonnes 1989/90 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

9900(E) 10 500(E) 9500(E) 9737 13 048 13 784 14 195 14 847 15 914 15 590 17 770 14 455 12 827 13 111

Including East Europe

13 000 14 000 14 500 15 500 16 500 16 000 18 500 15 500 14 000

Source: E P M A ; (E) - Estimate, E P M A

20

"

Or)

C C

"6 rn 10 "O C (/)

0 .,C

I.-

0

'90 '91 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 Year

Figure 3.11 W European shipments of copper base powders for PM 1990-2003 Source: EPMA and estimates, this report

Metal Powders 85

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

3.4.2.3 Japan Annual shipments of copper and copper-based powders in Japan for PM, non-PM uses and exports, provided by JPMA for the years 1990-2004 are shown in Table 3.20 and Figure 3.12. Consumption for PM applications peaked in 1991 at just under 6000 tonnes after years of uninterrupted growth. With the ensuing recessions and recoveries, that level was only approached again in 2000 and 2003-4. Consumption for non-PM applications followed a similar pattern, remaining at around 15% of total consumption. Exports of copper and copper-based powders have also fluctuated since passing 400 tonnes in 1994, ending up at the same level in 2003 but then jumping to 587 tonnes in 2004. Table 3.20 Japanese Shipments of Copper Powder 1990-2004 (tonnes) PM Applications

Other

Export

Total

5818 5964 5563 5325 5600 5584 4894 5379 4784 5138 5567 4990 5321 5631 5880

1162 1336 1136 1062 1084 1064 1003 1033 893 944 1025 946 973 1056 1148

264 368 322 317 444 589 487 524 448 542 636 425 441 458 587

7244 7668 7021 6704 7128 7237 6348 6936 6125 6624 7228 6361 6735 7125 7615

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Source: JPMA

86

Metal Powders

3

8000

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

II PM applications D Other applications

7000 6000 5000 r4000 r

3O0O 2000 1000 0

'90 '91

'92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01

'02 '03 '04

Year Figure 3.12 Japanese consumption of copper powder 1990-2004 (tonnes) Source: JPMA

The main uses for copper and copper-based powders in Japan are sintered beatings, PM structural parrts and PM frictional materials. These add up to about 80% of domestic shipments. Transportation (primarily motor vehicles) increased its share of PM beatings consumption from 40% to 48% between 1985 and 1990, but this fell back again to 44% between 1996 and 1998. The composition of PM beatings was reported as 60% iron-based and 40% copper-based in 1989, the last year in which this split was noted. Since the late 1990s, a significant growth hs been reported in miniature bearings production for IT equipment such as mobile phones, PCs, DVD players, as well as other applications for micro-motors.

3.4.2.4 China The following notes have been compiled from the presentation on the status of non-ferrous powder production in China, given at the PM Asia 2005 conference by Professor Wang Limin of GRIPM Advanced Materials Co Ltd and Beijing General Research Institute for Non-Ferrous Metals. Electrolytic copper powders have been produced in China since the 1960s, and electrolysis remains the dominant process, although low apparent density copper powder has been produced in recent years by the atomization - oxidation - reduction route. There are more than 10 firms producing a total of nearly 10 000 tonnes/year of electrolytic powder. About half of this powder is produced by the top three companies. Exports of copper powder are mainly electrolytic, going to USA, Taiwan,

Metal Powders 87

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

the Middle East, Australia and Japan. In 2002, the level of exports was well under 1000 tonnes and about half of the size of import quantities. Table 3.21 Copper-based PM Part Production in China 1998-2004 (tonnes) China

1998

1999

2000

1490

825

3334

2001 3720

2002 3849

2003

2004

4357

5934

Source: JPMA Annual Reports

According to statistics published by JPMA (Table 3.21), copper-based PM parts production in China grew from 1490 tonnes in 1998 to almost treble this level in 2003, at 4357 tonnes and quadruple in 2004 at 5934 tonnes. It is not clear how nuch of this was made from copper alloy powder. Professor Wang Limin listed applications for copper powder in PM parts for automobiles and domestic appliances (air-conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines and electric fans). China also has a large production of diamond tools, a third of which are exported. Diamond tools are estimated to consume about 3000 tonnes/year of copper powder and copper alloy powder. Over 1300 tonnes/year of copper powder is also used in friction materials, and about 200 tonnes/year of electrolytic copper powder is employed in electrical engineering alloy applications. Other copper powder applications in China include metallic pigments, conducting rubber and slurry applications, which were all reported as continuing to increase. Copper alloy powders were reported to be mainly produced by atomization, with an annual Chinese capacity exceeding 10 000 tonnes, half of national output being produced by the top four companies. The chief alloy produced, 85Cu-6Sn-6Zn-3Pb leaded bronze, represents 60% of total consumption, used in self-lubricating bearings, filters and bushings. This alloy will gradually be replaced by 9 0 / 1 0 and 85/15 tin bronze alloys, in order to eliminate the use of lead. Copper alloy powders were said to be mostly used in PM parts (50%) and diamond tools (40%).

3. 4.2.5 Rest of the World In Asia and Australia (excluding Japan and China) sintered bearings production is believed to be the main use for copper powders. Statistics provided by JPMA for copper-based PM production in Korea, Taiwan, India, Australia, Malaysia and Singapore, are given in Table 3.22. Taiwan and India have led the pack, while copper-based PM production in Korea has fluctuated, ending in 2004 up 9% from 2003 at 1925 tonnes. Singapore is the only other Asian country with significant copper-based PM production, but this has remained static at around 500 tonnes per annum for nearly a decade. Production in Australia perked up suddenly in 2002 to 178 tonnes. In total, the Asian and Pacific Rim countries, ex-

88

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Japan and China, have come to produce between 4500 and 5500 tonnes, with no overall growth to report between 1998 and 2002, then perking up in 2003-4 to over 6000 tonnes. For South America, there are no published figures for copper powder consumption since the estimate of 2178 tonnes quoted by Johnson for 1993 (I]PM, 1994, 30(4), pp369-372). Local production capacity (in Brazil) is less than 2000 tonnes per annum.

Table 3.22 Asia/Oceania Copper-based PM Part Production, exJapan and China 1998-2004 (t0nnes) 1998

1999

2000

2001

Taiwan

1800

2100

2150

2000

1900

1900

India

1360

1395

1485

1473

1475

1500

n.a.

Korea Singapore Malaysia Australia

1056 430 69 45

656 515 65 52

928 614 59 50

1299 457 50 51

236 544 32 178

1766 511 50 na

1925 535 83 na

4760

4783

5286

5330

Total

2002

2003

2004 2100

4 3 6 5 5800(E) 6400(E)

(E) = Estimate, this report Source: JPMA

3.4.3 Global Summary for Copper and Copper-Based Powders 2001-2010 Tables 3.23 and 3.24 summarize the published consumption figures for copper and copper-based powders for North America, Europe, Japan, Asia and the rest of the world for 2004 and the estimates and forecasts to 2010.

Table 3.23 Summary of Global Consumption of Copper and Copper Alloy Powders 2004 (tonnes) PM North America* Europe (E & W ) * * Japan*** Asia and R O W * * * *

Total

Other

Total

18 600 14 500 5880 14 000

4300 2500 1148 2500

22 900 17 000 7028 16 500

53 0 0 0

10 5 0 0

63 5 0 0

Source: * MPIF; ** EPMA + estimates; *** JPMA; **** JPMA + estimates, this report.

Metal Powders

89

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Table 3.24 Global Summary of Copper and Copper Alloy Powder Consumption and Forecasts to 2010 (tonnes) 2001

2005(F)

2010(F)

North America Europe (E & W) Japan, Asia, ROW

18 886* 18 000(E) 18 200(E)

23 000 18 000 24 500

27 000 21 000 32 300

Total

55 O00(E)

65 500

80 000

Source: * MPIF; (E) = Estimate, this report; (F) = Forecast

Nickel is probably unique among industrial metals in being produced by a few very large corporations, most of whom produce pure nickel in powder form as well as in bulk. The two leading suppliers, INCO and Norilsk Nickel, share half of the global market, with the balance coming from recycling or smaller suppliers. About 60% of nickel consumption is used to make stainless steels, and half of the nickel used in this is recycled metal. Nickel is also used mostly as an alloy, in a wide range of other applications from jet engines to DVDs. According to INCO Ltd's CEO, Scott Hand, the company's sales of nickel in Asia have grown from 40% to 60% of the total over the past decade. It is understood that the story for nickel powder products is similar. China's growing demand for nickel has been compared with Japan's 'great leap forward' some decades ago, when demand grew at an average of 7% pa over a 15 year period. Demand for nickel is also rising in the USA, Japan and to a lesser extent in Europe.

3.5.1 Applications of Nickel and Nickel-Alloy Powders As described in more detail in Section 5.6.9, pure nickel powders are produced by three very distinct routes: by decomposition of nickel carbonyl, by hydrometallurgical processing, and by water atomization of molten nickel. Each of these types of nickel powder has more or less distinct application niches that are related to their properties. Carbonyl nickel powders have the widest range of applications, which include as: 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9

90

Metal Powders

Porous plates in batteries and fuel cell electrodes Filters for chemically-aggresive fluids PM structural parts, including MIM (as an alloying additive in sintered steels) Ferrites, permanent magnets and soft magnetic alloys Carbide cutting tools and diamond tools, as a binder Tungsten heavy alloys Catalysts Welding electrode coatings

3

9 9 9 9 9 9

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Pigments and coatings (in the form of flake) Chemical (nickel salts) Electronic alloys Getters Conductive resins and plastics Electromagnetic shielding.

Hydrometallurgical nickel powder (Sherritt process) is usually compacted into briquettes or rondelles for consumption as an alloying additive in the steel industry, mostly to make stainless steels. Small amounts of hydrometallurgical nickel powder are used for the manufacture of coinage strip by roll-compacting and sintering, or as a starting material in the manufacture of nickel salts. Water-atomized pure nickel powders are used mostly in the production of coinage strip. Nickel alloy powders, on the other hand, are generally produced on a much smaller scale by gas atomization and are used predominately either for hardfacing or as PM superalloys in the production of gas turbine engines and aerospace components. Most nickel-based hardfacing powders are proprietary compositions of the Ni-Cr-B-Si type and are selffluxing during deposition due to the presence of boron and silicon. Cupro-nickel powders are used in the production of coinage strip. High-strength nickel-base superalloys produced by ingot metallurgy for use in advanced gas turbine engines are prone to severe macrosegregation and consequent casting and forming difficulties. Powder metallurgy offers a method for overcoming this problem since the segregation is restricted by the size of the solidified droplets. The fabrication of fully dense nickel-base superalloy shapes by PM processing has attracted considerable development effort over the last several decades and has a significant role in the production of critical jet engine components. High purity spherical superalloy powders are usually produced by inert gas atomizing or by the plasma rotating electrode process.

3.5.2 Global Consumption of Nickel and Nickel Alloy Powders Production of pure nickel powder is largely concentrated in a very few major sources (INCO, Norilsk Nickel, OMG, Sherritt, Sumitomo and WMC Resources). As a result, both production and consumption statistics are closely held. Global consumption figures have been based on estimates and guesses. PM is a minor application compared with other uses. Battery applications have been reported to account for 40-50% of global consumption of nickel powder. The MPIF estimated the 1990 global consumption of pure nickel powder and flake (excluding briquettes) at 20 000 tonnes. This figure compares with export tonnages for Belgium, Canada, West Germany, Sweden, the

Metal Powders

91

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

UK and USA, which totalled just over 18 000 tonnes for that year. If briquetted powder was included, the total would have been doubled. A more recent estimate by Johnson (MPIF) for 1993 global consumption of 30 000 tonnes took into account consumption in former Soviet bloc countries, plus China etc, and was more indicative of the increased range of countries than the growth rate of consumption. Johnson's most recent estimate of 45 000 tonnes indicates a long-term global growth trend of about 4% per annum. Speaking at the PM 2003 conference in Valencia, Spain, Lou Koehler, president of Novamet Specialty Products Corp, USA, an INCO subsidiary, reported a growth rate of 4-5% in 2003.

3.5.2.1 North America Since the USA has no domestic producers of primary nickel powder, the MPIF has taken import statistics as a guide to US consumption of nickel powder and flake (Table 3.25 and Figure 3.13). After showing no growth for a decade, consumption shot up over 50% in 2000, only to fall back in 2001 and 2002 to new low levels not seen in over 20 years. The 42.5% plunge in 2001 was ascribed by Don White, executive director of MPIF in his 2002 State-of-the-Industry address to dramatic declines in markets for rechargeable batteries, catalysts and electronics, as well as to inventory adjustments. The market for nickel-cobalt superalloy powders, which is distinct from pure nickel powders, continues to grow because of demand for new PM extruded and forged components for engines such as the PW4084 and 4090 and the GE90 engines used in the Boeing 777 and the Airbus 330 aircraft (IJPM, 1998, 34(5), p33). Table 3.25 US Consumption of Nickel Powder and Flake 1990-2003 (tonnes) N i c k e l P o w d e r & Flake (tonnes) 1990 1991

9130 8890

1992

8980

1993

8710

1994

9070

1995

9500

1996

9700

1997

10 470

1998

9864 (R)

1999 2000

9374 14 424

2001

8300

2002 2003

6967 9124 (R) 9300 (E)

2004

(R) = Revised figures; (E) = Estimate, this report, based on USGS figures to October 2004

Source: MPIF (US consumption based on import statistics)

92

Metal Powders

3

15000

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

I I Nickel powder and flake

12000

9000 C C

6000

3000

'90 '91 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 Year

Figure 3.13 US consumption of nickel powder and flake 1990-2003 (tonnes) Source: MPIF (US consumption based on import statistics)

PM applications of nickel powder, eg in ferrous premixes, are believed to represent about 20% of US consumption of pure nickel powder. Changes in the consumption of nickel powder in PM could have been brought about by fluctuations in the price of nickel powder which has traditionally been regarded by the PM industry as an expensive raw material. The degree to which shifts have been made from blended elemental premixes to steel powder mixes based on diffusion-alloyed powders or pre-alloys with or without nickel is difficult to determine. The success of iron-nickel materials in MIM part production has clearly not yet made any significant contribution to nickel powder consumption. North American nickel consumption would be incomplete without a discussion of Canadian usage. The major in-house use of hydrometallurgical nickel powder in recent years has been the production of pure nickel strip for coinage by Westaim Corp, which took over the coinage strip business when it was spun off from Sherritt. The powder was roll-compacted then sintered and further rolled and annealed to the required coinage gauge. Westaim shipped nickel strip or coinage blanks to national mints worldwide and also operated its own small mint for striking commemorative medallions or small coinage orders. Coinage blanks made from Westaim nickel were the starting points for the Canadian one dollar and two dollar coins among others. Although the consumption fluctuates with the introduction of new coins (an estimated 300 tonnes of nickel powder was consumed in launching the C$2 coin in 1996), Westaim is believed to have used approximately 3500 tonnes of nickel powder for coinage strip in 1996 and in 2000 it had over 7000

Metal Powders 93

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

tonnes/year capacity for coinage strip, dwarfing the usage in PM mixes for structural parts, estimated to consume between 100 and 200 tonnes. After the rush to produce the new Euro coins, the market collapsed and the coinage strip plant has since been idled. Westaim also has over 200 tonnes/year capacity for the production of composite nickel powders, mainly used in aerospace applications.

3.5.2.2 China The following notes have been abstracted from the keynote presentation of Professor Wang Limin at the PMAsia 2005 conference in Shanghai. Nickel powder consumption in China is mostly with imported material. Production in China is mainly by electrolysis, as well as by hydrometallurgy, atomization and carbonyl decomposition. There is a rapidlygrowing demand for specialty grades of carbonyl nickel powder for use in rechargeable Ni-MH bateries. Current consumption of 4000 tonnes/ year is imported from INCO in Canada. Nickel powder is also used in the alloy matrix of diamond tools to improve the strength. Annual consumption for this application was given as 800 tonnes. There was also said to be a 'great demand' for nickel powder in PM products made from heavy alloys by pressing and sintering, but no figures were given.

3.5.2.3 Europe, Japan and the Rest of the World Export statistics from producer countries suggest that consumption of nickel powder and flake in Europe and Japan were each around 5000 tonnes in 1990, Table 3.26. The figures also suggest increasing consumption in Japan (over 6000 tonnes in 1991) but rather more sharply declining usage in Europe (below 4000 tonnes in 1991). The drop in European nickel powder consumption has been related to the shift of battery production to Far East locations, rather than changes in PM usage which is relatively small (of the order of 10%). It appears there are no more recent figures for nickel powder consumption outside of North America. Nevertheless, PM nickel powder consumption is expected to suffer from the recent EC classification of nickel powder as a health hazard. This has prompted PM users to look at alternatives such as pre-alloyed chromium steel powders and diffusion-alloyed grades. Table 3.26 Estimates of Nickel Powder and Flake Consumption in Europe and Japan 1989-1991 (tonnes) Europe (excl UK) Japan

1989

1990

1991

6226 4761

5286 5017

3200(E) 6100

Source: World Nickel Statistics (INSG), courtesy Nickel Development Institute. (E) = Estimate, Metal Powders - A Global Survey of Production, Applications and Markets, 1st

Edition)

94

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

A more detailed breakdown of Japanese nickel powder consumption in 1989-90 was given in Metal Powder Report for September 1991, quoting from Roskill Information Services Letter from Japan. Figures for nickelcadmium batteries, PM products, welding electrode coatings and chemical applications etc, are given in Table 3.27. Production of N i / C d batteries was said to account for close to 60% of the demand for nickel powder. In 1990, battery production reached 620 million units, a 15% increase from 1989, but the increase in the amount of nickel powder used to make batteries was barely 1% higher than the 1989 figure. The consumption of nickel powder for PM applications was said to be in high density, high strength products such as PM structural parts and AlNiCo sintered magnets. Nickel powder consumed in Japan is all imported, chiefly from Canada and the UK. Table 3.27 Nickel Powder uses in Japan 1989-1990 (tonnes) Application

1989

1990

Ni/Cd Batteries PM Products Welding Rods Chemical Products etc

2800 500 250 1410

2819 500 250 1530

4960

5099

Total

Source: Metal Powder Report, 1991,35(9) (Quoted from Roskill's Letter from Japan)

More recent import statistics published by the US Geological Survey indicate Japanese nickel powder and flake imports rising from 6803 tonnes in 1994 to 10 105 tonnes, valued at US$98 million, in 1997 and up 37% from 1996. Japan was said to have exported 697 tonnes of nickel powder and flakes, mainly to France, Hongkong and Taiwan. Actual domestic consumption of nickel powder and flake in 1997 rose to 8000 tonnes. The overall increased demand for nickel was reported to be largely due to increased consumption by the manufacturers of electronic materials, battery materials and stainless steels. Norilsk Nickel in Russia has about 6000 tonnes per annum of nickel powder capacity at a carbonyl nickel plant in Monchegorsk near Murmansk. Domestic Russian consumption of nickel powder is believed to be less than 100 tonnes per annum, down from 2500 tonnes in the previous decade. Exports to the West recommenced in 1998. Nickel alloy powders are known to be produced in Belgium, France, Germany, Japan, Sweden and the UK, and consumed in Europe, Japan and East Asia, but no published figures are available for these activities. The global summary and forecast for nickel powder is given in Table 3.28.

Metal Powders 95

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Table 3.28 Global Summary of Nickel Powder and Flake Consumption and Forecast to 2010 (tonnes) North America Europe (E & W) Japan, Asia, ROW

Total

2 O01

2005(F)

2010(F)

8300* 6000(E) 22 000(E)

10 000 7000 30 000

12 000 9000 36 000

40 000(E)

50 0 0 0

60 0 0 0

Source: * MPIF; (E) = Estimate, this report; (F) = Forecast

Tin is a low melting point metal; tin and tin alloy powders are usually manufactured in batches by air atomization.

3.6.1 Applications of Tin Powder The chief applications of tin powders are as a pre-mix component in the production of PM porous self-lubricating bronze bearings, and as a constituent in soldering alloys and brazing pastes and powders. Tin powders are also used in PM structural parts, friction components such as clutches and brake linings, metal-graphite brushes, diamond abrasive grinding wheels, bronze filters, plasma-arc spraying, chemical applications, pyrotechnics and as tin flake.

3.6.2 Global Consumption of Tin Powder There are no global statistics available for the consumption of tin powders. Global consumption of tin powder seems unlikely to have changed a great deal from the estimate of 2500 tonnes for 1995 given in the second edition of this report, since North American shipments have declined slightly and the economic problems in other regions seem unlikely to have proved beneficial to tin powder consumption, except for China where capacity for air-atomized tin solder powder was recently expanded.

3.6.2.1 North America As indicated in Table 3.29, North American consumption of tin powder has fluctuated within the range of 700-1100 tonnes since 1990. The apparent lack of growth in use of tin powder can be related to two factors: the decline in consumption of premixed bronze powders for PM self-lubricating bearings, partly due to downsizing and partly to substitution by cheaper iron-base and diluted bronze compositions, as well as by plastics; and the compensating rise in the use of tin in other applications. However, there were noticeable recoveries to 1130 and

96

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

1044 tonnes in 1994 and 2000, respectively, followed by a drop to 700 tonnes in 2002 then a rise to 850 tonnes in 2003. Overall, during the past decade, North American shipments of tin powder have ranged between 4-5% of the weight of copper powder shipments for PM applications, indicating the predominant use of tin powder is still in selflubricating bronze bearings. Table 3.29 North American Consumption of Tin Powder 1990-2003 (tonnes) 13n Powder Shipments 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

910 750 860 1000 1130 975 916 941 975 922 1044 671 696 848

Source: MPIF

3.6.2.2 Europe, Japan and the Rest of the World No statistics for the consumption of tin powders are available for Europe, Japan, or the remaining countries. Rough estimates can be derived for tin powder consumption for Europe and Japan from the indicated volume of PM bearings. Thus by assuming a 9 0 / 1 0 copper/fin composition for the bronze content of PM beatings materials, we can postulate current tin powder consumption in Europe to be about 700 tonnes, and about 1000 tonnes in the rest of the world. The status of non-PM usage for tin powder is unknown. The global summary and forecast for tin powder is given in Table 3.30. Table 3.30 Global Summary and Forecasts for Tin Powders to 2010 (tonnes) North America Europe (E & W) Japan, Asia, ROW

Total

2001

2005(F)

2010(F)

671" 700(E) 800(E)

900 700 1000

1100 800 1400

2200(E)

2600

3300

Source: * MPIF; (E) = Estimate, this report; (F) = Forecast

Metal Powders 97

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Aluminium powder is manufactured in atomized and flake forms. The most important uses of aluminium powder are in metallurgical and chemical manufacture, solid fuels for rockets, in pyrotechnics and explosives, and for the manufacture of aluminium flake. The use of aluminium powder in PM structural parts is increasing but very minor. Aluminium PM applications in the automotive sector include camshaft bearing caps, mirror brackets, shock absorber parts, gerotors and pumps. Magnesium powder is produced by atomization and by comminution.

3.7.1 Applications of Aluminium and Magnesium Powders Applications for aluminium powders are mainly related to its low density and chemical reactivity, or strong affinity for oxygen. One of the earliest uses of a|uminium powder, in explosives, continues in applications such as in blasting agents for rock mining, in solid fuel for rockets and in fireworks. Each launch of the Space Shuttle requires an estimated 160 tonnes of aluminium powder. Fine and superfine spherical powders are used in rocket propulsion fuels. The energy release and reactivity of aluminium powder is put to use in the metallurgical industry where a major application is in the production of chromium metal and ferro-alloys. Other metallurgical uses include exothermic welding, eg of steel railroad tracks, and powder-lancing of steel or concrete (in combination with iron powder). The chemical industry is another important consumer of aluminium powders, where it is employed as a catalyst in organic reactions, as well as to produce compounds such as aluminium chlorohydrate, a constituent of body deodorants and anti-perspirants. Pure and super-pure aluminium powders are milled to produce paste and flake that find application in paints for decorative finishes or for protective coatings on exposed structures. Aluminium flake used as metallic pigment for paints and coatings is made in 2 types" 'leafing' and 'non-leafing', according to the application. Leafing pigments processed to rise to the surface of the paint, reflect heat in roof coatings and can protect non-aluminium structures such as bridges and storage tanks from the weather. Non-leafing pigments processed to remain suspended in the paint or coating, provide the polychromatic metallic finish for cars, trucks and other items such as inks and football helmets. Aluminium powders are also used in the production of PM parts for structural and non-structural applications in the transportation, business machine and aerospace areas. Aluminium PM products generally fall into

98

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

two main categories" pressed and sintered, and prealloyed PM mill shapes (including MMCs). For pressed and sintered parts, aluminium powder and elemental alloy powders or master alloy powders are blended then pressed and sintered to yield net or near-net shapes. Advantages of aluminium PM include" light weight, corrosion resistance, high thermal and electrical conductivity, good machinability and excellent response to a variety of finishing processes. The most successful recent application for aluminium PM parts is the camshaft bearing cap in the cylinder head assembly for GM's dual-OHC Northstar engine. This part was specified as PM early in the Northstar development because of both its inherent machanical properties and the potential to reduce manufacturing steps. The cap has been in production since January 1992 with no failures in either test engines or in the field. Other pressed and sintered aluminium PM applications in the automotive sector include shock-absorber parts, mirror brackets, gerotors and pumps. An alternative version of aluminium PM takes advantage of rapid solidification technology (RST) to produce prealloyed materials having higher strength, toughness, fatigue, corrosion, and elevated-temperature performance than possible with conventional ingot technology. These powders are produced by a rapid solidification atomization process. The RST powders are vacuum hot-pressed into billets, then fabricated into products by standard metal working equipment, and machined using customary aluminium procedures. RST alloys can be blended with ceramic powders such as silicon carbide to produce PM based MMCs that have 'next generation' properties in areas of stiffness, fatigue, wear etc. Some of these have already been successfully flight tested, eg in the Eurocopter. Magnesium and magnesium/aluminium alloy powders are mainly used for flares and other incendiary devices. Other applications include" 9 9 9 9

the manufacture of chemical reagents for use in the pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries; metallurgical reductant in the manufacture of beryllium and uranium metals; the desulphurization of molten iron and steel. flux additive in welding electrode coatings.

Magnesium powder is mostly used in the pure elemental form but some Mg-AI alloys are used as mentioned above for flares and photoflashes, and in metallurgical desulphurization applications.

Metal Powders 99

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

3.7.2 Global Consumption of Aluminium and Magnesium Powders The global consumption of atomized aluminium powder and flake is believed to have remained at about the same level for the last few years. Unfortunately there are no statistics available to permit an estimate to be made of consumption figures for magnesium powder.

3. 7.2.1 North America Table 3.31 N o r t h A m e r i c a n C o n s u m p t i o n Flake 1 9 9 0 - 2 0 0 3

of A l u m i n i u m

Powder and

Tonnes 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

32 470 31 300 26 940 26 760 39 650 33 600 31 010 40 300 43 590 48 790 51 230(E) 45 O00(E) 45 360(E) 45 360(E)

(E) = Estimated shipments due to reluctance of suppliers to provide data Source: MPIF

The totals of North American consumption of aluminium powder and flake are shown in Table 3.31. As the table shows, there have been several sudden and large changes in consumption of aluminium powder and flake since 1990. The rather trendless variation of the previous two decades was broken when shipments rose above 40 000 tonnes and stayed there through 2003. As with other metal powders in North America, shipments peaked in 2000, reaching a new estimated record of 51 230 tonnes. Although the MPIF reported rapid growth in PM aluminium parts in 1999 and 2000, PM grade aluminium powder shipments were a mere 1227 tonnes in 1999. So far, this application has not reached a level high enough to impact the overall shipment statistics. Prospective increased interest from design engineers in the auto sector could change this, as some estimates indicate a potential market for PM aluminium of 'over 25 000 short tons' (23 000 tonnes). At the 2004 MPIF Auto Suppliers luncheon Program in Detroit, guest speaker Dr Charles Wu, director, Manufacturing and Vehicle Design, Research and Advanced Engineering, Ford Motor Co, talking about the role of PM in future automotive

100

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

materials, gave a very encouraging outlook for aluminium PM components (PM, 2004, 47(3), pp223-225). There was great interest in improving fuel economy by reducing vehicle weight. He said there was a role for PM aluminim and titanium, as well as moulded plastics, aluminium castings and extrusions, magnesium castings and stamped aluminium. He went on to note a recent USCAR project in which PM aluminium oil-pump gears and AI-MMC connecting rods were developed. He indicated that there were also opportunities for lightweight PM in non-traditional areas such as body structures, chassis, and interiors. However, it seems these new projected PM uses for aluminium powder are moving very slowly.

3. 7.2.2 Europe, Japan and the Rest of the World The market for aluminium PM parts in Europe for 1993 was estimated by Lindskog at about 200 tonnes. He added that there was also an interest in aluminium foam and porous aluminium for shock and sounddampening applications in vehicles. The total European market for atomized aluminium powder in 1993 was estimated at 20 500 tonnes, down from 24 500 in 1991. The breakdown of the atomized aluminium market in 1991 is shown in Table 3.32. As indicated, the major application areas identified were in the chemical and metallurgical industries which consumed more than 60%. Table 3.32 Breakdown of European Market for Atomized Aluminium Powder 1991 M a r k e t Sector

Chemical Industry Ferro-alloys Exothermic Reaction Traders Explosives Others Total

Tonnes

8888 5143 2425 2035 912 5172 24 500

% 36 21 10 8 4 21 100

Source: H-C Neubing, Eckart-Werke, Germany (Metal Powder Report, Sept 1994, p14)

There are apparently no statistics available for the consumption of magnesium powders in Europe, although they are used in the metallurgical, chemical reaction and pyrotechnics areas at least, as in North America. There is a lack of recent statistics for either aluminium or magnesium powder usage in Japan. Shipments of about 16 600 tonnes of aluminium powder as raw material for flake for paints and printing inks were reported for 1986, up from 13 000 in 1982. In the same year, about 800 tonnes of atomized aluminium alloy powder was used in PM applications

Metal Powders

101

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

(up from 400 tonnes in 1982). As reported by Peter Johnson (IJPM, 1997, 33(1), p17) the Powder Metal Products division of Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd makes aluminum PM products by three methods: cold isostatic pressing (CIP), forging, and conventional pressing and sintering. Automotive air-conditioner parts are made from an aluminium/silicon alloy by CIPing, extrusion and cutting. He estimated the total PM aluminium powder market in Japan at about 2000 tonnes. No statistics have been uncovered for either aluminium or magnesium powder in the rest of the world. There are atomized aluminium powder plants in Australia, Brazil, China, India, Ireland and Bahrain but consumption figures for the markets served are unavailable. The global summary and forecast for aluminium powder is given in Table 3.33. Table 3.33 Global Summary of Aluminium Powder and Flake Consumption and Forecasts to 20!0 (tonnes) 2001

2005(F)

2010(F)

North America Europe (E & W)

45 000" 25 000(E)

46 000 28 000

50 000 32 000

Japan, Asia, ROW

30 000(E)

36 000

43 000

100 O00(E)

110 0 0 0

125 0 0 0

Total

Source: * MPIF; (E) = Estimate, this report; (F) = Forecast.

Titanium metal and titanium alloy powders originate from two distinct sources" commercial purity titanium powder is generally derived from primary titanium sponge production by screening out t h e - 1 0 0 mesh sponge fines. Titanium alloy powders, on the other hand, are usually produced by gas atomization or from solid wrought alloy by 'noncontact' processes such as the Plasma Rotating Electrode Process (PREP) (See Section 5.3.4) The low density, high strength, good corrosion and oxidation resistance, and excellent bio-compatibility make titanium and its alloys attractive for many applications. The major drawback- high material and procesing c o s t - has prevented titanium from enjoying wider use. Currently the aerospace industry consumes over 40% of approximately 65 000 tonnes of conventional wrought and cast titanium produced annually. Other uses include chemical, architectural, sports equipment and medical devices. So far there are only small niche applications for titanium in the automotive sector.

Primary titanium metal is produced by reduction of TiCI 4 with magnesium or sodium. The resulting titanium sponge is purified by vacuum arc melting and requires many expensive processing steps to

102

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

produce semi-finished products and finished components. Production of titanium powder by either gas atomizing or by centrifugal atomizing is difficult and expensive. Gas atomized titanium powder has been quoted as costing s (US$45-110) per kg, while crushed sponge is about s (US$27) per kg (Mark Hull, PM, 2004, 47(1), pp12-14).

3.8.1 Applications of Titanium and 11tanium Alloy Powders The attractive properties of titanium mentioned above make it a seemingly ideal material for any number of applications in automotive, aerospace, medical devices etc. Despite significant R&D efforts over several decades, very little success has been achieved in developing aerospace applications for PM titanium alloys. Although a major quantity of wrought titanium alloy is used in aircraft structures and gas turbine engines, so far due to a variety of factors, including the high cost of clean titanium alloy powder, no critical rotating parts have been put into production using PM titanium. PM titanium has a very small share of the non-aerospace market for titanium, in such areas as medical devices and chemical processing, where the low density and outstanding corrosion resistance are key factors. More recently, there have been several development projects aimed at producing high quality titanium powder at much lower cost than conventional products. The FFC process, developed by Fray, Farthing and Chen at Cambridge University uses pigment grade titanium dioxide to form cathodes in an electrolytic cell with molten calcium chloride at 800~ The cathodes, after reduction to metallic titanium, can be crushed to give 12-micron powder with purity up to 99.8%. The FFC prrocess is being commercialized by QinetiQ in the UK in a licence agreement involving British Titanium. Alloy powders can be produced by reducing mixtures of oxides. QinetiQ has indicated that evaluation quantities of commercial-pure titanium and Ti-6AI-4V alloy powders would be available in mid-2004. Major cost reductions in the process are expected in the next few years. Among other novel processes being pursued, International Titanium Powder (ITP) in the US has developed a near-continuous version of the Hunter process, in which TiCI 4 is reduced by sodium to produce powder and is currently at the pilot scale stage. For all these new processes, questions remain about the quality of the final product and the additional processing required to provide a useful powder, as well as the economics of operation.

3.8.2 Global Consumption of ~tanium and Titanium Alloy Powders There are no available statistics on the current use of titanium metal and alloy powders. The total consumption in the industrialized countries is

Metal Powders

103

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

estimated to be not more than a few hundred tonnes, mostly in PM wrought products, such as Ni-Ti wire. The BCC report estimated US titanium-based PM products to be worth US$400 000 in 1998, and expected to remain a very small market in the near term, rising to US$700 000 by 2003. The global market for gas-atomized titanium alloy powders has been estimated at about 50 tonnes in 2003 (M Hull, loc

cit.).

Tungsten is distinguished by having the highest melting point (>3400~ among metals and by its very high density (19.3g/cm3), over twice that of iron. Like other refractory metals, tungsten has high wear resistance and corrosion resistance. However, it has poor resistance to oxidation at temperatures above 500~ and requires surface coating protection or a non-oxidizing atmosphere for elevated temperature service. Because of its high melting point, tungsten is usually extracted from ore concentrate and reduced to the metallic form as powder, via intermediate compounds. Tungsten became important at the beginning of the 20th century on account of its application as an alloying element in tool steels, and in the form of filament wire for incandescent lamps. The application of tungsten powder in tool steels was eventually replaced by ferro-tungsten, but a decade later the development of tungsten carbide-cobah 'cemented carbide' or hardmetal cutting tools, originally for filament wire-drawing, led to the growth of a global industry that now consumes more than half the world's production of tungsten. By far the largest deposits of tungsten ores are in China, which continues to be the world's leading producer of tungsten concentrate.

3.9.1 Applications of Tungsten Powder As indicated above, the largest application of elemental tungsten powder is in the production of tungsten carbide. As shown in Table 3.34, close to two thirds of world tungsten metal production is used in hardmetals, while in the USA the figure is now said to be over 50% (2003), but down from 70% in 2000. According to the International Tungsten Industry Association (ITIA), the annual worldwide consumption of tungsten carbide has grown to nearly 30 000 tonnes. Other uses such as alloy constituents in high speed tool steels, and other alloy steels, fabricated tungsten and tungsten alloy products, superalloys and chemicals etc. each consume between 5% and 25% of overall world tungsten supplies. Chemical uses are mainly in the form of catalysts, pigments and hightemperature lubricants.

104

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Table 3.34 Breakdown of Tungsten Metal Applications 2003 Application Hardmetals Alloy Constituent in Tool Steels etc Fabricated Tungsten Chemicals & Others

W Europe

USA

Japan

China

62%

60%

45%

40%

24% 6% 8%

21% 15% 4%

25% 10% 20%

48% 4% 8%

Source: ITIAWebsite

Tungsten carbide used in the majority of hardmetals is normally produced via tungsten metal powder by carburization, although alternative processes exist. The trend is for tungsten carbide to represent an increasingly larger fraction of applications for tungsten, eg in the form of grade powders. Tungsten carbide grade powders are the raw material for the production of hardmetal tools and wear parts. Each powder particle contains all of the ingredients of the specified grade: tungsten carbide, cobalt and alloy additives, plus wax binder to serve as a die-wall lubricant. The manufacture of tungsten metal wire and filaments for electric light bulbs and halogen lights is an important segment of fabricated tungsten materials. Tungsten wire has unique properties that make it suitable for incandescent lamp filaments. This application consumes about 2000 tonnes per year worldwide. PM tungsten heavy alloys (W-Ni-Cu or W-Ni-Fe) fabricated by isostatic pressing or conventional PM are used in ordnance applications in the form of kinetic penetrators, also as (aircraft) counterweights and in radiation shielding. Other applications for alloys based on tungsten powder include electrodes, electrical contacts, heat sinks used in high-speed computers and cellular phone base stations, hardfacing alloys, and sporting goods (golf club head inserts and darts, and the replacement of lead in fishing weights and small arms ammunition).

3.9.2 Global Consumption of Tungsten Powder World tungsten supply continues to be dominated by China. Starting in 1999, the Chinese Government has controlled the release of Chinese tungsten in the world market. As well as regulating production and the level of exports, the Chinese Government has been gradually shifting the balance of export quotas towards value-added tungsten materials and products. China has also become a major tungsten consumer. Since industry stocks do not appear to fluctuate wildly, worldwide consumption of tungsten products can be interpreted from the combination of global mine production, scrap reccycling and shipments/draw-downs from National Defence Stockpiles. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the tungsten content of world concentrate production Metal Powders 105

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

has risen an estimated 61% from 37 000 tonnes in 1998 to 59 500 tonnes in 2003. During this period, China's share went from 81% to 83%, while Russia's share was estimated to have fallen from 8% to 6%. The rise of 3000 tonnes in non-Chinese production is accountable by the re-start in 2002 of the North American Tungsten Corp Cantung mine in the North West Territories of Canada. As indicated in the USGS report, demand for tungsten tends to follow general economic conditions. Worldwide consumption of tungsten metal in all forms, including ferrotungsten and intermediate powder products for the production of tungsten carbide, has fluctuated between 40 000 and 50 000 tonnes during the last couple of decades, according to the ITIA. The North American tungsten market has been estimated to be similar to that in Europe and to represent about one-third of the world market of about 45 000 tonnes in 2000 (Peter K Johnson, IJPM, 2000, 36(4), p45). Global consumption of tungsten is expected to grow modestly at 2-3% over the next few years in tandem with the world economy. This upswing has been predicted to cause a shortage in supply following mine closures and production cut-backs during the recession. The current distribution of consumption indicates China as a major user with about 25%, the balance being split between the former Soviet Union countries (14%) and the other industrialized countries (61%). China currently accounts for over 80% of the supply of primary tungsten in terms of ores and concentrates, the other main producers being in the former Soviet Union. Over the long term, demand for tungsten in the form of tungsten carbide is being adversely affected by improvements in carbide tools that provide longer tool life, and by increasing use of cermet and ceramic tool bits. By the end of the 1980s, these developments were estimated to have reduced the demand for tungsten in the form of tungsten carbide by 10-15%. According to Klaus Dreyer and Henk van den Berg, Widia GmbH, Germany, 'the market for inserts and tool holders was not expected to show any growth because of the Asian crisis. On the other hand, die and wear parts were expected to grow at a modest pace of 2%/year, while the market potential for solid hardmetal round tools was set to grow at 12%/year, reflecting the increasing substitution of HSS tools by hardmetal tools.' (MPR, 1999, 54(4) ppl4-19).

106

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Table 3.35 Breakdown of Hardmetal Tool Market in 1997 (US$ million) Europe

%

1570 430 300

68.3 18.7 13.0

Inserts/Toolholders Round Tools Die & Wear Parts Total

2300

100

World

5100 1400 950 7450

%

68.4 18.8 12.8 100

Source: Dreyer & van den Berg

US Defence experts have been reviewing the use of tungsten for armourpiercing projectiles as a replacement for depleted uranium (DU) due to the high cost of environmental clean up associated with DU. The clean up of D U rounds fired during the Gulf War conflict has been reputed to have cost over US$1 billion. Replacement of lead in ammunition, medical, and sporting goods applications, is another potential new market for tungsten heavy alloys as well as pure tungsten metal. Environmental pressures are encouraging companies to look at alternative high density materials to replace lead in fishing weights, medical X-ray shielding, and sporting arms ammunition (lead shot and bullets). This market has been estimated to have the potential to grow to an eventual level of 5000-6000 tonnes/year.

3.9.2.1 North America Table 3.36 shows the shipments of tungsten and tungsten carbide powders in the USA between 1990 and 2003 as recorded by the MPIF. The figures suggest lower levels of tungsten powder consumption after 1990, but these picked up from 2000 and rose to a new peak estimated at 2270 tonnes in 2002 although the year-to-year shifts are rather irregular and difficult to interpret. Also, recycling accounts for up to 37% of tungsten carbide production in the USA.

Metal Powders

107

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Table 3.36 US Shipments of Tungsten Powder and Tungsten Carbide Powder 1990-2003 (tonnes) Tungsten Metal

Tungsten as Tungsten Carbide

1990

2250

4550

1991 1992

1900 1300

4450 4100

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

1700 1300 1310 710 620 1330 1390 1760 1588(E)

4700 5650 na 5700 6280 6560 5380 5851 5262 (E)

2002 2003

2268(E) 2722(E)

4840(R) 4775(R)

Source: MPIF; (E) = Estimate; (R) = Revised figures

In the latter part of the 1990s and into 2001, the supply side for primary tungsten was a major concern. Between 1994 and 2002 there was no tungsten mine operating in North America. The gap was filled by recycling and by shipments from former Soviet Union defence stockpiles, but the latter petered out at the end of th decade. In 1999, the US Defense Logistics Agency initiated a plan to release tungsten materials from the national Defense Stockpile. Shipments began in 2000 when over 1800 tonnes of 'tungsten content' was shipped. However, the US continues to rely on imports for two-thirds of its tungsten supply. Overall US tungsten shipment statistics from 1999 to 2003 are given in Table 3.37. Imports from the re-opened CanTung mine in Canada began in 2002. Imported concentrate from Canada replaced imports from Russia, which declined to 4% of total tungsten imports in 2001. Imports from Canada jumped to 2500 tonnes or 27% of total imports in 2002 and climbed futher to 3000 tonnes in 2003. However, China remained the chief source, supplying half of US imported tungsten raw materials. Unfortunately, due to cancellation of two major contracts, North American Tungsten was forced into bankruptcy in 2003 and the CanTung mine was again closed. Following improvements in market conditions, negotiations were underway a year later and the mine was expected to re-open once more in the summer of 2005.

108

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Table 3.37 US Net Production of Tungsten and Tungsten Carbide Powders 1999-2003 (tonnes) Hydrogen-reduced Tungsten Powder Tungsten Carbide Powder from Tungsten Powder Total

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

4540

5290

5190

7970

5350

3960

4490

4330

4070

3680

8500

9780

9520

12000

9030

Source: US Geological SurveyTungsten Annual Reports

Table 3.38 US Imports, Exports and Consumption of Tungsten Powders 1999-2003 (tonnes) Imports Exports (Gross) (Tungsten content, estimate by USGS) Consumption, Tungsten Powder Consumption, Mill Products made from Tungsten Powder

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

310 889

593 583

947 712

642 620

1090 1420

711

467 2270

569 2360

496 3790

1130

1860

W

1290(E) 1600(E) 1700(E) 2500(E)

Source: US Geological Survey;W = withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data E = Estimate, this report

According to the USGS, US net production of hydrogen-reduced tungsten powder peaked in 2002 at 7970 tonnes, but otherwise has remained in the 4600-5600 tonnes range since 1998 (Table 3.37). Production of tungsten carbide powders from tungsten powder on the other hand has been declining steadily since 1999, dropping to 3680 tonnes in 2003. On the consumption side, shipments of tungsten powder have apparently doubled between 1998 and 2003 from 1330 tonnes to an estimated 2722 tonnes, according to figures published by MPIF (Table 3.36). The same table shows tungssten carbide powder shipments have declined more or less steadily since 1998 to 4800 tonnes in 2003. As indicated in Table 3.34, cemented carbides represent 60% of US consumption of tungsten. The balance is mostly used in mill products (from powder) and as an alloy addition in steels and superalloys. As well as being tied to the general state of the economy, these product categories are particularly influenced by the health of the automotive, aerospace, mining and oil and gas exploration industries. All of these have experienced difficulties since 2000. While there was strong recovery in 2003, the US tungsten market faces a number of cross-currents. One of these is the increasing trend in China towards the export of semi-finished and finished products. On the other hand, US defence spending and the production, starting in 2003, of 'green ammunition', in which tungsten replaces lead or depleted uranium, could result in consumption of an

Metal Powders

109

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

additional 2000 tonnes or more of tungsten powder by 2006. Nevertheless, advances in cutting tool technology, such as the development of improved coating processes and compositions, are extending the life of cemented carbide and high-speed steel tools, raising productivity but reducing the demand for tungsten carbide (Michael Payne, 'US Tungsten market', ITIA Newsletter, December 2002).

3.9.2.2 Europe There appears to be an absense of up to date statistics on the consumption of tungsten powder in Western Europe. Austria, France, Germany and Sweden are believed to be the main countries involved in tungsten product manufacturing and export, although this is likely to be largely concerned with tungsten carbide powder and hardmetal tools. Ralf Eck (MPR, 1993, 48(12), pp32-36) gave a figure of 8700 tonnes for the 1990 consumption of tungsten in Western Europe, of which approximately 5400 tonnes would be as tungsten carbide while about 900 tonnes were used in tungsten metal and alloys. Germany is believed to account for half of European consumption, while Sweden's hardmetal tool industry uses about a quarter.

3.9.2.3 Japan and the Rest of the World In line with the rest of the industrial world, production of tungsten products in Japan slumped during 1991 and 1992. This was reflected in tungsten powder shipments that fell by more than 20% in 1992 to 2635 tonnes. More recent statistics from Japan are not available.

China Tungsten heavy alloys have been produced in China for more than 30 years. A variety of W-Ni-Fe and W-Ni-Cu alloys are made for use in gyrorotors, counterbalances, hot-forging anvils, radiation shields, and military materials. In addition, a comprehensive industrial complex has been built for production of cemented carbides with a total output of up to 5000 tonnes. Production of hardmetals in 1992 has been estimated at 4000 tonnes, implying a consumption of about 3500 tonnes of tungsten powder. China also uses a substantial amount of tungsten as alloy addition in steelmaking.

Korea Although closure of tungsten mining activity was announced in 1993, Korea continued to manufacture tungsten metal and tungsten carbide powders as well as hardmetal products. About 100 tonnes of tungsten powder was produced in 1995, down from 1500 tonnes in 1991. On the other hand, tungsten carbide production increased to 2500 tonnes in 1995 versus 1100 in 1991. The tungsten powder was used to make tungsten wire and heavy alloys. Most of the tungsten carbide powder was

110

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

exported. (I-H Moon, W-J Lee & J-W Lee, IJPM 1992, Vol. 28(4) pp 413--416; I-H Moon and W-J Lee, IJPM, 1997, 33(2), pp15-18).

Russia In the former Soviet Union (FSU) hardmetal and refractory metal powders such as tungsten and molybdenum were manufactured and fabricated into finished products by the state enterprise SOYUZTVERDOSPLAV. Since the political changes in 1991, the Russian plants of this industry have been formed into TVERDOSPLAV Inc, except for the Moscow Integrated Hardmetal Plant (MKTS), which became Sandvik Moscow when Sandvik acquired a majority ownership in 1994. MKTS manufactures cemented carbide components for use as machine tools, rock drilling tips, and wear parts. Plants in Ukraine (hardfacing materials and tungsten wire) and in Tashkent Region, Uzbekistan, came under the control of the FSU. Since that time, Russian hardmetal production was reported to have declined steeply (down 57% in 1992-1993). The only exports of this industry are said to be from the hydrometallurgical plants (Source: K Cherniavsky, MPR, 1995, 50(4), p28). At the PM2004 World Congress in Vienna, Dr Cesar Molins, president of EPMA reported Russian shipments of 3000 tonnes of tungsten powder and about 2000 tonnes of tungsten carbide parts. The global summary and forecast for tungsten powder is given in Table 3.39. Table 3.39 Global Summary of Tungsten Powder Consumption and Forecasts to 2010 (tonnes) Region North America Europe (E & W) Japan, Asia, ROW

Total

2001

2005(F)

2010(F)

6850* 13 000(E) 14 000(E)

7000 12 000 18 000

7500 12 500 20 000

34 O00(E)

37 0 0 0

40 000

Source: * MPIF; (E) = Estimate, this report; (F) = Forecast

Molybdenum is a refractory metal used mainly as an alloying element in low-alloy, stainless and tool steels, cast irons, and superalloys, to improve mechanical strength, toughness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance. In these applications molybdenum is used chiefly in the form of molybdic oxide, although ferromolybdenum is also employed. Molybdenum has significant uses as a refractory metal in chemical applications, also in catalysts, lubricants and pigments. Metallic molybdenum is mostly

Metal Powders

111

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

produced in the form of powder which is processed into mill shapes by HIPing and then sintering at about 2100~ Hot-working is done at 870-1260~ Molybdenum forms a volatile oxide when heated in air above 600~ so high temperature applications are limited to nonoxidizing or vacuum environments. In the PM field, moybdenum is used as an alloying constituent of low-alloy and stainless steel powders, as well as tool steel powders. Molybdenum ore reserves are mostly located in the western mountains of North and South America. According to the International Molybdenum Association (IMOA) website, the USA was the largest producer of molybdenum until 2002, when it was overtaken by China, which produced over 30% of world supply that year. Including Canada and Chile, the Americas produced about half of the total, down from 60% in 1999. Due to increasing uses, demand in the western world doubled during the 15 years to 1998, when worldwide mine production peaked at 136 000 tonnes. Since 2000 mine production has fallen slightly to 125 000 tonnes in 2003. A significant amount of molybdenum for metallurgical applications is produced as ferro-molybdenum by smelting of the oxide. Production of ferro-molybdenum in the western world is in the order of 20 000 tonnes/year. According to data on the IMOA website, estimated global consumption of molybdenum rose to 140 000 tonnes in 2000 but has levelled off since then. The breakdown of consumption by regions (Table 3.40) indicates that Western Europe continues to account for about 35% of world consumption, with the USA just over 23% and Japan around 15%. Consumption in China and the rest of the world has increased nearly 40% since 1999 and now representes over 27% of the total. Table 3.40 Estimated Overall Consumption of Molybdenum by Region 1999-2002 (tonnes) 1999

2000

2001

2002

49 000 31 000 19 000 8000 20 000

50 000 35 000 22 000 8000 25 000

51 000 33 000 21 000 9000 27 000

50 000 32 000 22 000 10 000 29 000

129 000

140 000

141 000

142 000

W Europe USA Japan China Rest of World

Total

Source: IMOA Website

3.10.1

A p p l i c a t i o n s for M o l y b d e n u m

Powder

The main metallurgical use for molybdenum powder is of course to fabricate wrought forms of the metal and its alloys. Applications of PM molybdenum in the form of sheet, rod, wire and tube are mostly for high temperature service, electrical contacts and resistance welding electrodes. The high temperature applications include furnace parts, heating

112

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

elements, rocket nozzles etc, and usually employ alloys such as TZM (Mo + 0.4/0.55% Ti + 0.06/0.12% Zr) which has greater high temperature strength than pure molybdenum. Other applications include permanent magnets, cemented carbides, hard-facing spray powders, and PM lowalloy steels made from diffusion-alloyed and blended elemental powders.

3.10.2 Global Consumption of Molybdenum Powder According to the IMOA, global consumption of molybdenum in chemicals and as molybdenum metal (presumably a combination of fabricated molybdenum and molybdenum powder) was estimated at 20% of total molybdenum consumption, or approximately 26 000 tonnes in 1997. Analysis of North American figures suggests that this could be broken into 7% for chemicals, 7% for molybdenum shipped as powder, and 6% shipped as mill products. This last figure is consistant with an earlier estimate given by R E c k (MPR, 1993, 48(12), pp32-36) for 1988, in which worldwide consumption of molybdenum was put at 97 000 tonnes, while 5000-5500 tonnes were consumed in the form of PM fabricated molybdenum and alloys. On the other hand, Kneringer and Stickler (IJPM, 1996, 32(5) quoted worldwide production of molybdenum powder at 5200 tonnes, indicating a somewhat lower percentage for this segment of molybdenum usage. IMOA figures (www.imoa.org.uk) indicate that global molybdenum consumption continues to grow at about 2.5% per annum, a growth rate previously established for the US market (MPGS, 3rd Edition).

3.10.2.1 North America According to figures published by MPIF and reproduced in metric units in Table 3.41, shipments of molybdenum powder in the USA have been static at an estimated 2250 tonnes since 1992. Shipments of molybdenum powder have exceeded those for tungsten powder only since 1990. Molybdenum metal powder statistics published by USGS tell a slightly different story. Thus Table 3.42 indicates a peak in molybdenum powder production in 2000 at 5180 tonnes, falling to 3490 tonnes by 2003. The production of mill products from molybdenum powder has ben in decline since 1990, falling sharply from 2400 tonnes to 1090 tonnes in 2003. According to the latest reports from USGS, molybdenum powder consumption rose during 2004, with mill products made from powder running at an annual rate of about 1500 tonnes in July/August, compared with the average for the previous year.

Metal Powders 113

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Table 3.41 US Statistics for Molybdenum Powder 1990-2003" Powder Shipments, Imports, Exports and Mill Products made from Powder (tonnes) Powder Shipments 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Imports

Exports

Mill Products from Powder

66 113 306 210 262 321

203 168 195 125 77 110

1700 1630 2200 2050 2250 2410

2250(E) 2100(E) 2250(E) 2250(E) 2250(E) 2270(E) 2270(E) 2270(E) 2270(E) 2270(E) 2270(E) 2270(E) 2270(E) 2270(E)

Source: MPIF and USGS; E = Estimate

Table 3.42 US Molybdenum Metal Powder Statistics 1999-2003 (tonnes) Gross Production Mo Powder used to make Other Products Net Mo Powder Production Shipments Mill Products made from Mo Powder US Exports US Imports

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

4090

5180

5120

2700

3490

2200 1880 580

3000 2190 730

4340 771 771

2190 513 601

2730 760 739

2400 362 114

2190 300 137

1910 219 172

1040 122 39

1090 308 57

Source: USGS

3.10.2.2 Europe, Japan, China and the Rest of the World Overall statistics for worldwide molybdenum consumption indicate that the US represented just under a quarter of the total in 2002. The only recent published figure for consumption outside of North America is thc 1500 tonnes of molybdenum powder produced in Russia and mostly shipped to the EU countries in 2003, as reported by Cesar Molins at the PM2004 World Congress in Vienna. With no other recent statistics for Europe, Japan or the rest of the world, it is hard to make any analysis for molybdenum powder markets in these regions. From the overall consumption figures given by IMOA (Table 3.40), Japan plus Europe still represent about half of worldwide usage, while China and the rest of

114

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

the world have gained a few percent of the total over the past several years.

Because of its use in critical industrial and military applications, cobalt has long been regarded as a strategic metal. Despite shifting trends in recent years, the major single application of cobalt is in the production of nickelbased high-temperature alloys, or superalloys, which now consume about one quarter of available cobalt. These alloys are mainly used in the critical components of aircraft jet engines and land-based gas turbine engines, and are largely produced by conventional metallurgical processing, with only a very small fraction produced by a powder route. Refined cobalt is currently available from three types of source: from primary extraction and refining of ores and concentrates, frequently as a by-product of copper or nickel production; from the recycling of cobaltbearing scrap, eg hardmetals and rechargeable batteries; and thirdly from stockpiles such as the US Government's Defence Logistics Agency (DLA). According to the Cobalt Development Institute (CDI), about a quarter of primary refined cobalt is produced as powder, either intentionally, or as a result of the type of refining process employed, eg hydrometallurgy. The remainder is produced as cobalt cathode from electrowinning, or as cobalt salts and compounds. The CDI, which includes the majority of cobalt producers worldwide in its membership, lists at least seven companies supplying cobalt and or its alloys in powder form. Over the last few decades, cobalt metal supply and pricing have been subjected to wide swings mainly due to the location of important cobaltbearing resources in politically unstable countries. However, statistics published by the CDI show that the global availability of refined cobalt has grown steadily over the past decade (Table 3.43). From a low of just over 17 000 tonnes in 1993, the estimated supply reached just short of 41 000 tonnes in 2002. However, a decline in overall demand since 2000 has had a major impact on cobalt prices, with the LME 99.3% pure refined metal price falling from about US$15/pound in early 2000 to about US$6/pound in October 2002, a level not seen since 1988. The decline in demand was attributed by the CDI as mainly due to weakness in the superalloys and batteries markets. Long-awaited increases in cobalt production from new nickel-recovery projects have still not materialized and several of these have been put on hold or closed down.

MetalPowders

115

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Table 3.43 Global Availability of Refined Cobalt 1995-2003 (tonnes) CDI Members Other Producers* DLA** Deliveries

Total

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

25529 6494 2310

25705 7689 1679

26219 9401 3083

27853 10225 1893

30164 9759 1284

31406 11502 1987

32711 15193 1632

34333 35073

38703 39971

41207

44895 49536

* Including RSA, Brazil, India and China. **US government Defence Logistics Agency Source: Cobalt Development Institute (Cobalt News, April 2005)

Table 3.44 World Markets for Cobalt 1996-2002: Breakdown by Application (%) Application Sector

1996

1998

2000

2002

Superalloys (Ni/Co/Fe) Hardfacing Alloys Magnets - All Types Hardmetals & Diamond Tooling Catalysts, Various Types

25 7.1 10

24.3 6.9 8.5

26 7 9.8

24 7 7

14.5 9.6

15.2 8.8

14.3 8.5

15 10

Chemical and Miscellaneous* Batteries

28.8

27.5

26.9

28

5

9.5

7.5

10

Form Employed Metal (little powder) Metal & powder Metal & powder Powders, fine & very fine Metal, compounds, salts Chiefly cobalt salts and compounds Compounds (little powder)

*Including colours (glass, ceramics, etc), feedstuffs, anodizing, recording media, electrolysis, Cu electrowinning, tyre adhesives, soaps, driers Source: Cobalt Development Institute (including Website)

The breakdown of global cobalt consumption by application is shown in Table 3.44, where trends between the various sectors can be traced from 1996 to 2002. All markets for cobalt have increased over the past decade as the total market has doubled during that period. The most dramatic rise has been in the use of cobalt products in rechargeable batteries, mostly for mobile communication devices and lap-top computers. This application has grown from practically nil in 1990 to about 10% of total cobalt consumption by 2002. Despite a drop of 20% in the sales of cellphones in 2001, this rechargeable battery application was forecast to consume 7000 tonnes of cobalt by 2005. (Source: D Elliott, Falconbridge International, at Ryan's Notes Conference, October 2003; Cobalt News, 2004 (1), pp10-13). Another sector of cobalt applications that was forecast to grow rapidly is the use of cobalt catalysts. The two main areas of growth have been CoMo hydrogen desulphurization (HDS) catalysts for desulphurizing of hydrocarbon products and cobalt acetate for purified terephthalic acid (PTA) production. PTA is mainly used in the production of polyester fibre and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The growth in PET has been in resins and films for commercial packaging applications, such as soft-drink bottles.

116

Metal Powders

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Government legislation in the EU and USA concerning cleaner fuels means that refineries will have to lower the average sulphur level in petroleum products. In the USA, for example, average sulphur levels in gasoline must be lowered 90% by 2006. This has led not only to increased catalyst use but also to the development of new catalysts for the conversion of natural gas to synthetic crude that can be further refined to products like diesel fuel. Two-stage conversion of natural gas to diesel and other products is part of the solution in meeting clean fuel legislation. Large-scale commercial gas-to-liquid (GTL) plants are expected to start up in the next few years, and Elliott forecast this could boost cobalt consumption by 'well over 2000 tonnes' by 2015. While overall demand for cobalt now seems healthy, a major threat on the horizon is the EU's New Chemical Policy (now re-named REACH), which could restrict market access for cobalt (See Section 2.8). Elliott noted that the CDI and its member companies were working hard to ensure that there was a balance in legislation, and that decisions made were based on scientific facts. Cobalt Resources

Cobalt is a strategic metal to the USA, which is the world's largest consumer but has no mine or refinery production. A large portion of primary cobalt has for a long time been produced in politically unstable African countries and the metal has experienced occasional supply shortages and volatile price fluctuations. The US government has maintained significant quantifies of cobalt metal in the National Defence Stockpile. Sales of excess cobalt from the stockpile have contributed to US and world supply in recent years. Recycling of cobalt-containing scrap materials also contributes to supplies, sometimes as much as one third. Primary cobalt concentrates, metal and chemicals originate from many different countries: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Congo (formerly Zaire), Finland, Japan, Morocco, Norway, Russia, South Africa and Zambia. Mainly due to political difficulties in African countries, primary cobalt production fell significantly between 1986 and 1993, causing supply shortages. As a result, a number of projects were pursued to develop alternative sources of the metal. Some of the more ambitious projects are based on the recovery of nickel and cobalt from lateritic deposits in Australia and South East Asia. The main driving force for these projects is to produce nickel metal at lower cost by pressure acid leaching followed by solvent extraction. Cobalt metal is obtained as a byproduct. Some of these refineries will use hydrometallurgical processes that result in nickel and cobalt metal in powder form. As a result of recovery in African production in the second half of the 1990s, and other expansions, primary cobalt supplies were expected to rise significantly beyond the year 2000. According to the CDI, total cobalt consumption in all forms, outside the former Soviet Union, rose steadily during the

MetalPowders 117

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

1990s despite the recessions in Asia and elsewhere. Demand is projected to continue rising for the next several years. Reviewing worldwide supply and demand estimates at the 1999 Cobalt Conference, Peter Searle of Resource Strategies, Exton, PA, said that total world consumption 'probably dropped by a few hundred tonnes [in 1998]' mainly due to the collapse in demand in the CIS, while Western countries consumption rose by 2-3%. He saw a steady increase in demand in the next few years. On the supply side, he did not expect the recent oversupply position to be maintained, owing to reduced production in Africa and Russia, and delays in the start-up of Australian lateritic ore developments. The current shortfall would be eliminated by 2001 with the new production developments. After recent volatility, he expected cobalt metal prices to drop back to an annual average o f U S $ 1 5 / l b (US$33/kg), but prospects for much cheaper cobalt were some way off, after acid leaching projects were producing consistently. So much for 1999 predictions" subsequent events in 2001 caused a drop in aerospace construction and cell-phone sales, with a resulting collapse in the cobalt price and the failure/ postponement of several new cobalt projects.

Cobalt Production and Consumption in China: China has limited cobalt resources, so imported ores and concentrates are processed in several plants, some of which have increased capacity in recent years. There is strong demand for cobalt in China from hardmetal and battery applications. About 50 enterprises are engaged in the production of cobalt and cobalt Compounds, with an annual capacity in 2002 of 4600 tonnes of cobalt content. Chinese production of hardmetals increased rapidly during the past decade, reaching about 10 000 tonnes in 2001, but declined in 2002 with the slowdown in the world economy. The Chinese market for cobalt in rechargeable batteries has also grown rapidly in recent years with the popularity of mobile phones. In the 2001-2005 'Five-year Plan', output of NiMH batteries would increase from 80 million to 300 million in 2005, partly replacing the Ni-Cd batteries used in electric tools and cars. Output of Lithium-ion batteries used in PC Notebooks and cell phones was estimated to reach 338 million in 2005 vs. 80 million in 2001. The breakdown of China's cobalt consumption in 2002 is estimated in Table 3.45. Table 3.45 Breakdown of Cobalt Consumption in China 2002 Hardmetals Magnets Batteries Glass and Pottery Catalysts Diamond Tools Driers Source: CDI (Cobalt News, April 2004, p5)

118

Metal Powders

25% 17% 15% 14% 11% 4% 3%

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

3.11.1 Applications of Cobalt Powders The chief applications for cobalt powders are as the binder material in cemented carbides and as the matrix in diamond tools, which is the next largest application. Other applications include PM cobalt-based superalloys, eg in automotive valve-seat inserts and medical devices, hardfacing alloy spray powders and sintered permanent magnets. A more recent application is the rolling of cobalt powder into strip used in artificial diamond production, and to produce special alloys such as Stellites in thin sections. Cobalt powder is also used as an addition to nickel electrodes in N i / C d and NiMH batteries, although cobalt compounds are mainly used in this application. Cobalt powder is also used in addition to cobalt chemicals, in the production of Lithium-ion batteries

3.11.2 Global Consumption of Cobalt Powders There are no published statistics on the production or consumption of cobalt powders. Although there are more than a score of sources for cobalt metal and chemicals, only a handful of companies are producers of pure cobalt and cobalt-based alloy powders. The largest of these is the OM Group, the world's largest producer of cobalt. Other producers include the Metals Enterprise refinery in Fort Saskatchewan, Canada (a Joint Venture between Sherritt International Corp and General Nickel Co SA of Cuba), as well as Umicore, Eurotungstene Poudres, France, HC Starck (Germany) and Hrgan~is Belgium SA. As indicated earlier, about one quarter of refined cobalt is produced in the form of metal powder. This would put current global cobalt and cobalt-based powder production at over 10 000 tonnes. However, a significant portion of this is produced in powder form by virtue of the refining process (eg the Sherritt hydrometallurgical process) and sold in the form of briquettes. The market for cobalt powder is somewhat smaller, in the range of 6000 tonnes. World cobalt metal demand is expected to increase as the economies of the major consuming countries improve. However, the CDI has pointed out that changes in technology and increases in recycling and economy of use since the late 1970s have dampened cobalt growth. The global summary and forecast for cobalt powder is given in Table 3.46.

Metal Powders 119

3

Global and Regional Markets for Metal Powders 2001-2010

Table 3.46 Global Summary of Cobalt Powder Consumption and Forecasts to 2010 (tonnes) Region

2 O01

2005(F)

2010(F)

North America Europe (E & W)

1000(E) 1500(E)

1000 2000

1200 2300

Japan, Asia, ROW

2500(E)

3000

3500

5000(E)

6000

7000

Total

(E) = Estimate, this report; (F) = Forecast

3.11.3 Cobalt Substitution Past cobalt supply concerns and price volatility especially the dramatic rise of the recent past have raised interest in looking for substitutes for cobalt in many of its applications. An example in Japan was for cobalt in cast magnets and rare earth magnets (NdFeB vs Sin-Co). In the rechargeable battery application, efforts have been made to substitute nickel and manganese for cobalt, for example in the Ni-MH battery sector. R&D work is also progressing in Japan to switch from cobalt to nickel and manganese in lithium-ion batteries but so far this is not believed to be in production. In the cemented carbide and diamond tool markets there have been a number of investigations aimed at substituting nickel or iron powders. A recent example has been the development of a range ultrafine alloy powders containing cobalt, copper and iron to replace pure cobalt powders as binder materials in diamond tool manufacture. (Rimlinger, 1999 Cobalt Conference, see Metal Powder Report, 1999, 54(10), p24). Meanwhile, more recently, the EU has been moving to improve the recycling of rechargeable batteries, and this has been gathering pace although the results so far have been very modest.

120

Metal Powders

End User Industry Analysis

Markets for the common metal and alloy powders may be analyzed from several perspectives: for example, by application area, by metal or alloy type and by geographic or economic area. In this chapter, the markets for metal powders will be broken down and briefly described by type of application.

As indicated in the Introduction, applications of metal powders have multiplied over the past few decades. This is true both for applications where powders are used in consolidated form as well as applications for unconsolidated powders. Table 4.1 gives an indication of the current applications of metal and alloy powders consolidated by pressing and sintering (PM), powder-forging (PF), metal injection moulding (MIM), hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and PM wrought techniques. These consolidation processes and their applications are discussed in more detail in Sections 4.2.1 to 4.2.7. Table 4.2 lists selected applications of loose (unconsolidated) powders by end use sector. The more important of these applications are discussed in Sections 4.3 to 4.10. Table 4.1 Current Applications of Consolidated Metal Powders

(PM = pressing & sintering; PF = powder forging; MIM = metal injection moulding; HIP = hot isostatic pressing)

Application Area/ Components

Consolidation Method

Metal/Alloy Type

Aerospace Brake Linings Counterweights Jet Engine Components Engine- Mount Support

PM PM HIP PF

Copper, Lead, Tin Tungsten Heavy Alloys Nickel-base Superalloys RST Aluminium Alloy

Agriculture Parts for Farm Machinery

PM, PF

Iron, Steel, Copper, Bronze

Metal Powders 121

4

End User Industry Analysis

Table 4.1 Continued

Application Area/ Components

Consolidation Method

Metal/Alloy Type

Agriculture continued Lawn & Garden Equipment

PM

Iron, Steel, Copper, Bronze

PM, MIM PM PM

Iron Iron, Steel Platinum Alloy, Iron

PM PM Wrought

Copper, Tin, Iron Steel, Aluminium, Graphite, Bronze Tungsten, Silver Alloys Iron, Copper, Tool Steel Iron, Aluminium Iron Copper, Iron, Tin, Graphite, Brass Iron, Steel, Copper, Tin, Nickel, Aluminium

Automotive Airbag Components Air Conditioners Alternator Regulator, Contacts, Pole Pieces Bushings, Bearings

122

Metal Powders

Contacts Fuel Pump Parts Shock Absorbers Spark Plugs (Body) Brake Linings

PM PM PM PM PM

Engine Parts (Gears, Sprockets, Bearings, Bearing Caps, Cams, Connecting Rods etc) Power Steering Parts ABS Sensor Rings Exhaust Flanges Hot Exhaust Gas Sensor Bosses Starter Motor Frame Transmission Parts Valve Seats, Valve Guides

PM, PF

Coinage

PM-wrought

Electrical/Electronics Brushes, Contacts

PM

Lead Frames, Wires Motor Pole Pieces Relays

PM-wrought PM PM

Solenoids Electrodes

PM PM

Hardware Door Lock Parts

PM

Brass, Bronze, Iron, Stainless Steel

Industrial (General) Bearings and Bushings

PM

Copper, Tin, Lead, Bronze

PM PM PM

Iron, Steel Iron, Stainless Steel Stainless Steel

PM PM PM, PF PM

Stainless Steel Iron Iron, Steel, Copper Tool Steel, Stainless Steel Nickel, Cupro-nickel Copper, Silver, Tungsten, Iron, Tin, Platinum Nickel, Iron, Copper Iron, Iron/Silicon . Iron, Nickel, Molybdenum Iron Tungsten, Copper, Silver

4 End User Industry Analysis

Table 4.1 Continued Application Area/ Components

Consolidation Method

Metal/Alloy Type

Industrial (General) continued Bonded Asbestos Brake Linings Cutting Tools, Dies Filters (Liquid, Gases)

PM PM, HIP PM,PM-wrought

Zinc, Graphite, Brass Tungsten, Cobalt, HSS Bronze, Nickel, Stainless Steel, ~tanium

Magnetic Permanent Magnets

PM

Pole Pieces

PM

Iron, Nickel, Cobalt, Aluminium, Molybdenum Iron, Cobalt, Si-Fe

Medical and Dental Prostheses Orthodontic Brackets Surgical Scissor Parts Other Surgical Devices

HIP MIM MIM MIM

Superalloys Stainless Steel Stainless Steel Stainless Steel, "13tanium

Nuclear Engineering Filters

PM

Fuel Elements

PM

Stainless Steel, Nickel Alloy Iron, Stainless Steel

Office Equipment Photocopier Parts

PM

Fax Machine Parts

PM

Business Machines

PM, MIM

Ordnance Armour-piercing Cores Anti-personnel Bombs Frangible Bullets 'Green' Ammunition Projectile Rotating Bands Proximity Fuse Cup Rocket Launcher Parts

PM PM PM PM PM PM PM

Tungsten, Copper, Nickel Iron Iron, Lead Tungsten Copper, Iron, Brass Nickel Stainless Steel, Aluminium

Recreation Golf Clubs Sporting Darts Hunting Knives Gun Parts

PM PM PM PM, MIM

Tungsten, Iron, Brass Tungsten Brass, Stainless Steel Iron, Steel, Nickel, Stainless Steel

Iron, Stainless Steel, Bronze, Aluminium Aluminium, Steel, Stainless Steel, Bronze Iron, Steel, Stainless Steel, Brass, Aluminium

Metal'Powders 123

4

End User Industry Analysis

Table 4.1 Continued Application Area/ Components

Consolidation Method

Metal/Alloy Type

Recreation continued Fishing Rod Reels

PM

Outboard Motors Sailboat Hardware

PM PM

Iron, Brass, Stainless Steel Brass, Steel Stainless Steel, Bronze

Source: MPIF

Table 4.2 Selected Applications of Unconsolidated Metal Powders Application Area

Metal Powder Type

Abrasive Shot Cleaning Metal Shot Media

Iron, Steel, Stainless Steel

Alloy Production Steels, Aluminium Alloys Agriculture & Food Animal Feed Animal Medication Chelate Fertilizers Food Enrichment Fungicides Seed Cleaning & Coating Soil Conditioning Aerospace Heat Shield Coatings Rocket Fuel Wear Spraying/Repairing

Automotive Body Solder Polychrome Body Finishes Spark Plug Corrosion Protection Building & Construction Aerated Concrete Asphalt Roof Coatings Caulking Compound Decorative Plastics & Linoleum

Lancing (of Concrete) Protective Coatings for Canvas Awnings and Decks Pipe Joint Compounds

124

Metal Powders

Nickel, Lead, Manganese, Ferro-alloys, Iron, Aluminium Iron Cobalt Iron Iron, Copper, Manganese Copper Iron, Aluminium Iron, Copper Aluminium Aluminium Nickel/Chromium, Nickel/Aluminium, Stainless Steel, Molybdenum, Cobalt Alloy Steel, Aluminium, Lead Aluminium Zinc Aluminium, Iron Aluminium Aluminium Iron, Brass, Copper, Aluminium, Stainless Steel Iron, Aluminium Aluminium, Zinc Zinc, Lead, Copper

4 End User Industry Analysis

Table 4.2 Continued Application Area

Metal Powder Type

Chemical (including Catalysts)

Aluminium, Lead, Tin, Copper, Iron, Nickel, Manganese, Cobalt, Molybdenum, Tungsten

Coatings Decorative, Corrosion-resting, Heat-reflecting, Anti-fouling, Paints and Lacquers Fabric Coatings Hardfacing

Vacuum Metallizing

Aluminium, Brass, Bronze, Copper, Lead, Stainless Steel, Zinc Aluminium Nickel and Cobalt Alloys, Stainless Steel, Tool Steel Nickel Iron, Aluminium, Zinc, Tin, Nickel Alloy, Copper, Bronze, Stainless Steel Aluminium, Copper, Zinc

Electrical & Electronics Printed Circuits Rechargeable Batteries

Copper Nickel, Cobalt

Industrial (General) Flame Cutting & Scarfing Fluids for Magnetic Clutches

Iron, Aluminium Stainless Steel

Industrial Explosives Mining

Aluminium

Slurry Coating Spray Coating

Joining Brazing Powders and Pastes

Coated and Tubular (Flux-cored) Electrodes for Arc Welding Soldering Thermic Welding Medical & Dental Insulin Production Prevention of Infection of Open Wounds

Copper, Nickel, Cobalt, Brass, Aluminium, Nickel Alloys Iron, Nickel, Manganese, Stainless Steel "13n,Tin-lead Alloys Aluminium Zinc Aluminium, Nano-silver

Metal Recovery Copper Cementation Gold Cementation Metals from Solution Chromium Reduction

Iron Zinc Aluminium Aluminium

Non-Destructive Testing Magnetic Particle Inspection

Iron

Metal Powders 125

4 End User Industry Analysis

Table 4.2 Continued Application Area

Metal Powder Type

Nuclear Engineering High Density Concrete High Density Rubber

Iron Lead, Brass

Office Equipment Recording Tapes Toner-carriers for Copying Machines Metallic Inks

Iron, Cobalt Iron, Nickel Copper, Brass, Aluminium

Personal Products Cosmetics Fingernail Lacquer Floating Soap

Zinc, Aluminium Aluminium, Copper Aluminium

Plastics Filling & Reinforcing Body Solders Cements for Repairing Castings and Metal Parts Tools and Dies

Steel, Aluminium, Lead Iron, Stainless Steels, Aluminium Iron, Aluminium

Pyrotechnics Fireworks, Flares

Aluminium, Iron, Magnesium

Sound Proofing Acoustical Plastics

Lead

Waterproofing Concrete Roof Coatings

Iron, Aluminium Iron, Aluminium

Source: MPIF

For historical reasons, the state of development and exploitation of metal powders differs significantly between the major economic zones. Developments over the past four decades indicate that the West European and Japanese markets arc following broadly along the same lines as North America, although at different rates of progress. Since the post-war growth of the powder metallurgy industry has been largely driven by the development of mass-produced cars, it is not surprising that North America accounts for close to half of the global activity in production and application of metal powders. To simplify the discussion of the market breakdown by application, the present situation in North America will be reviewed here separately. Significant differences in other areas, where they occur, arc brought out either here or in discussion of the geographic breakdown elsewhere in the report. As indicated in Table 4.3, with the exception of aluminium and nickel, the fabrication of PM parts completely dominates all other applications for the common metal powders. For the metal powder types listed, PM applications consumed an estimated 401 000 tonnes or 83% of the 485 000 tonnes shipped in

126

Metal Powders

4

End User Industry Analysis

North America in 2003. This figure climbed 4% (up from 78%) over the four years to 1999 primarily due to the surge in automotive PM consumption and a further 1% in the subsequent four years to 2003. If aluminium, nickel, cobalt and molybdenum powders are excluded, the percentage climbs to 92%, the highest level ever obtained. Table 4.3 also indicated that ferrous materials (iron, steel and stainless steel) represent approximately 95% of the powders shipped for PM applications (compared with about 84% for all applications). The differences in applications between the various metal powder types have been reviewed in Chapter 3. Because of a lack of statistics, a global breakdown of consumption by end use is not possible. Table 4.3 North American Consumption of Metal Powders for PM Applications vs Total Metal Powder Shipments 2003 (tonnes) Material

For PM

Total S h i p m e n t s

% PM

Iron and Steel Copper-based Stainless Steel Aluminium Tin Nickel

372 900 17 300 7300 1000 680 2000

401 700 20 532 8074 45 360 850 9124

92.8 84.3 90.4 2.2 80.0 21.9

401 2 0 0

485 640

82.6

Total

Source: MPIF and estimates

Table 4.4 gives an estimated breakdown of 2003 North American metal powder shipments by five categories of application: PM, welding electrodes, photocopier powders, cutting and scarfing, and others. Table 4.4 Estimated Breakdown of North American Metal Powder Consumption by End Use (tonnes) Application PM: (including Bearings, Friction Materials and Powder-forging) Welding Electrodes Photocopier Developers Cutting and Scarfing Other Applications Total

1994 Consumption

% of Total

2003 Consumption % of Total

303 300

78.6

401 200

82.6

16 300 11 500 2000 53 500

4.2 3.0 0.5 13.9

14 000 13 000 500 56 950

2.9 2.7 0.1 11.7

385 700

100

485 640

100

*Includes pigments, coatings, paints, plastics, fuel propellant, explosives, flame-spraying, chemical, metallurgical and miscellaneous uses

Metal Powders 127

4

End User Industry Analysis

The continuing dominance of PM applications means that there have been only gradual shifts in the relative positions of various application areas over the past decade. There appears to be no substantial new growth in applications outside the PM sector that would change their relative positions. Following significant increases in consumption of metal powders for PM applications during the 1990s, further growth in the consumption of metal powders in North America will continue to depend on the development of automotive PM applications and on the health of the auto industry. After declining sharply in 2001, the combined consumption of metal powders for PM and PF components recovered almost to its 1999 level by 2003. The fraction of metal powder shipments consumed in PM applications moved up a notch to 82.6% (+1%). In the short term, modest increases averaging 3-4% per annum can be expected, mostly in the consumption of ferrous powders for PM. It is expected that the next few years will see a further increase in this sector in the use of higher density and high performance PM and PF components. Over the longer term, metal injection moulding (MIM) will become a significant factor in the volume of the total metal powder market, but not for several years yet. Due to changes in their respective end use markets, consumption of ferrous powders for welding electrode coatings and for cutting and scarfing are expected to remain relatively stagnant following their slow decline over the past decade or so.

4.2.1 PM Structural Parts The manufacture of solid components directly from metal powders by compaction and sintering can be considered the basic or core technology of powder metallurgy. The products are generally described as PM structural parts to distinguish them from porous bearings and filters on the one hand, and fully densified powder-forged parts and PM wrought and semi-finished products on the other hand. The sequence of process steps for the manufacture of traditional pressed and sintered parts is illustrated in Figure 4.1. Elemental or prealloyed metal powders are first mixed with small percentages of powdered lubricants, and for ferrous materials frequently with fractional percentages of graphite powder. After blending to a homogeneous mixture, the 'premix' is delivered to the die cavity of a compacting press where it is pressed to a pre-determined shape and density by the action of upper and lower punches and other moveable parts of the tool set. Following compaction, the 'green' part is ejected from the die and passed to a sintering furnace where parts are usually placed on a wire-mesh conveyer belt which slowly takes them through a pre-heat or delubrication zone followed by a high temperature

128

Metal Powders

4

End User Industry Analysis

zone in which the powder particles 'fuse' together. Blended graphite and alloy elements diffuse or dissolve into the matrix particles. The furnace is equipped with a protective atmosphere to avoid oxidation of the parts. The parts emerge from the cooling zone of the sintering furnace ready for finishing operations such as de-burring, plating, heat-treatment, or occasionally re-pressing and re-sintering. Final machining operations are usually restricted to drilling of holes, machining of undercuts or other features that could not be accommodated in the compaction tooling. The major constraints in design of PM parts relate to the size of press and the extraction of the compacted part from the die by ejection with the lower punch. The latter restriction prohibits the presence of undercuts as well as holes running transverse to the pressing direction. As mentioned earlier, such features can be added by machining after sintering, or by the combining of two or more pressed and sintered pieces by welding, brazing or mechanical means.

Figure 4.1 Schematic of process steps for the manufacture of pressed-andsintered PM parts Reference: MJ McDermott, 'PM Parts Fabrication Experience with ANCORBOND (Binder Treated Premixes': presented at the MPIF 1990 PM Conference, Pittsburgh, PA The press size limitation refers to the maximum part diameter that can be compacted. Since, for example, ferrous powders are normally pressed at 400-700 MPa, this limits the part cross-section to a circle of about 15 cm diameter for a 1000 tonne press. Presses larger than this are uncommon in the PM industry. Hence a lot of attention has been given in the past to the compressibility of ferrous powders, which has been improved substantially over the past three or four decades.

Metal Powders

129

4

End User Industry Analysis

By far the largest fraction of pressed and sintered parts are made from ferrous materials, either plain iron or steel alloys, including stainless and high alloy steels. Other PM components are fabricated from pure copper, brass, bronze, aluminium or other non-ferrous alloys. These PM applications have largely been developed by providing energy-saving and cost-effective substitutes for cast or machined-bar components, most frequently in the mass-production environment of the automotive industry. Until relatively recently (late 1980s) more than 90% of North American PM automotive components were single-press-and-sinter pieces with densities up to 7.2 g/cm 3. More recently the development of higher density (7.3-7.5 g/cm 3) parts by double pressing and high temperature sintering has enabled the PM process to be successfully applied on an increasing number of highly-stressed automotive components. The introduction of patented technology for warm compaction in the mid1990s and other developments promises to accelerate the advance of PM to higher density and higher performance applications due to cost savings and other advantages. Warm Compaction: In May 1994, Hoeganaes Corp and Cincinnati Inc announced a new process designed to achieve higher density in a single compaction step (while conventional compaction of ferrous powder has a limit of about 7.2 g/cm3). By heating the powder and the die to about 300~ (140~ densities between 7.3 and 7.5 can be obtained in one pass with moderate compacting pressures, up to 690 MPa (50 tsi). Warm compaction is accomplished with the aid of a polymer high temperature lubricant. The resulting compacts can be sintered in the normal way. The result is PM material having higher mechanical and dynamic properties. By avoiding double pressing, the cost of production can be significantly reduced. Another advantage of the process is that the green parts have markedly reduced tendency to cracking and exceptional strength, enabling them to be machined in the green state if desired. Warm compaction promises to open up many new applications because it offers an economic method for achieving densities between conventional PM and powder-forging. Leading compacting press suppliers now offer warm compaction equipment or retro-fitting, and several hundred warm compacted parts are reported to be already in production, in North America, Europe and Asia. A new binder-lubricant system introduced recently by Hoeganaes Corp (AncorMax D) allows compacted density to be improved by at least 0.1 g/cm? without heating the powder, and using press tooling that has to be heated only to 60~176 Other process improvements designed to raise the mechanical properties of PM components include high velocity compaction, die-wall lubrication, densification in sintering using fine powder additions, and

130

Metal Powders

4

End User Industry Analysis

post-sintering densification by surface rolling. Some of these are at various stages of development while others are already in production. A good review of these developments from a European automotive perspective is given in a two-part article by David Whittaker in IPMD, 1 lth Edition, 2004-5, pp31-47. Automotive v e r s u s n o n - a u t o m o t i v e applications: Applications for PM parts in North American cars and light trucks etc can run to several dozen components per vehicle, particularly when PM bearings and powder forgings are included along with PM structural parts. Naturally, the degree of PM part usage varies between different car manufacturers and between models of the same manufacturer. In a given car, the highest usage of PM parts tends to be in engines and transmissions (particularly automatics), followed by steering gear and chassis components. Cars with power steering, power brakes, and electrically-operated 'gadgets' tend to have more PM parts than less luxurious vehicles. Hence, there is a wide variation in the weight of PM usage per car. In the 2004 model year, the PM part content of the typical North American family vehicle is estimated at 19.5 kg. This is up almost 20% from the 2000 model year and about double the average usage in cars made by European and Asian producers. Some North American SUVs already contain as much as 60 pounds (27.2 kg) of PM. According to the MPIF (Schaeffer and Trombino, IJPM, 2004, 40(4), pp27-32), the PM content of North American vehicles will increase by at least one pound (0.5 kg) annually in the next three years. Due to overall cost savings, the 'Big Three' OEMs are continuing to design more PM parts, particularly for new engines and transmissions. Ford Motor Co appears to be the leader, already averaging 21.8 kg/vehicle, with about 95% of Ford engines containing PF connecting rods. New Ford engines will contain 9.9-11.8 kg of PM parts and its V-8 diesel engines have further potential for the replacement of castings and machined parts by PM. In a presentation during the 2004 SAE World Congress in Detroit, Dr Charles Wu, director, Manufacturing and Vehicle Design, Research and Advanced Engineering, Ford Motor Co, (PM, 2004, 47(3) pp223-225) emphasized the need for weight reduction in future vehicles and spoke of potential applications for light weight components made from PM aluminium, titanium, magnesium, composite materials and intermetallics. These could include connecting rods, cam-shaft bearing caps, valves, balance-shaft gear sets, sprockets, electronics base plates, rocker arms, oil-pump gears, piston pins, cylinder liners, brackets and piston-cap inserts. The new V-8 Hemi engine in DaimlerChrysler's Dodge Ram, Durango SUV and the Chrysler 300C sedan contains 13.6 kg of PM parts, with

Metal Powders 131

4

End User IndustryAnalysis

some of these vehicles containing as much as 27.2 kg of PM. New transmissions going into production at the Big Three will include new PM hubs, sprockets and oil-pump gears. PM is also being considered to replace cast differential bearing caps that could add about 1.9 kg of PM parts per vehicle. PM high strength gears are also being tested for transmission applications. Manual transmissions offer a new opportunity for high-strength gears, especially combined automatic/manual transmissions that are popular in Europe. However, Schaeffer and Trombino pointed to a dilemma for the North American PM parts industry, resulting from the loss of market share by the Big Three to 'transplant' auto producers and imported European and Asian cars that use much less PM. They indicated that the North American PM industry needed to make a concerted effort to sell PM to transplants that use about 50% less PM by weight in an average vehicle, compared with the Big Three producers. The prospects for PM automotive components are also clouded by the levelling off in North American car sales. As discussed elsewhere, US automakers such as GM have continued to offer cash incentives and low/zero interest financing in order to bolster flagging sales. Also the spike in fuel prices from early 2004 has ominous implications for the future sales of SUVs and other large passenger vehicles with big engines that have the largest weight of PM parts. This had already begun to bite in early 2005 as sales of big SUVs declined significantly. The same factors will accelerate the trend towards smaller vehicles and hybrids. Non-automotive applications for ferrous PM parts include off-road vehicles and farm equipment, household appliances, business machines, lawn and garden equipment, power handtools and sporting goods. Nonferrous structural PM parts tend to be little used in automobiles but are found in appliances, business machines and domestic hardware such as brass door lock components. The North American market for non-automotive PM parts appears to have shown a new lease of life during the 1990s after showing no growth in the previous decade. In 1999, the output of non-automotive parts reached an estimated 120 000 tonnes, a new record. This conflicts with the widely-held belief that the growth in North American powder consumption has been almost entirely due to the automotive sector. After the drop in 2001, the non-automotive consumption of PM appears to have recovered to the 1999 level by 2003.

4.2.2 PM Bearings Powder metallurgy is involved in two major classes of bearing materials that have been established for many years: self-lubricating porous PM bearings and non-porous PM steel-backed bearings.

132

Metal Powders

4

End User Industry Analysis

Self-lubricating PM bearings represent one of the original applications of metal powders, dating back to the 1920s. The advantage of porous beatings is that the pores can be filled with lubricating oil, so that the beating may not require further lubrication during the entire service life of the equipment in which it is fitted. In addition to these self-lubricating beatings, there are some heavy duty applications where supplemental lubrication is provided through an external oil reservoir. PM selflubricating bearings can be found in almost every type of machine or component requiring rotary motion. Examples include the automotive, home appliance, consumer electronics, business machine, farm, garden and marine and industrial equipment sectors. Porous self-lubricating beatings comprise three main types of material: 9 9 9

Sintered bronze (90% copper- 10% tin, with or without graphite) Sintered iron and iron-graphite Sintered iron-bronze ('diluted bronze')

Sintered bronze bearings are made from elemental copper and tin powder, prealloyed bronze powder or mixtures thereof. Compaction and sintering are arranged to allow about 25% porosity for subsequent impregnation with oil. Sintered bronze bearings are suitable for general use except with stainless steel and are relatively expensive, but offer good corrosion resistance. The iron-based and iron-bronze beatings (about 50% Fe) are less expensive and can be used in less severe applications and where there is no danger of galvanic corrosion in aqueous fluids. Iron-graphite beatings containing up to 3% graphite have supplanted 9 0 / 1 0 bronze and diluted bronze in many applications. For example, in Japan, copper-based beatings have been reported as representing 40% of the PM bearings market vs. 60% for iron-based. Japanese manufacturers have also developed an iron-copper bearing material made from copper-coated iron powder, specially suited for high speed rotation in the 15 000 rpm range. This material allows economical manufacture of small size beatings for use in consumer electronics equipment, for example. Porous PM bearings represent some of the largest volumes for single parts in the PM industry and are manufactured by the billions of pieces per annum at high production rates. The global market for sintered PM beatings is estimated to be worth several hundred million dollars but is relatively static except in a few developing countries. North American consumption of metal powders in the manufacture of porous PM beatings, for which there are no reported figures, has changed little in the past few years and is estimated to have remained at about the same level as in 1999 (see Table 4.5). For comparison, the JPMA has reported production of 8010 tonnes of PM beatings in Japan in 2004 (versus 7791 tonnes in 1999, and up 6% from 2003). The value of bearing

Metal Powders 133

4

End User Industry Analysis

production in 2004 was u billion versus u million) in 1999 and up 5% from 2003.

billion (about US$150

Table 4.5 North American Consumption of Metal Powders in Porous Self-Lubricating Bearings 1992, 1994, 1999 (tonnes) Component Powder Copper Iron Tin

Total

Estimated consumption, tonnes 1992

1994

1999

7000 5000 700

8000 6000 800

8500 7500 850

13 0 0 0

15 0 0 0

17 0 0 0

For heavy duty applications, roll compaction of alloy powders is used to produce composite bearing materials such as those in automotive engine bearings. For example, complex aluminium-base-alloy powders containing finely dispersed lead-tin alloy particles are roll-compacted with pure aluminium powder to form a composite strip that is subsequently sintered and then roll-cladded to a steel backing strip. The pure aluminium acts as a bonding layer to ensure a durable bond to the steel backing and hence satisfactory performance of the sleeve bearing fabricated from the composite. Changes in US automotive emission standards led to the use of these composite bearing materials to replace traditional copper-lead sleeve-bearing components. It is believed that most of the roll-compacted bearings are manufactured in-house from proprietary materials and no statistics on this activity appear to be available.

4.2.3 PM Hot-Forged Parts Powder forging is a two-step process that involves fabrication of a PM preform by conventional pressing and sintering, followed by forging of the (porous) preform into a substantially densified final shape. The mechanical properties of the resulting powder-forged part are comparable with those of similar composition material forged from wrought bar. In certain instances, properties of powder-forged materials such as fatigue strength can be superior, due to freedom from directionality, improved homogeneity of alloy composition and the absence or a reduced level of flaws and inclusions. Technical and commercial development of powder forging began in the 1960s and 70s, chiefly aimed at ferrous components for automotive applications, but commercialization of the hot-forging process did not really take off until the 1980s. Some of the technical problems- including excessive die wear during the hot-forging operation and the availability of high-purity steel powder having a sufficiently low level of inclusions- were eventually solved. The precision hot-forging of PM preforms saves material by eliminating scrap. It also saves machining costs by reducing the number of operations necessary. In the case of powder-forged connecting rods, the savings in 134

Metal Powders

4

End User Industry Analysis

machining costs have been quoted as 30%. These economies have to be set against the additional process cost of pressing and sintering and the fact that the raw materials, iron and low alloy steel powders, are generally more expensive than the forging bar stock they replace. This in the past was partly due to the use of expensive alloy elements such as nickel and molybdenum in modified 4600-type alloy steel powders. Cheaper alternative alloy elements such as manganese and chromium have tended to be excluded because they oxidize during the powder manufacturing and PM processes and ruin the properties of the resulting forging. For this reason, lower cost iron-copper-graphite blended elemental compositions with additives to improve machinability have found favour over pre-alloyed powders in hot-forging of PM connecting rods. In early work in the 1970s, PF connecting rods were made by GKN for the Porsche 928 engine but this programme was abandoned. Fullydensified PM hot-forged connecting rods have been in production in Japan (Toyota 'Camry') since the early 1980s. The most successful application of powder-forging (PF) to date is the programme undertaken by Ford Motor Co, which introduced PF connecting rods in the 1.9L Escort engine in 1987. A major contribution to this success was the development by Ford of 'fracture-splitting', which enabled the big-end to be assembled without machining, providing improved fit tolerance as well as savings. PF rods were being used in eight Ford engines by 1996, and in 95% of Ford engines by 2004. Among advantages claimed for the PF connecting rods are better weight distribution, which extends bearing life and confers improved engine performance, reduced machining operations, and favourable cost in comparison with alternative options. PF con-rods have reached a market share of 60% in North American engines, with production requiting over 45 000 tonnes/year of iron powder since 2000 (Table 4.6), replacing both cast iron and conventionally forged steel rods. According to the MPIF, over 500 million PF con-rods have been produced to mid-2004. However, advances in hot-forging of C70 wrought steel bar threaten to curtail further increases in PF market share. While the Big Three have increasingly employed PF con-rods, European auto manufacturers have favoured C70 wrought steel. Brockhaus, of Germany, has a plant in Canada that is expecting to supply C70 con-rods for the GM L850 fourcylinder 2.2 litre engine, the DaimlerChrysler C6 six-cylinder 3.5 litre engine and the DaimlerChrysler 2.4 litre turbo engine for the PT Cruiser. The C70 wrought steel rods are claimed to be less expensive than PF rods.

Metal Powders

135

4

End User Industry Analysis

Table 4.6 North American Consumption of Iron Powder for Powder Forging Iron Powder Usage

1994

1997

1999

2001

~18 000

27 000-32 000

41 000-45 000

over 45 000

Source: MPIF

As indicated in Table 4.6, consumption of iron powder in PF more than doubled in the five years from 1994 to 2000/2001. On the production side, while there were several companies in North America supplying PF connecting rods, as a result of the industry consolidation, the business is now shared between Metaldyne Sintered Components (formerly MascoTech) and GKN Sinter Metals. Each has several plants in the US, Mexico, Germany and Spain. Metaldyne, originally as Exotic Metals Inc of Ridgway, Pennsylvania, began its powder forging development programme with Ford in 1984. GKN Sinter Metals bought Borg-Warner's powder-forging operations in Romulus, MI and Galipolis, OH, in addition to its previous purchases of Delco-Rem3; in Mississippi and Krebsoge in Germany. GKN supplies PF con-rods to GM and Chrysler. Other significant automotive applications of powder forging include automatic transmission clutch races (both inner and outer clutch races), lock-up converter parts and ring gear blanks, some of these being for trucks and some for cars. Future applications could include main bearing caps and transmission gears. Applications of PM hot-forging outside the automotive industry are hard to find because of the high capital cost of the production facilities, requiring a large volume of parts to justify the investment. In Europe and Japan where PF has so far made limited inroads except with Ford (Europe), alternative possibilities have been pursued to find an even more economical route using high density pressed-and-sintered or warm-compacted PM rods. So far these have only got as far as the development stage. Light alloy rods of aluminium alloy or titanium have also been studied but are still under development.

4.2.4 PM Cutting Tools and Wear Parts High speed tool steels are widely used for cutting and forming tools, as well as for wear parts. High speed steels (HSS) are highly-alloyed high carbon steels with a tough martensitic matrix having a dispersion of hard carbide particles that provide wear resistance and can maintain their hardness to relatively high temperatures, for example during machining at high speeds. In many applications, particularly those requiring higher cutting speeds, HSS have been replaced by cemented carbide, cermet, and ceramic inserts fabricated by the PM route. However, because of

136

Metal Powders

4

End User Industry Analysis

their superior toughness, HSS still retain an important role as cutting tool materials, and their use has expanded into a wider range of applications such as forming dies, automotive valve seats and shaft bearings for gas turbine engines. Much of the more recent success of HSS has been due to the possibility of forming them into high density parts via powder metallurgy. It is also partly because wrought tool steels made by conventional ingot metallurgy have a strong tendency to segregate during solidification in a mould, with resulting coarse, non-uniform microstructure that makes shaping difficult and restricts toughness and grindability of finished products. Consolidation of HSS powders into finished parts provides improved hardness, toughness and grindability, as well as expanding the range of compositions beyond those that can be fabricated by ingot metallurgy. PM tool steel components are produced by two main routes: wateratomized HSS powders are compacted to net shape parts in a die, followed by high-temperature vacuum sintering to achieve 100% density; alternatively, gas atomized HSS powders are HIPed to provide densified billets or blanks for subsequent forging and rolling into rods, bars or other mill shapes that can be fabricated into finished tools such as hobs, cold-forming tools and shape cutters for gear cutting, end-mills etc, as with wrought HSS. In 2000, Olle Grinder (IJPM 2000, 36(8), p33) estimated that the pressed and sintered route consumed 2000 tonnes or 14% of HSS powders globally, and indicated more recently that this figure was not believed to have changed much. The PM wrought approach (HIPing and extrusion) was the dominant one, consuming about 85% of HSS and tool steel powders, and is discussed in the next section.

4.2.5 PM Wrought and Semi-Finished Products The previous sections dealing with PM part fabrication have been concerned with the production of more or less finished components direct from powder. By contrast, there is a considerable sector of the powder metallurgy industry that is involved in the processing of powders into mill products - billets, sheet, strip etc - by the combination of conventional metalworking and specialized PM techniques. Such processing may include one or other of the following procedures for consolidation of the metal powder to near full density: 9 9 9

powder rolling extrusion of containerized powder; and cold or hot isostatic pressing.

The densified product of this first step may then be further processed by rolling, extrusion or forging, to produce a mill shape, billet, sheet, strip or wire of theoretical density.

Metal Powders

137

4

End User Industry Analysis

Selection of the processing route depends both on the powder being processed as well as the desired final shape and properties. The large-scale deformation that takes place ensures that the powder particle boundaries are completely broken up; the resulting metal or alloy may then have a structure indistinguishable from conventional cast and wrought material. In certain instances, eg tool steels, the micro-structure in PM wrought material is significantly finer than achievable with conventionallyprocessed material. A wide variety of metal powders are processed commercially into wrought PM products. These include nickel and cupro-nickel coinage strip, high-strength and high temperature aluminium alloys, stainless and high speed tool steels, superalloys, refractory metals and many dispersionstrengthened alloys such as aluminium SAP alloys, titanium DS and copper-base DS alloys. These latter alloys use the canning/evacuation/ hot extrusion process; others include beryllium, which is toxic, and molybdenum which oxidizes on heating. One of the main reasons for choosing a powder route for these materials is the difficulty of processing by ingot metallurgy, eg high melting point, brittleness of the alloy, poor castability or workability, heavy segregation etc Tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum and similar refractory metals fit into this category. The manufacture of tungsten filaments for electric light bulbs is the classic example of a PM wrought product that could not be made by conventional routes. Worldwide consumption of tungsten powder for this application is estimated at about 2300 tonnes for 2003, growing at the rate of 3.5%/year for the past decade or so. Probably the largest example of PM wrought fabrication is the production of stainless, superalloy and HSS mill products, which amounts to several thousand tonnes/year in North America and over 10 000 tonnes/year in Europe. Most of the latter is manufactured from Swedish gas atomized powders. PM tool steels and high speed steel mill products form the major portion, estimated at 12 000 tonnes in 2000 (Grinder, Ioc. cit.) and are produced from gas atomized powders by hot isostatic pressing to near full density followed by hot rolling the billet to final mill shape. Powder extrusion of ferrous materials was estimated by Grinder at 1500 tonnes, of which HSS and tool steels represented just 50 tonnes Absence of segregation and the achievement of a fine uniform microstructure results in improved properties such as enhanced grindability, improved wear resistance and improved combinations of hardness and toughness. These benefits are achieved economically at the higher levels of alloy contents, eg where the combined levels of W, Mo and Co exceed 20%. Powder metallurgy fabrication of high strength aluminium alloys has been extended beyond substitution for ingot metallurgy alloys of similar composition. New alloys have been developed that rely on powder

138

Metal Powders

4

End User Industry Analysis

processing of rapidly solidified materials, as well as dispersion strengthened alloys synthesized by mechanical alloying. Dispersionstrengthened PM alloys of commercial significance also include iron- and nickel-based superalloys and copper-based alloys. Most of these materials are relatively new and produced in very small quantifies for highly specialized applications. Mention should be made of metal matrix composites, some of which are produced by the PM route into semifinished wrought shapes.

4.2.6 PM Filters and Porous Parts Porous metal parts are used for filters, damping devices, flame arrestors, metering devices, self-lubricating beatings and battery electrodes. Compared with competing materials, sintered metal powders provide preferred design and performance characteristics, such as high strength, heat and corrosion resistance, durability, shock resistance and controlled porosity and permeability. The most commonly used powders include: bronze, stainless steel, nickel and nickel-based alloys, titanium and aluminium. Refractory and precious metals are also used, but less frequently. Porous metal products are usually made by (low-density) compacting and sintering, gravity sintering, sheet-making, cold isostatic compaction plus sintering, or metal spraying. Filters constitute one of the major applications of porous metals. Sintered bronze filters are used for filtering air in pneumatic systems, and fuel in automotive fuel pumps and oil-burners. Bronze filters are usually made by gravity sintering of spherical 9 0 C u - 10Sn bronze powders. AISI 316 type stainless steel filter materials for filtering liquids in the food and chemical industries are frequently made by compacting and sintering. For making porous stainless sheet, loose powder mixed with a resin is spread in a mould, lightly pressed at a temperature that cures the resin, then sintered. During sintering the resin decomposes. The resulting porous sheet can be densified by repressing and sintering, then formed into large hollow cylinders and seam-welded. For corrosion resistant or heat resistant filter applications, where stainless proves inadequate, nickelbased alloys or titanium are frequently used. Inconel and Hastelloy are used in acidic waters where stainless suffers severe corrosion, and also in high temperature and other severely corrosive applications. Porous titanium offers excellent corrosion resistance for filtration applications in certain corrosive environments. Spherical titanium powder, produced by the rotating electrode process, is also used to make porous titanium in sheet form with controlled porosity. Another large application of porous metals is in self-lubricating bearings, of which pre-mixed bronze powder is the most common material used (see Section 4.2.2 PM Bearings). Carbonyl nickel is frequently used to

MetalPowders

139

4

End User Industry Analysis

fabricate porous metal electrodes for alkaline batteries and fuel cells, by gravity sintering one mm. thick sheet or strip. Other applications of porous metals include surgical implants and transpiration cooling in gas turbines and rocket engines. There are no known statistics for the production of porous metal filters and similar products, for which the materials and applications are extremely diverse as indicated.

4.2.7 PM Friction M a t e r i a l s Metallic friction materials are used as the energy-absorbing component in brake linings and clutches for cars and trucks, earth-moving equipment, machine tools (clutches) and aircraft etc. Brake linings retard the relative movement between two surfaces, and heat resulting from the contact is dispersed through the lining material. Clutch facings transmit the energy of a power source to another mechanism which is brought to the speed of the power source. Metallic friction materials are produced by compacting and sintering mixtures of metal powders and frictionproducing non-metallic materials such as silicon dioxide or aluminium oxide. The sintered friction material consists of a dispersion of frictionproducing ingredients in a metallic matrix. Sintered metal friction materials are made in a wide range of compositions, depending on the application. In general, metallic friction materials can be classified as either copper- or iron-based. Table 4.7 gives ranges of compositions of some metallic friction materials.

Table 4.7 Nominal Compositions of some Copper-based and Ironbased Friction Materials Composition, V t % Type

Cu

Fe

Pb

Sn

Zn

Silicon Graphite Dioxide

Copper-base

65-75

-

2-5

2-5

5-8

2-5

10-20

Iron-base

10-15

50-60

2-4

2-4

-

8-10

10-15

Source: Metals Handbook, 9th Edition, Volume 7, p702

Many friction materials contain additional proprietary ingredients. The major trends in recent years have been the elimination of asbestos and the growth in the use of iron powder, the consumption of which has reached several thousand tonnes/year in North America. The metallic friction segments are compacted at low density and sintered under pressure to bond them to steel backing plates, or, alternatively, brazed, welded, riveted, or mechanically fastened to the supporting member. There are no published statistics for the consumption of metal powders used in friction products in North America or Europe. Annual reports of JPMA indicate PM friction products production of around 700 tonnes in recent years, but this does not seem to represent the likely level of

140

Metal Powders

4

End User Industry Analysis

consumption in Japanese-built cars. The global consumption of ferrous and non-ferrous powders in friction products must add up to several thousand tonnes annually, with growth more or less tied to automotive production and the general economy.

4.2.8 Metal Injection Moulding Metal injection moulding (MIM) is now an established near-net-shape PM process practised by scores of companies around the world. In the process, ultra-fine metal powders are mixed with an organic binder to make a pasty mixture with the consistency of toothpaste. This mixture is extruded into a shaped die cavity in an injection moulding machine similar to those used in the plastics moulding industry. After removal of the binder, the green part is sintered at high temperature. The fine particle size of the powder promotes the sintering reaction, which enables a high-density part to be fabricated even though the injection moulding feedstock may contain only 50% by volume of metal powder particles. The MIM process is chiefly applicable to small (<100 g) complex components that cannot be made by conventional PM processes. It uses ultra fine powders because powders of normal particle size distribution do not have the capacity to sinter to required densities from the low starting densities of the moulded and debinderized pieces. Sintering produces about 20% shrinkage in MIM parts, which limits the dimensional tolerances that can be maintained. Its market so far has been in specialized high-value-added components for orthodontic devices, firearms, business machines, ordnance, medical/dental instruments, hand tools and electronic packages. MIM is in competition with investment casting and with parts that undergo substantial machining. The powders most frequently employed for MIM are all rather expensive" carbonyl iron and nickel, and gas-atomized stainless/high alloy steels. Uhrafine tungsten, molybdenum, titanium and copper powders are also used. In some academic reviews and surveys, MIM is lumped in with injection moulding of ceramics, carbides, and cermet materials under the more general Powder Injection Moulding heading (PIM). According to a 2000 survey report authored by Prof. Randall German and Robert Cornwall in the USA (see M P R 2001 (2), pp22-25), the worldwide market for PIM parts was estimated at US$700 million in 2000, of which almost 55% was in the USA. The global market was forecast to triple to US$2 billion-2.4 billion by 2010. The MIM portion dominates this industry, accounting for about two-thirds of global manufacturing activity and the bulk of sales and profits. There were several hundred manufacturers operating in 2000, but only a minority were profitable, although the industry as a whole was said to have had a positive cash flow in that year. Up to that time, injection moulding sales had been growing at 20-25%/year. Despite this high growth rate, MIM was still very small in terms of the quantity of powders consumed. Grinder (loc. cir.) estimated the global

Metal Powders 141

4

End User Industry Analysis

consumption of ferrous powders for MIM in 2001 at 1500 tonncs, of which 10 tonnes were HSS or high alloy steel powders. In contrast, the president of the Metal Injection Moulding Association (MIMA) reported in late 2000 that MIM shipments in North America were down from 1999, while the most important growth markets included automotive, electronics and medical devices. MIM sales for 2000 were estimated at US$125 million (versus US$133 million in 1999) and US$150 million for the rest of the world, for a total of US$275 million. North American sales of MIM products dropped in 2001 to about US$100 million, while in 2002 MIM powder shipments increased over 15%, with the value of parts shipments estimated to have ranged between US$100 million and US$150 million. North American MIM growth stalled again in 2003, and Paul Hauck, president of MIMA reported at the 2003 MPIF management conference an estimated global market for MIM parts of US$200 million, with North America at US$100 million, Asia at US$60 million and Europe at US$40 million. The global market for ceramic injection moulding components was estimated at another US$100 million, half of which was in Europe (IJPM, 2003, 39(8), p19). Hauck nevertheless indicated that MIM growth in North America looked promising for the next two years (to 2005). These latter sentiments were echoed by Schaefer and Trombino (Ioc. cit.), who said MIM business was 'looking much better' in 2004. These industry reports conflict seriously with the earlier forecasts of German and Cornwall, who re-iterated their estimates despite admitting that growth rates had declined from the levels of 2000/2001 (MI'R April 2003, 58(4), p12; Sept 2003 (8), ppl0-11). On the raw materials supply side, BASF, Ludwigshafen, Germany, the leading supplier of carbonyl iron powder for MIM completed an expansion of its plant in January 2001 and announced expansion of its Catamould granules MIM feedstock capacity by 1000 tonnes in 2002. BASF reported double-digit sales growth and claimed to have 70% share of the European MIM feedstock market, and was seeing increasing growth in North America and Asia. BASF's Roland Spahl estimated the global market for MIM powders at between 2000 and 3000 tonnes annually, including ferrous and non-ferrous metals. He also indicated a 10-20% growth rate for the European MIM market, where automotive applications were expanding while consumer products applications such as watches were declining (IJPM 2001, 37(2), p16; (6), pp31-33). Also from BASF, Weinand Wieser, reporting at the 2000 Hagen, Germany, PM Symposium, predicted worldwide growth of 15% per annum for MIM and a 2010 global market value of US$2 billion. MIM parts sales were said to average about US$143/kg (PM, 2001, 44(1), p23). About the same time, Advanced Forming Technologies (subsidiary of Precision Cast Parts Corp) announced a three-year contract to make 60 million MIM turbocharger vanes for Garrett turbochargers to be installed in over

142

Metal Powders

4

End User Industry Analysis

5.5 million European-produced vehicles. The contract had an option for a two-year extension to produce more vanes for an additional 5.5 million turbo-assemblies. The vanes are made from a proprietary superalloy capable of operating in exhaust gas temperatures of about 650~ (IJPM,

2001, 37(7), p26).

In his review of MIM in Europe at the 2002 PM World Congress in Orlando, Florida, EPMA president Cesar Molins reported an estimated market of El00 million for MIM parts, consuming about 1000 tonnes/year of powders. He added that the European market for MIM powders could reach 2000 tonnes by 2005 (IJPM,2002, 38(5), p16). Since MIM is still a relatively young and evolving technology that has been growing at an exceptionally fast rate, it is not surprising that there are wide discrepancies in the predictions for the future market size. Also, as German and Cornwall have noted in their survey, new entrants in the industry are continually emerging while others drop out. Up to this point however, consumption of metal powders for MIM remains a specialized 'niche item' and a very small fraction (less than 1%) of the total market.

Table 4.8 Estimated Markets for MIM Parts 1999-2010 (US$ million) USA 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2010

133 125 100 100-150

Europe

Japan

275

150 (Europe + Japan) 40

Total

60

200-250 420 2000(F)

(F) = Forecast, G Schlieper, 2000 PM Symposium, Hagen, Germany

4.2.9 Electrical and Magnetic Applications Powder metallurgical processes are used to manufacture a variety of products where electrical conduction or magnetic properties are the primary features. The most widespread uses of PM materials in electrical applications are for tungsten incandescent lamp filaments, and for electrical circuit-breaking contacts where PM composite materials based on silver or copper are used. Copper/refractory metal composites and dispersion strengthened copper find application as electrodes in resistance welding machines. However, these applications, as well as the use in electric motors of copper powder as a component of sintered metal-graphite brushes, represent only a minor consumption of metal powders. There are two distinct types of application for metal powders where magnetic properties are concerned: ferrous PM parts for soft magnetic (mostly DC) applications and PM permanent magnets. Sintered metal

Metal Powders 143

4

End User Industry Analysis

powders are employed in the manufacture of soft magnetic components for economic reasons. PM provides net-shape forming of complex shapes with minimal machining or grinding operations. The types of components and applications where PM may be employed include pole pieces, armatures, relay cores, computer printers and sensor rings for automotive anti-lock brake (ABS) systems. These applications employ sintered high-density plain (atomized) iron, iron-phosphorus, ironsilicon, ferritic stainless steel or iron-nickel compositions. Magnetic properties are mostly affected by purity, composition, sintered density, and the sintering conditions (temperature, atmosphere). In a more recent development, compacted iron-polymer composites in which the iron powder particles are insulated from one another, are finding growing applications in electric motor components. Warm compaction of binder-treated powders provides high density and green strength, which is further enhanced by a low-temperature curing treatment. These materials have AC magnetic properties that make them attractive for a variety of electric motors, replacing steel laminations. The flexibility of design permitted by the use of PM soft magnetic composites (SMCs) is expected to result in major growth for this application. Tile PM approach lowers eddy currents, reduces the number of copper windings required and allows more compact electric motors and similar devices to be manufactured and is already finding interesting applications for ignition coils and cores, particularly in Europe. Significant opportunities are anticipated with the advent of alternative powered vehicles, such as hybrid electrics. According to Per Engdah|, H6gan~is AB (IJPM, 2000, 36(1), p12) SMC powders were already growing at 10%/year and accounted for 5000 tonnes of iron powder sales, with a potential market for 12 000 tonnes/year. Some of the hopes for SMCs appear to be wishful thinking, however, as initial enthusiasm has given way to the realisation that simply replacing traditional laminated steel does not provide equivalent electromagnetic characteristics. Electric motors would have to be redesigned to take advantage of the isotropic properties of SMCs, and that is a much longer haul. Permanent magnetic alloys, such as 'Alnico' types (Fe-Ni-AI + Co, Cu, Ti) are too brittle to fabricate by conventional metalworking. Magnets have to be produced from these materials either by casting and grinding, or by the PM route. They may be produced by compacting mixtures of elemental powders and master alloy powders. Other more recently developed permanent magnet alloys that are processed by the PM route are the cobalt-rare earth and iron-neodymium-boron types. These materials are finding widespread applications in consumer electronics, business machines and modern automobiles. However, this has little impact on the consumption of the metal powders discussed in this report except for cobalt.

144

Metal Powders

4

End User Industry Analysis

A wide range of elemental metal powders as well as ferroalloy powders are used in the flux coating of electrodes for electric arc welding. These include iron, chromium, manganese and nickel powders, and pulverized ferroalloys containing boron, chromium, manganese, molybdenum, niobium, silicon, or vanadium. Of these, the most widely used material is iron powder produced by the large-scale processes discussed in Chapter 5. Iron powder is also used in flux-cored wire electrodes and as joint fill for submerged-arc welding. The coating of welding electrode core wire with multi-ingredient compositions serves several purposes: 9 9 9 9

Control of welding parameters and arc stability Slag control Control of weld deposit quality Enhancement of weld deposit rate.

Welding electrodes are manufactured by mass production methods requiring high speed extrusion for application of the coating ingredients, followed by oven drying. Coating ingredients include binders and extrusion aids, arc stabilizers, fluxes and slag modifiers, as well as the metallic (powder) alloying materials. Coating compositions are largely proprietary and may comprise up to a dozen ingredients. Iron powder content can be up to 65% by weight in coatings for low-carbon steel arc welding electrodes. Its chief influence is on the rate of weld metal deposit or 'yield'. Purity of the iron powder is also critical for the quality of the resulting weld joint, and low sulphur and phosphorus levels are usually specified. Most other factors relate to the electrode manufacturing process. Hence, particle shape and size distribution of the iron powder have to match proprietary process needs. There has been a tendency to use powders with high apparent density and particle sizes between 40 and 200 mesh.

MetalPowders 145

4

End User Industry Analysis

Table 4.9 North American and European Shipments of Welding Grade Iron Powder 1990-2003 (tonnes) N America

W Europe(E)

1990 1991 1992

13 100 12 200 12 200

20 000

1993 1994 1995

14 100 16 300 15 200

18 000 17 000 17 500

1996

15 600

16 000

1997

15 300

16 500

1998 1999 2000

15 800 14 500(E) 14 500(E)

16 000 13 500 13 500

2001 2002 2003

11 000 11000(E) 11000(E)

13 000 12 500 13 000

(E) = Estimate, Metal Powders- A Global Survey of Production, Applications and Markets 1996-2005, 3rd Edition and this report Source: MPIE Metal Powders - A Global Survey of Production, Applications and Markets 1996-2005, 3rd Edition

Over the past two decades, the consumption of iron powders in the welding industry has been seriously affected by major changes in the technology and economics. In the late 1970s a trend to the use of solid wire electrodes emerged. Thus the North American shipments of welding grade iron powders fell from about 25 000 tonnes/year in the mid-1970s to around 12 000 in the early 1980s, before recovering to around 15 000 tonnes/year in the second half of the 1990s. Since 2000, North American shipments have fallen back to around l l 000 tonnes,/year (Table 4.9). The European market for welding powders also was halved in a similar period. An additional factor was the shift in shipbuilding to the Far East. According to H6gan~is AB of Sweden, the fall in consumption of welding powders in Europe has been offset by the rise in Asia. They estimated the global market for welding grade iron powders in 1994 to be about 50 000 tonnes/year. For the decade up to 1994 the market for welding powder in Western Europe was declining by about 5%/year while the Asian market was increasing at about the same rate. By 1994 the European and Asian markets were said to be about the same size and the overall market was not expected to show much change apart from the regional economic fluctuations. Since that time, the overall market for welding grade iron powders has declined further, although the markets in South East Asia bounced back from steep falls in 1998. The welding grade powder market has become extremely competitive in recent years, with most product being sold on price. The current global market is probably in the range of 45 000-50 000 tonnes.

146

Metal Powders

4

End User Industry Analysis

Hardfacing is the application of a hard, wear-resistant coating by welding, thermal spraying, or similar process. Hardfacing is used to improve wear resistance of new components and to repair and rebuild worn parts. Hardfacing material is applied either in powder form, as solid welding rods, or as tube rods. A wide variety of proprietary alloy powders are employed in hardfacing and thermal spraying to provide protection from wear or loss of material by galling, abrasion, erosion, or corrosion. Powders are particularly suited to this application because of the possibility of tailoring the composition of the hardfacing alloy to obtain specific improvements. Many of these alloys cannot be produced by convention methods because the alloy compositions present fabrication difficulties. Hardfacing alloys are mostly of complex compositions based on nickel, cobalt, or iron. Iron-based compositions are the most frequently used. Hardfacing powder coatings are deposited by flame spraying, plasma spraying or specialized hardfacing systems such as the detonation gun spray process or the Jet Kote Surfacing System. Powders for thermal spraying are usually produced by gas or water atomization, although milling and crushing operations are used to produce tungsten carbide powders, some grades of nickel-based powders and other friable materials. The particle size required varies with the process employed" for example, the plasma transferred arc process uses -100 +325 mesh powder while plasma spraying uses-325 mesh. Because some of the alloys employed are fairly exotic, the total value of thermal spraying powders shipped is surprisingly high. A figure of US$140 million was estimated for the North American market in 1990 by Gorham Advanced Materials Institute, and this was expected to grow to US$400 million by the year 2000. According to Hrgan~is AB, the global market for gas atomized powders for thermal coating applications in 1994/5 was estimated at 4000 tonnes/year, of which self-fluxing nickelbased alloy powders comprised 2500 tonnes while cobalt-based powders were estimated at 1000 tonnes. According to Gorham, the North American market was growing at 7-8%/year, with the gas turbine industry accounting for 30-40% of the market. Global consumption is now likely to be in the 10 000 tonnes range.

Metal Powders 147

4

End User Industry Analysis

4.5 Cutting, Scarfing and Lancing Metal powder cutting is a procedure in which an oxy-fuel torch is fed with a stream of iron, or blended iron + aluminium particles, to facilitate flame cutting of difficult-to-cut materials. For metal powder cutting of stainless steels,-70 mesh iron powder can be used. For cutting of more oxidation resistant materials, such as concrete, firebrick, and the lancing of furnace tap-holes, blends containing iron powder a n d - 1 0 0 +325 mesh aluminium powders are preferred. In steel mills, powder metal cutting is used to scarf raw and semi-finished steels having alloy contents that are too high for oxy-fuel scarfing. Applications include powder scarfing of ingots, blooms, slabs and billets. Surface conditioning of these product forms by powder scarfing is less expensive and less time-consuming than mechanical methods. In North America, cutting and scarfing applications formerly accounted for about 2000 tonnes of iron powder consumption and remained static around this tonnage level for several years, but with the decline of the North American steel industry consumption has fallen sharply to less than 500 tonnes/year. Consumption in Europe and Asia could be as least as high as in North America but remains a relatively unknown quantity.

Many types of plain-paper office copiers, fax machines and computer printers use a two-component developer system in which magnetic particles act as 'carriers' for the much finer dry toner or ink particles. The magnetic carrier particles that help to transfer the electrostatic image to the paper are frequently of metal powder (ie iron), although ferrite granules or magnetite beads are also used. Alternative copier systems use single component magnetic toners or liquid toners. Over the years, a number of materials have been used as toner carriers in electrostatic copiers" glass, sand, ferrite, magnetite, nickel, steel shot, spherical steel powder, sponge iron and water-atomized iron powders. The metallic particles are usually coated with an insulating surface layer of lacquer or organic polymer, and may also be oxidized on the surface to improve the tribo-electric properties. Ferrous powders continue to have a major, though declining share of the market for carrier core materials in the two-component photocopier developer application, and at least three types of metal powders are currently manufactured for this purpose: 100 micron spherical steel

148

Metal Powders

4

End User Industry Analysis

powder produced by the rotating electrode process, steel shot (coarser than 100 microns); and fine irregular iron powder (reduced, atomized, or electrolytic). Consumption of photocopier toners and developers has grown dramatically over the past two decades, with the expansion in use of office copiers, computers and facsimile machines. North American consumption figures for cartier core materials are estimated in Table 4.10. While the employment of spherical steel powders has declined during the 1990s, the use of irregular iron and steel powder carriers continued to grow rising at about 5% pa over the past five years. Much of the raw material for this application is believed to be imported into North America from Europe, since the quantities involved do not appear to show up in the North American iron powder shipments.

Table 4.10 Estimated US Consumption of Photocopier Powders (tonnes) 1981"

1985"*

1990"*

Spherical Powders Steel Ferrite Magnetite Nickel

4080 2165 300 8

4430 3415 235 68

4311 5838 348 23

4069 8546 544 0

2670 12 000 630 0

Sub Total

6553

8148

10 520

13 159

15 300

Irregular Powders Iron and Steel Sand and Glass

37 42 535

3252 250

5039 85

8142 16

10400 0

Sub Total

4277

3502

5124

8158

10 400

10 8 3 0

11 6 4 9

15 6 4 4

21 3 1 7

25 7 0 0

Grand Total

1995"* 1999"**

Source: * AS Diamond & LO Jones, Metals Handbook, 9th Edition, Vol 7, pp580-588 *9Diamond Research Corp. ** 9 AS Diamond and LO Jones, private communication, July 2000

Magnetic particle inspection is a non-destructive testing method for detecting cracks or flaws in ferrous components. The method reveals discontinuities at or near the surface of the metal part, even if obscured by paint, dirt etc. Magnetization of the part allows flaws to be detected by the application of fine ferro-magnetic particles, some of which adhere to the surface due to the leakage field created by the discontinuity. Magnetic particles are applied over the surface either as dry particles, or as wet particles in a liquid carrier. Dry process particles are usually iron powder coloured with a pigment to aid detection and applied by a

MetalPowders

149

4

End User Industry Analysis

powder-blowing machine. Wet method particles are usually based on magnetic iron oxide but some types are based on very fine (< 40 micron) iron powder. Particles may also be coated with fluorescent material to allow fine cracks to be detected by examination under ultraviolet light. The North American market for iron powder in magnetic particle inspection is estimated to be several hundred tonnes/year.

Fine metallic powders in the form of flakes are added to coating materials (varnishes etc) to produce paints and printing inks that may simulate gold or silver. This centuries-old activity has grown to a substantial market for flake powders in North America and elsewhere. Metallic flakes are usually produced by ball-milling of atomized copper, brass, or aluminium powders. Other commercially available metallic flake pigments include stainless steel, nickel, zinc and silver. The largest markets for aluminium flake powders are in roofing coatings and automotive body finishes. Aluminium paints are also used to protect structural steel work. Gold bronze pigments are manufactured from 7 0 / 3 0 to 9 0 / 1 0 copperzinc alloys and have been in use for over a century. As with aluminium, gold bronze flake powders are used in decorative paints, plastics and printing inks. Although aluminium, copper and gold bronze constitute the vast majority of metallic flake products sold in North America, other metallic flake powders are produced for niche applications. Stainless steel flake is used in high-durability coatings that are exposed to corrosive atmospheres; zinc flake has been used in corrosion-resistant paints, but less expensive zinc dust is also used for this application. Nickel and silver flake are employed mainly in electrical applications on account of their high conductivities.

Metal powders are used as filler materials in brazing and soldering as an alternative to other filler metal forms (wire, rod, sheet, foil etc). Powders for brazing and soldering are mostly produced by gas atomization of molten alloys. Brazing filler metal powders are manufactured in a variety of alloy types" Ni-, Co-, Ag-, Au-, Cu- and Al-base alloys. Solder powders are mostly lead-tin alloys with minor additions like antimony and bismuth.

150

Metal Powders

4

End User Industry Analysis

Brazing powders are supplied in particle sizes ranging from-100 mesh to -325 mesh, mostly in the form of pastes with fluxes. Fine (-325 mesh) powders are used to make soldering pastes or creams in which the solder alloy is suspended in 10-20% of fluxing medium.

There are a number of miscellaneous applications for metal powders that do not fit into any of the previous categories. Examples of these are" iron powders used in magnetic separation of seeds, in hand-warmers (mainly in Japan), and in iron-enriched food stuffs and pharmaceuticals; metal and alloy powders used as binders in cemented carbide and diamond tools, as filler materials in plastics (eg in E-M shielding); as reactants or catalysts in chemical and metallurgical processes; as alloy additions in metal alloy production; in a variety of medical and dental applications; and in the form of advanced materials such as metal-matrix composites or PM superconducting materials. Of these, the chemical and metallurgical applications and the hand-warmers are the largest, running into tens of thousands of tonnes annually. Iron powder used in food enrichment in the US has been reported to exceed two million pounds annually (about 900 tonnes). There are believed to be similar uses elsewhere in the world. Flour is also enriched with zinc oxide powder, but this is mostly in the Mexican and Asian markets.

Metal Powders

151

This Page Intentionally Left Blank

Technical O v e r v i e w - Metal Powder Production

A variety of processes are in use today for the manufacture of metals and alloys in powder form. The late Professor Lenel, in his classic text, Powder Metallurgy- Principles and Applications, (Metal Powder Industries Federation, Princeton, New Jersey, 1980), categorized them into chemical, physical and mechanical processes: 9 9 9

Chemical: eg decomposition of a metal compound, or precipitation from solution Physical: eg atomization of a liquid metal by high-pressure water jets Mechanical: eg crushing, grinding, or milling of metallic stock to powder.

In practice, several of the more common metal powders are produced by combinations of these process types. Iron and copper powders, for example, are often made by comminution and reduction of an oxide- a combination of both mechanical and chemical processes. The point of discussing the various processes is that they can result in powders having widely differing properties. Such differences may make the powders suitable for completely different applications. In this chapter the main process types are described briefly, followed by a review of the processes in commercial use today for various metal powders. Apart from the gradually increasing scale of operations, there have been few changes in powder production processes over the past decade or so. Most of the recent advances have been in alloy compositions and in the way PMgrade ferrous powders are treated in preparation for compaction, eg with special binders and lubricants.

Metal Powders

153

5

Technical O v e r v i e w - Metal Powder Production

This category covers a wide assortment of powder production processes. As indicated in Table 5.1, these can be classified according to the type of feedstock e m p l o y e d - gaseous, liquid or solid. Table 5.1 Classification of Chemical Process Routes for Metal Powder Production Type of Process

Common Name of Typical Process

Examples of Metal Powders Produced by this Process

Decomposition of gaseous compound

Carbonyl process

Ni, Fe

Chemical deposition from solution

Hydrometallurgical (eg Sherritt process)

Ni, Co

Electrolytic deposition from solution

Electrolytic

Fe, Cu, Ni

Reduction of oxide

Sponge iron process

Fe, Cu, W, Mo

5.2.1 Decomposition of Gaseous Compounds (Carbonyl Process) Decomposition of gaseous metal carbonyl has been in use for many years as a method of manufacturing high purity nickel and iron powders. Since early in the 20th Century, crude nickel has been refined by passing carbon monoxide over it to form nickel tetracarbonyl, Ni(CO)4. Nickel tetracarbonyl is liquid at room temperature and can be purified by distillation, then decomposed to metallic nickel by heating to a higher temperature. Both nickel powder and pellet are manufactured in this way. In an analogous process, the reaction of CO with sponge or scrap iron to form iron pentacarbonyl is used to make ultra-fine iron powder currently employed in a number of applications, including metal injection moulding. Processing parameters for the decomposition of metal carbonyls can be controlled so as to produce a variety of particle shapes, from fibrous to completely spherical, and sizes down to a few microns or ICSS.

5.2.2 Hydrometallurgical (Sherritt Process) The Sherritt process for production of nickel and cobalt powders is an example of chemical deposition from aqueous solution. In the Sherritt process, sulphide concentrate (or matte) is first leached in an ammoniacal solution of ammonium sulphate at 93~ under pressure, to facilitate purification. After removal of iron and copper, nickel is recovered from the solution by the injection of hydrogen under pressure, causing precipitation of metallic nickel. Successive layers are built up on the

154

Metal Powders

5

Technical Overview- Metal Powder Production

particles, resulting in a granular powder with an 'onion skin' structure and an average particle size around 150 microns. The Sherritt process has been in commercial use since 1954 and most of the nickel powder produced by this process is compacted into briquettes or rondelles for use as alloying feedstock in the steel industry.

5.2.3 Electrolytic Deposition from Solution There are two practical methods for obtaining metal powders by electrodeposition" 9 9

direct deposition of a powdery or spongy deposit that can easily be disintegrated deposition of a dense brittle layer that can be ground into powder.

The choice of production method depends mainly on the metal. Copper and silver result in powdery or spongy cathodic deposits, while iron and manganese produce coherent cathode deposits. These latter deposits are crushed and ground into powder and thus need to be brittle; this is achieved by control of the electrolytic cell conditions. Although electrodeposition produces high-purity powder with some attractive properties for PM processing, the process is expensive, and currently only iron, copper and silver powders are produced commercially in significant volumes using this method.

5.2.4 Reduction of Oxide The reduction of oxides plays a very significant role in the commercial production of metal powders. The reduction of copper oxide is the oldest process used for the production of copper powder and represents the largest tonnage currently consumed. The H6gan~is sponge iron process and the Pyron iron process also fit into this category and have also been in use since the early days of powder metallurgy. In the H6gan~is (Sweden) sponge iron process, high purity magnetite ore (Fe304) is pulverized and then reduced to a spongy iron cake by heating to just below 1200~ with carbon. The cakes are crushed to a crude iron powder, which is purified by annealing in a reducing atmosphere. The same method is practiced in the United States by Hoeganaes Corp. In the Pyron process, the starting material is mill scale, which is crushed and ground before reduction with hydrogen in a belt annealing furnace. The Pyron process has been in commercial operation since 1940 and, like the Hrgan/is process, produces a form of iron powder with sponge-like particles resulting from the reduction in the solid state. A number of plants in China also produce iron powder by the reduction of mill scale.

Metal Powders

155

5

Technical O v e r v i e w - Metal Powder Production

Because of their high melting points, both tungsten and molybdenum powders are prepared by hydrogen reduction. For tungsten, hydrogen is used to reduce either ammonium paratungstate or tungstic oxide. In the case of molybdenum the oxide or ammonium molybdate is reduced by hydrogen.

This category of powder production method is largely concerned with the atomization of liquid metals into particles by gas, liquid, or mechanical means. It is the most widely used category of process and is applicable to most of the metal powders in use today, except the refractory metals. As illustrated in Figure 5.1, atomization permits the production of powders and granulated metals in a wide range of particle sizes - from sub-micron to millimetres. This figure also serves to relate particle size ranges to specific application sectors, most of which are discussed elsewhere in this report. Flame Spraying -'.

I,

9

Plasma Spraying

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Brazing

_.

iii

9

Arc Welding I...... ".

I w-

,,

,

Wrought P/M (Fully Dense) j

I

[

j

I

[

J

Metal Injection Molding ,i,

,

i

i

i

i ii ii

I

i i,,,,

I

!

1

10

Powder particle size (pm)

I

20

ii

i

I

Pressing & Sintering i

II

I

I

37 45 1_

l

105 ::- .....

400 325

I

140

I

I

I

I

250

125 149 .........

I

100

_

_

J

60

(U.S. Sieve size)

Figure 5.1 Application of metal powders as a function of particle size and size range (After Lawley: 'Atomization', MPIF, Princetown, NJ, 1992)

156

Metal Powders

5

Technical Overview- Metal Powder Production

5.3.1 Water Atomization of Liquid Metals Atomization of molten metals by high pressure water jets is most commonly applied to metals that have easily-reducible oxides (iron, copper etc). The metal or alloy is melted and poured through a tundish into an atomizing chamber. The stream of liquid metal falling from the tundish nozzle is struck by multiple jets of water directed downwards at an acute angle to the metal stream. The water jets are usually arranged to converge at an apex on the axis of the metal stream, breaking the latter up into droplets that are immediately quenched by the water and fall to the bottom of the atomization tank. The metal powder/water slurry is removed from the tank for filtering and drying. There are many process parameters that control the size and shape of the particles. Slight oxidation of the metal powder occurs during water atomization; the metal powder may then require subsequent annealing in a reducing atmosphere. For ferrous powders intended for compaction and sintering, the annealing treatment also serves to soften the particles and make them more compressible. Water atomization tends to produce irregular-shaped particles. For some metals and for certain applications, water-atomized powders merely require screening before shipment. Water atomization of ferrous powders for PM applications is conducted on a relatively large scale, typically over 10,000 tonnes/year per unit.

5.3.2 Gas Atomization of Liquid Metals Metals that are easily oxidized, or alloys that have components whose oxides are hard to reduce, may be more effectively converted to powder by inert gas atomization. Since the objective is frequently to maintain the highest purity in the resulting powder, the melting and atomization can be performed in a totally-enclosed unit. As with water atomization, the molten metal is poured through a tundish nozzle to control the flow rate, and then falls through an atomizing ring fitted with high pressure gas jet nozzles. The quenching effect of the gas jets is considerably less than that of water, hence the droplets formed during atomization of the liquid metal stream have more chance to spherodize before solidification. Thus gas-atomized powder particles tend to be significantly more spherical in shape than those resulting from water-atomization. In general, gasatomized powders are produced in smaller batches and at higher cost than water-atomized grades. Because of their spherical shape, gasatomized powders are unsuitable for cold compaction and are usually consolidated by hot isostatic pressing (HIPing). For other applications such as thermal spraying, the spherical shape of gas-atomized powders is an advantage.

5.3.3 Oil Atomization of Liquid Steel Water atomization of steels containing manganese and chromium results in the oxidation of these elements. These oxides are difficult to reduce in subsequent processing, which detracts significantly from the properties of Metal Powders

157

5

Technical Overview- Metal Powder Production

PM components manufactured from such powders. Oil atomization of liquid steel is one of the newer developments in powder production and was commercialized in the early 1980s by Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd, Japan, who set up a 6000 tonnes/year pilot facility to allow the production of a variety of PM-grade steel powders. The oil atomization process allowed the production of low-alloy steel powders, such as 4100type containing chromium and manganese, with particle size similar to water-atomized powders, although the particles were slightly more spherical. The resulting powders showed attractive PM properties, but the cost of production was said to be about 50% higher than for wateratomized powders, due to the recycling of the oil. Unfortunately, due to lack of market acceptance for the products, Sumitomo's oil atomization production was closed down in 1988. That same year, a 500 tonnes/year oil atomization unit was started up in Europe by IPS Steel Powder of Sweden, to make low oxygen powder for use in the bulk steel industry to control the microstructure of steel produced by continuous casting machines. This company has gone on to develop oil atomization of master-alloy powders containing chromium and manganese, as a means of avoiding oxidation of these elements during conventional water atomization and subsequent sintering of compacted powder.

5.3.4 Centrifugal Atomization (Rotating Electrode Process) Centrifugal atomization is a method for producing very clean powders of reactive metals such as titanium and its alloys. It has also been used for making spherical steel powders for photo-copier applications. In the rotating electrode process (REP| developed by Nuclear Metals Inc (subsequently Starmet Corp), of Concord, Massachusetts, USA, an arc is struck between a horizontal tungsten cathode and a spinning electrode of the desired metal for pulverization. The electric arc (or plasma in later versions) melts the spinning work piece electrode tip which throws off a shower of molten metal droplets by centrifugal force. The droplets solidify as they pass through a cooling gas (or vacuum) and are collected in a concentric chamber. A characteristic of REP (or PREP@) powder particles is their perfectly spherical shape and freedom from satellite particles adhering to them. (By contrast, gas-atomized powders usually have many particles with smaller particles agglomerated from collisions in the atomizing chamber). Most powders made by centrifugal atomization are specialty titanium- and cobalt-based alloys destined fbr high performance aerospace and medical applications.

5.3.5 Rapid Solidification: Spinning Disc Atomization Ultra-rapid solidification of metal alloys has enabled enhanced properties to be achieved in the resulting materials. Chill-block melt-spinning methods have been used to produce metallic glass ribbons that have subsequently been pulverized to give powders for consolidation into bulk

158

Metal Powders

5

Technical Overview- Metal Powder Production

shapes. Rotating disc atomization is an alternative method, involving the impingement of a stream of molten alloy onto the surface of a rapidly spinning disc. The liquid metal is mechanically atomized, thrown off the edge of the spinning disc and collected in an inert-gas-filled chamber. Most rotating disc atomized powders are specialty alloys for use in aerospace parts.

Mechanical comminution, eg by ball-milling, is a widely used method of powder production for hardmetals and oxide powders. For the more common metal powders, it is an important step in the processing of spongy cakes of oxide-reduced or atomized powders. Hammer mills, rod mills, or disc mills are commonly used for this purpose, to re-establish something like the original particle size distribution. Direct powder production by mechanical comminution is restricted to relatively hard, brittle metals such as electrolytic iron and bismuth, as well as reactive metals such as beryllium and metal hydrides. It is used also for pulverizing embrittled metals such as re-carburized steel scrap, and for the production of flake powders from ductile metals. For advanced applications, mechanical milling can also result in ultra-fine powders, as well as solid-state alloying (mechanical alloying).

Several of the more important commercial (hence proprietary) processes involve multiple steps incorporating two or more of the basic powder production processes. Examples include the QMP process, the Domfer process for manufacture of iron powder, and the manufacture of PM grade copper powder by the copper oxide process.

5.5.1 Production of Iron Powder by the QMP Process Since 1969, Quebec Metal Powders Limited has been manufacturing high-compressibility iron powders in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, by conversion of liquid pig-iron from the nearby smelter of its sister company Q I T - Fer et Titane Inc. The low residual impurity content of the QIT pig-iron makes it particularly suitable for the manufacture of high-purity iron powder. The liquid pig-iron, containing about 3.5% carbon, is first granulated by pouring from a tundish through horizontal water jets. Air drawn through the granulation/quench chamber causes the coarsely granulated iron to be partially oxidized. After drying, the oxidized granules are ground to powder in a ball mill and then fed into a belt

Metal Powders

159

5

Technical Overview- Metal Powder Production

annealing furnace where the ball-milled granules are heated under a protective atmosphere of dissociated ammonia. The oxygen and carbon in the iron react together and pass into the furnace atmosphere, resulting in a pure iron cake which is subsequently milled back to powder. Thus the QMP process has elements of atomizing or shotting, oxide reduction, as well as comminution steps. It also allows a variety of powder grades to be produced in a single unit, by varying the process parameters.

5.5.2 Production of Iron Powder by the Domfer Process In outline, the Domfer process for making iron powder has some similarities to the QMP process and an older RZ process of Mannesmann in Germany. Selected steel scrap is melted and carburized to provide a melt containing approximately 3.5% carbon, which is then granulated or shotted with water. After drying, the cast-iron shot is ground to powder in a ball mill and mixed with ground iron oxide in the form of mill scale. The mixture is decarburized by heating in a belt furnace to provide an (impure) iron powder cake. After crushing and milling, the resulting powder is suitable for the manufacture of welding electrodes and for cutting and scarfing and other non-PM applications. For PM applications, the powder is purified by re-annealing at a lower temperature in a second belt furnace under a dissociated ammonia atmosphere.

5.5.3 Production of Copper Powder by the Copper Oxide Process Copper powders with properties suitable for compaction and sintering are frequently manufactured by reduction of particulate copper oxides with a gaseous reducing agent. The product of this high temperature reduction is a sintered cake of copper powder that must be ground and milled back to the desired particle size. A variety of raw materials may be employed in this process. These include copper scale (oxide), cement copper and also atomized copper. (The latter is roasted to oxidize it partially or completely before further processing.) Powders made by oxide reduction may consist of completely porous, or partly porous and partly solid particles, according to the nature of the feed material. Oxidereduced copper powders can, therefore, be tailored to exhibit properties suited to a variety of applications.

As indicated in previous sections, several of the popular metal powders are produced in more than one form and by more than one process (see Table 5.2). The following listing gives a summary of the main processes currently in use for the powders most frequently encountered, together with applications where these are specific to a particular type of powder.

160

Metal Powders

Table 5.2 Summary of Current Commercial Production Methods for Metal and Alloy Powders Metal/Alloy

Chemical Methods Decomposition of gaseous compound

Aluminium Cobalt Copper/ Copper alloy Iron Magnesium Molybdenum Nickel Nickel alloy

Hydro-

metallurgy

Elec-

trolysis

m m m

Physical Methods

Reduction of oxides

m m

M M

Gas atomization

Centrifugal

atomization

M m

M M M

m

m/M

M(1) M(2,3)

M

M

M M

i

m

m

Steel

(+ low-alloy) Stainless/ Tool steel ~n, Lead/ Alloys Titanium/ Ti alloys Tungsten

Water atomiza tion

Mechanical Hybrid Method process

M

M M

m

m

m(2)

M M rn

M

M

M = Major process; m --- m i n o r quantities; (1) = Copper oxide Process; (2) = Domfer Process;

(3) = QMP Process

5.6.1 Aluminium Powder

Aluminium flake powder is produced by ball-milling atomized aluminium powder. Granular aluminium powder is produced by air or inert gas atomization of molten metal. Air atomization is possible because the aluminium droplets form a surface oxide that protects the particles from further oxidation. 5.6.2 Cobalt Powder

Pure cobalt powder used as a binder in the production of cemented carbides and diamond tools is usually produced by the reduction of cobalt oxide with hydrogen at around 800~ The process produces fine powders (-325 mesh) suitable for mixing with tungsten carbide powders by ball-milling. Gas atomization is used for the production of cobalt-based alloy powders for high temperature applications, including hardfacing powders. Cobalt powder produced by the Sherritt hydrometallurgical process (see Section 5.2.2) is mosdy used for the production of cobalt salts, and for the production of cobalt-rare earth magnets.

Metal Powders 161

5

Technical Overview- Metal Powder Production

5.6.3 Copper Powder Reduction of copper oxide is the oldest and, by tonnage, the most significant process for the production of copper powder. However, the process is frequently combined with atomization or shotting and partial oxidation of the shotted material. Water atomization of molten copper produces compacting grade powder which may be subjected to annealing treatment to modify properties. Air or inert-gas atomization produces a spherical form of copper powder which is used in flake powder production. A small quantity of copper powder is produced by electrodeposition followed by annealing, then milling of the annealed cake. This process produces high purity powder with both good compaction properties and electrical conductivity. Cement copper is an impure copper powder precipitate obtained from copper sulphate solution by the addition of iron. Its primary use is in composite frictional material applications.

5.6.4 Copper Alloy Powders Commercial copper alloy powders such as brasses, bronzes and nickel silvers, are mostly produced by air atomization. As with aluminium, air atomization of these molten alloys is feasible because the atomized droplets form surface oxides that protect the particles from further oxidation. Bronze powders for compacting and sintering (eg porous bronze bearings) are generally made by blending elemental copper and tin powders, in order to maximize compaction and green strength properties.

5.6.5 Iron Powder A significant percentage of iron powder produced is made by one or other of the oxide reduction processes (H6gan~is Sponge Iron Process, Pyron Process, or similar). Although these powder grades are mostly used in powder metallurgy, the more advanced and high performance PM applications now utilize water-atomized iron or steel powders because of their higher compressibility. Advances in the purity and cleanliness of atomized steel powders also make these grades the preferred material for powder forging applications. Iron powders manufactured by the 'hybrid' QMP and Domfer processes (See Sections 5.5.1, 5.5.2) are used in PM applications of intermediate performance requirements and also find wide use in non-PM applications. High purity iron powders made by the carbonyl and electrolytic processes enjoy a very small fraction of the market where they find use in specialist 'niche' applications such as food additive grades and metal injection moulding.

162

Metal Powders

5

Technical Overview- Metal Powder Production

5.6.6 Magnesium Powder Pure magnesium powder is produced either by a variety of methods of comminution of solid metal or by inert gas atomization of liquid magnesium.

5.6.7 Molybdenum Powder Molybdenum powder is manufactured by oxide reduction. An impure technical grade of molybdenum trioxide (MoOs) is first obtained by roasting and oxidizing molybdenum disulphide concentrate. Purification of the oxide can be accomplished making use of its low sublimation temperature. Above 550~ MoO s sublimes and can be separated from impurities and condensed as pure oxide. Additional purification can also be achieved by dissolving MoO s in ammonia to form ammonium molybdate. The ammonium molybdate or the pure MoO 3 is reduced to metallic molybdenum powder by heating in hydrogen.

5.6.8 Nickel Powder The most important commercial processes for the production of nickel powders are the carbonyl vapormetallurgy process (see Section 5.2.1) and the hydrometallurgical Sherritt process (see Section 5.2.2). A small quantity of elemental nickel powder is made by atomization of liquid metal, eg from the remehing of coinage strip scrap.

5.6.9 Nickel Alloy Powders Nickel-based alloys for PM aerospace applications are usually produced by inert gas atomization. Nickel-based alloys for hardfacing and similar coating applications are made by either water- or gas-atomization.

5.6.10 Steel (Including Low-Alloy Steel) Powders The vast majority of steel powders (in tonnage) are produced by wateratomization. In most cases, plain iron and low-alloy steel powders for PM applications are made by the atomization of re-melted steel scrap. Purification of the melt before pouting through the tundish is normally required to remove or reduce minor residual elements. For low-alloy steels containing nickel and/or molybdenum, these elements are usually added to the melt in the form of ferro-alloys. There are two exceptions to this rule: the Domfer process where nickel and molybdenum are added to liquid cast iron before shotting, grinding and decarburization; and diffusion alloyed powders, where nickel, molybdenum, and copper powders are blended with plain iron or steel powder and annealed to produce powder with composite particles having the nickel etc partially diffused into the iron.

Metal Powders

163

5

Technical O v e r v i e w - Metal Powder Production

5.6.11 Stainless Steel and Tool Steel Powders Stainless steel powders for conventional PM (pressing and sintering) applications are currently produced mainly by water-atomization, using virgin raw materials to make both austenitic and ferritic grades. These powders are normally used in the as-atomized condition. Gas-atomized spherical stainless steel powders require special methods of consolidation, such as HlPing. Tool steel powders are produced by induction melting of virgin raw materials and/or scrap, followed by gas or water atomization.

5.6.12 Tin Powder Tin powder is manufactured on a small batch scale by air atomization.

5.6.13 Titanium Metal and Alloy Powders Elemental titanium is usually produced from primary titanium sponge by crushing. The -100 mesh 'sponge fines' are mixed with powdered master alloys to produce blended elemental alloy powders for compaction. Prealloyed titanium powders are currently produced either by the plasma rotating electrode process or by comminution. Comminution is achieved by converting the alloy to a brittle state by the introduction of hydrogen (the Hydride-Dehydride process).

5.6.14 Tungsten Powder Tungsten metal powder is usually produced by the reduction of tungstic oxide, obtained from Scheelite or Wolframite ores. Purification of the ore concentrate results in ammonium paratungstate or tungstic acid. Tungstic acid is heated in air to 600~176 to convert it to tungstic oxide (WO3). Ammonium paratungstate is usually converted to blue tungsten oxide (WO2.9) because decomposition of ammonium paratungstate results in a slightly reducing atmosphere if oxygen is excluded. The oxide is reduced to tungsten powder by heating in hydrogen in a tubular or rotary furnace.

Because of increasing interest in and consumption of powders with finer particle sizes, some mention should be made of their main production methods, even though the quantities involved barely register on the scale of the major metal powders. Fine metal powders, typically between 1 and l 0 microns in mean particle size, have been manufactured for many years by a variety of processes. Powders as fine as 3 microns can be produced economically by

164

Metal Powders

5

Technical Overview- Metal Powder Production

atomization, while carbonyl decomposition and chemical precipitation are more frequently used to make powders in the single figure micron range. As mentioned in Section 5.2.1, fine elemental nickel and iron powders have been in production for many years in tonnage quantities by decomposition of metal carbonyls. Fine alloy powders are now made by atomization techniques such as high pressure water atomization and by combinations of water and gas atomization and other proprietary gas atomization systems at plants in Japan, Sweden, the US and the UK. The largest scale operation so far noted is that of Anval in Sweden (now Carpenter Powder Products, see Section 6.2) where five-tonne melts are passed through a plasma-heated tundish to remove oxide impurities and then gas-atomized using a modified close-coupled dual-nozzle atomization system. This method can produce large batches of metallurgically-clean fine spherical powders, eg of stainless steels for use in metal injection moulding. Nanoscale powders is a term usually denoting powders with particle diameters considerably less than one micron. Ultrafine carbide and nitride powders have been used in hardmetals to improve strength and tool life. Metal nanopowders are usually made by gas phase reaction or chemical precipitation.

Metal Powders

165

This Page Intentionally Left Blank

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

This chapter begins with a review of the status and activities of key metal powder producers around the world. Company profiles have been arranged alphabetically according to the geographic zones discussed in previous chapters: North America (Canada and the US), Europe, Japan, and the rest of the world by country. The profiles of the companies listed here have either been provided by the companies, compiled from responses to letters and questionnaires, or from published sources. In a subsequent section, the world's leading metal powder producers are ranked by capacity. Finally, profiles are given of the leading metal powder and related trade organizations.

6.1.1 Canada Canada is the world's largest source of nickel powders, and is an important source of iron and steel powders, with about one third of the North American ferrous powders capacity located in Quebec. Cobalt and other non-ferrous metal and alloy powders are also produced for a wide variety of applications. Although there is a sizeable market for metal powders of various types in Canada, the bulk of Canadian powder production is exported, principally to the USA.

Canbro Inc (a subsidiary of United States Bronze Powders Inc) 29 East Park Valleyfield Quebec Canada J6S 1P8

Tel: +1 450 373 0233 Fax: +1 450 373 4540 E-mail" [email protected]

Canbro, a subsidiary of United States Bronze Powders Inc, (see Section 6.1.2) is the oldest powder company in Canada, having been in operation at Valleyfield, Quebec, since 1905. Canbro is a major manufacturer of nonferrous flake powders with some 40 employees. Canbro's capacity for

aluminium powder in the form of granules, flake or paste is 3500 tonnes/year. The major applications for Canbro's products are in coatings (paint and printing ink), plastics, explosives and chemical processes.

Metal Powders

167

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

Domfer Metal Powders Ltd 1550 de Maisonneuve Blvd West Suite 1010 Montreal Quebec Canada H3G 1N2 Tel: +1 514 933 3178 Fax: + 1 514 933 4080 E-mail" [email protected] Web: www.domfer.com

Headquartered in Montreal, Domfer Metal Powders is a well-established producer of iron and low-alloy steel powders, having been in production since 1952. Domfer employs about 85 people at its plant in LaSalle, Quebec, where a major expansion in 2000 increased its annual capacity to over 45 000 tonnes, largely devoted to PM grades. Domfer also serves other market applications such as welding electrode coatings, semi-metallic brake pads, and cutting and scarfing. In the field of PM applications, Domfer has enjoyed considerable success with specialized grades including prealloyed (MnS) free machining grades and sinter-hardening low alloy steel powders. Domfer's powders are made by water-atomizing of molten cast iron followed by grinding to powder and subsequent decarburization. The resulting cake is then milled to powder and annealed. The company has been QS9000 certified since 1998. Domfer continues to invest between five and six percent of revenue in R&D activities for both process and product development. A cornerstone of Domfer's R&D activity is its long-standing association with the Centre for Characterization and Microscopy of Materials laboratory at the engineering school Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal. This symbiotic arrangement allows Domfer to access a world class laboratory as weU as university students and post-graduates, a resource that makes a valuable contribution to the success of Domfer. A complete line of steel powders for friction applications has been developed for low and high density metallic or semi-metallic brake pads that will provide future growth. On the processing side, recent improvements have resulted in significant cost reductions, maintaining the competitive position of Domfer in the powder metallurgy market.

Eutectic Canada Inc (formerly Metachimie Canada Ltd/ Ltde) 920 Andre-Lind Granby Quebec Canada J2J 1E2 Tel: +1 514 378 9841 Fax: + 1 514 378 9875 E-mail: fgosselin @eutectic-na.com

168

Metal Powders

Eutectic Canada Inc, formerly known as Metachimie Canada L t d / L t & , was founded in 1974 as a member of the EUTECTIC + CASTOLIN group of companies. Certified to ISO 9001, Eutectic Canada has gas-, air- and wateratomization facilities and specializes in nickel-cobalt and copper-base alloys as well as stainless steels and other high alloy steels. Its melting capacity is approximately 3000 tonnes/year. In addition to its metal powder atomizing activities, Eutectic produces a flail line of wear resistant welding consumables including continuous electrodes and gas-shielded wires, as well as wear plates. Custom-made products can also be produced for large volume consumers outside the EUTECTIC + CASTOLIN group.

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

INCO Special Products- Business Unit of INCO Ltd 2101 Hadwen Road Mississauga Ontario Canada L5K 2L3 Tel: + 1 905 403 3350 Fax: +1 905 403 8132 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.incosp.com

INCO Special Products is a business of INCO Ltd, the world's leading nickel producer. The nickel special products, including powders, derive from Inco's totally integrated nickel production from mine to refined nickel product. The product range includes a complete series of nickel powders, including extra-fine grades, nickel oxides, nickel foams and coated graphite particles. The source of most special products is from the large-scale nickel refineries of INCO Ltd, located in Canada and the UK that use the Inco carbonyl refining process. These refineries, with a combined output of about 100 000 tonnes/year of pure nickel, provide the economy of scale needed to divert part of the carbonyl gas from commodity nickel processing for use in the manufacture of special products. INCO's Copper Cliff Nickel Refinery at Sudbury, Ontario, produces a range of filamentary and discrete powder products that are supplied worldwide. Other special products are manufactured in the USA by Novamet (see Section 6.1.2) and in Europe at INCO's Clydach refinery in the UK (see Section 6.2). Annual sales of the INCO Special Products business unit are currently estimated at about US$200 million. Technology development for INCO Special Products is carried out at the corporate research center in Mississauga, near Toronto, Ontario. New product and new application development is undertaken in a variety of areas, including powder metallurgy, rechargeable batteries, fuel cells, electronics, EMI shielding and specialty chemicals. Metachimie Quebec

770 Sherbrooke Street West, Suite 1800 Montreal Quebec Canada H3A 1G 1 Tel: + 1 514 288 8400 Fax: +1 514 288 1333 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.qmppowders.corn

Canada

Metal

Ltd/Ltde-

Powders

see Eutectic

Canada

Inc

Ltd

Quebec Metal Powders Ltd (QMP), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto plc of London, UK, is currently the world's third largest ferrous powder producer, ranking number two in North America. QMP manufactures iron and steel powders for all the major applications at its plant in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, Canada, where over 250 people are employed. QMP's ATOMET iron powders have been manufactured since 1969 using high-purity pig iron produced at the adjacent smelter of QIT-Fer et Titane Inc, also owned by Rio Tinto. (See Section 5.5.1 for details of QMP's production method.) QMP manufactures a variety of iron powder grades of different particle sizes mainly for powder metallurgy, but also for welding electrodes, cutting and scarfing, magnetic particle inspection, photocopiers, food additives etc. In the 1980s, QMP began manufacturing water-atomized high-compressibility steel powders and has since expanded its production facilities several times to keep pace with growing demand. Its latest expansion, completed in early 1999 brought its total capacity 200 000 tonnes of iron and steel powders. The increased atomization capacity enables QMP to utilize extra annealing and powder processing capacity installed in 1996. Upgrading of the atomizing process included a new 22MVA ladle

Metal Powders

169

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

furnace enabling heat size to be increased from 80 to 110 tonnes, the highest in the industry. In addition to high-purity, high-compressibility plain steel powders, QMP produces an increasing range of prealloyed powders for powder-forging and heat-treating, patented binder-treated FLOMET powders, diffusion-bonded powders as well as warm compaction powder formulations and pure iron soft magnetic products. An industry leader in the adoption of SPC and TQM, QMP has gained a succession of quality awards including the Ford Q-1 Award and is registered to ISO 9001, QS 9000, ISO 14001 and more recently, ISO/TS 16949, a first in the PM industry. In 1998, QMP purchased the metal powders business of Mannesmann Demag AG in Germany, which became QMP Metal Powders GmbH (see below). In March 2004, QMP announced its first major investment in Asia with the construction of a metal powder blending plant, technical laboratory and product warehouse in Suzhou, near Shanghai, China, due to start up in February 2005. Sherritt International 1133 Yonge Street,

5th Floor Toronto

Ontario Canada M4T 2Y7

Tel: +1 416 924 4551 Fax: +1 416 924 5015

E-mail: metalsales @s he rritt meta Is.co rn Web: www.sherritt.com

Corp

Sherritt International Corp, with assets of over US$2 billion, is a diversified Canadian natural resource company that operates in Canada, Cuba and internationally. Sherritt, directly and through its subsidiaries, has significant interests in thermal coal production; a vertically-integrated nickel/cobah metals business; oil and gas exploration, development and production; and electricity generation. Sherritt also has interests in soybean-based food processing, tourism and agriculture. Sherritt's Metals segment is comprised of the corporation's 50% indirect interest in the Metals Enterprise and the corporation's marketing and trading activities in commodity metals, as well as the corporation's fertilizer and utilities assets. The Metals Enterprise is a verticallyintegrated nickel and cobalt mining, processing, refining and marketing joint venture between subsidiaries of Sherritt International and General Nickel Co SA, a Cuban company. Metal Enterprise's mining and processing facilities at Moa, Cuba, produce mixed sulphides containing nickel and cobalt. The mixed sulphides are shipped to Canada then transported by rail to the metals refinery in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. Sherritt also owns certain fertilizer, su|phuric acid, utilities, storage and other assets located in Fort Saskatchewan, which enhance the security of supply of certain inputs and services required for the Fort Saskatchewan refinery operations. The refinery produces high-purity nickel briquettes and powders and cobalt briquettes and powders using hydrometallurgical processes. Refined nickel and cobalt products are sold in Canada and internationally. Fertilizer,

170

Metal Powders

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

produced as a byproduct of metal refining operations, is largely sold in western Canada. Sales from refinery production in 2003 amounted to 31 800 tonnes of nickel, 3200 tonnes of cobalt and 255 000 tonnes of fertilizer. Sherritt's overall sales in 2003 were C$902.7 million and C$1100 million in 2004. In March 2005 Sherritt announced that it had reached an agreement with Cuba to increase nickel production by 16 000 tonnes/year for a cost of C$450 million, to be split between Sherritt and the Government of Cuba.

UMEX I n c - see Umicore Canada inc Umicore Canada Inc (formerly Umex Inc) 10110 -114 Street Fort Saskatchewan Alberta Canada T8L 4K2 Tel: +1 780 992 5700 Fax: +1 780 992 5701

The Canadian operations of U micore Canada Inc derived from the purchase in 1997 of part of the powder operations of the Westaim Corp by Umicore SA of Brussels, Belgium. The acquisition included part of Westaim's state-ofthe-art research facilities at Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. Umicore Canada has a fine cobalt powder production facility at Fort Saskatchewan with a capacity of 500 tonnes per annum. The product is used primarily as a binder in hardmetals, but also for diamond tools. As well at Fort Saskatchewan there is a fine nickel powder production plant with annual production capacity of 200 tonnes. While Umicore nickel powder goes primarily into the electronics market eg electrodes in passive components, it is also used in the hardmetals and metal injection moulding industries. At Leduc, Alberta there is a fine copper plant with current capacity of 20 tonnes per annum and capacity expansion is planned. This material is used in the electronics industry, primarily for terminations in passive components. Umicore Canada Research is active in the development of cobalt, nickel and copper powders and their applications. As well there is a group working on lithium cobalt based powders for the rechargeable battery market, in support of other Umicore SA operations.

6.1.2 USA The United States is a leading producer of both ferrous and non-ferrous powders, including alloys, for all major applications. The chief exception is nickel powder, which is mainly imported from Canada. American powder manufacturers supply the world's largest domestic market, so that exports, while significant, are generally a lesser source of business for most producers. There is a sizeable foreign ownership (Japan, Sweden, UK) in the US metal powder producing industry.

Metal Powders

171

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

ACuPowder International LLC 901 Lehigh Avenue Union New Jersey 07083-7632 USA Tel: +1 908 851 4500 Fax: +1 908 851 4597 E-mail: acupowder @acupowder.com Web: www.acupowder.com

ACuPowder International LLC (ACuPowder) is the successor company to Alcan Powders and Pigments (Alcan) and Metals Disintegrating Corp (MD). The histories of MD, Alcan and now ACuPowder, and the powder metallurgy industry have been closely aligned over the past 80+ years. MD was founded in 1916 by Professor Everett Hall of Columbia University to supply zinc and aluminium powders to the chemical industry. During the 1920s, copper and tin powders were developed in cooperation with General Motors for the production of porous self-lubricating bronze bearings. In the late 1930s, in conjunction with Delco Moraine, it developed spherical bronze powder for car petrol filters. Alcan purchased MD in 1963 and it subsequently became Alcan Powders and Pigments. Alcan manufactured a variety of non-ferrous powders and flakes, remaining a dominant force in aluminium- and copper-based product lines. In recent years, the aluminium-based product lines were reorganized under Alcan Toyo America (now Toyal America Inc, see below), and copperbased product lines sold to ACuPowder International LLC in 1995. ACuPowder employs 72 people and manufactures a variety of copper and tin based powders at its 13 500 tonnes/year capacity plant located on a 10.5acre site in Union, New Jersey. The company markets one of the largest ranges of metal and alloy powders. Among its chief products for PM applications are copper (atomized and electrolytic), bronze (pre-mixed as well as pre-alloyed), brass, nickel, and tin powders, graphite and PM lubricants. For PM filter applications, ACuPowder markets atomized copper and bronze powders, while for friction and chemical applications and metallurgical industries, it supplies copper, tin, bronze, antimony, bismuth, chromium, manganese, nickel, brass and silicon powders. It also supplies nickel flake and silver flake for pigments and metallurgical applications. In recent developments, ACuPowder introduced LR-99 (a low residue, high-efficiency PM infihrant), and uhrafine copper powders for electronics applications and metal injection molding (MIM). Ultra-high purity copper, bronze, tin and brass powders have also been developed for chemical and other specialty applications. Other current efforts are directed towards developing special grades of copper, tin, and bronze powders for the rapidly growing Rapid Prototyping, "Green" Bullets, Artistic Cold Casting, and Cold Spraying applications. ACuPowder is ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001 certified. In 2000, ACuPowder purchased Pyron Metal Powders, see below, to become the largest North American source of copper and copper-based powders.

172

Metal Powders

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

ACuPowder TN Inc 6621 Highway 411 South Greenback Tennessee 377 42 USA Tel: +1 865 856 3021 Fax: +1 865 856 3083 E-mail: acupowder @acupowder.com Web: www.acupowder.com

In April 2000, ACuPowder International LLC (see above) purchased Pyron Metal Powders with plants in Greenback and Maryville, Tennessee, renaming it ACuPowder TN LLC. Pyron Metal Powders was comprised of Greenback Industries founded in 1946, and Ligonier Powders Inc founded in 1984. During 2002, the MaryviUe plant ceased operations and the equipment was relocated in Greenback to provide increased efficiencies. ACuPowder TN LLC employs 38 people and manufactures a variety of copper and tin based powders at its 6500 tonnes/year capacity plants. Its chief products include atomized copper, oxide reduced copper, atomized tin, copper-based infiltrants, specialty bronze premixes and copper-fin alloys for PM, friction products, carbon brushes and brazing applications. It also produces MnS+, a patented machinability-enhancing additive for use with ferrous metal powders for the production of PM components. With a combined capacity of 20 000 tonnes/year, ACuPowder International LLC and ACuPowder TN LLC have a major share of the North American market for copper and copper-alloy-based powders, manufacturing or supplying all types of copper based-powders.

Advanced Specialty Metals Inc 76 Northeastern Boulevard, Suite 29A Nashua New Hampshire 03062 USA Tel: +1 603 589 2531 Fax: +1 603 595 7932 E-mail: dking @asmpowders.com Web: www. a sm powde rs.co m

Advanced Specialty Metals Inc (ASM) is a producer of high-purity specialized spherical metal and alloy powders. ASM acquired the metal powder production assets of Starmet Powders LLC, in 2002 as a result of a bankruptcy sale. Starmet Powders LLC was a division of Starmet Corp, a manufacturer of specialty metal products in the nuclear, defense, aerospace and medical fields. ASM currently produces its spherical powders at the former Starmet Powders plant in Concord, Massachusetts, using the Plasma Rotating Electrode Process (PREP| see Section 5.3.4). The company has recently signed a long-term lease for a modern, 100 000 square foot building in nearby Westford, Massachusetts. Current products include F-75 cobalt alloy and titanium powders for medical applications in orthopaedic prosthetic devices; titanium and superaUoy powders as key ingredients for laser welding and plasma-spray repair in aerospace; beating steel powders for wear, corrosion and oxidation resistance in turbine components, and rare-earth metal powders for use in cryogenics applications. Steel powder capacity is about 600 tonnes/year, and titanium and specialty alloy powder capacity is over 100 tonnes/year.

Metal Powders 173

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

ALCOA - Specialty Metals Division (SMD) PO Box 472 Rockdale Texas 76567 USA Tel: + 1 512 446 8497 Fax: + 1 512 446 8466 E-mail" [email protected] Website: www.alcoa.com

Specialty Metals Division (SMD) is a component of ALCOA's Primary Metal Division. SMD produces a|uminium powders and spectrographic standards. SMD operates two plants, one in Rockdale, Texas, and a smaller plant in Brazil. SMD is headquartered at the Alcoa Technical Center, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company makes regular atomized aluminium powder as well as high-purity aluminium powders, rain 99.97% AI. Prealloyed, spherical and coated powders are also listed among its products. The main market for SMD's powders are paints and pigments, chemicals, refractories, propellant, and aluminothermic applications. Output at the Rockdale facility was reported in the range of 40 million pounds (18000 tonnes) per annum. Production at the Brazil plant is about 9000 tonnes per annum.

American Chemet Corp 740 Waukegan Road, Suite 202 PO Box 437 Deerfield Illinois 60015 USA Tel: +1 847 948 0800 Fax: +1 847 948 0811 E-mail: whshropshire@chemet. corn Web: www.chemet.com

American Chemct Corp (ACC) was founded in Chicago in 1946 to manufacture zinc oxide for the paint industry. It later branched out into copper oxide production for a variety of applications and relocated its plant to East Helena, Montana. In the 1990s, ACC began developing copper powders and launched its line of reduced-oxide powders in 1996. ACC's copper powders are made in a variety of particle sizes, for use in friction materials, PM preblends, sintered tungsten, carbon brushes, chemical additives, catalysts and brazing pastes, as well as in MIM. Specialty grades are also manufactured for substitution of electrolytic copper powders, and for dispersion strengthening applications. ACC makes two types of dispersion-strengthened copper-based alloys, available in powder or rod form. Current capacity for copper powders is estimated at 1400 tonnes/year. American Chemet employs about 120 people at its plant, and markets its products worldwide with sales revenue exceeding US$70 million.

Ametek Specialty Metal Products Division Route 519 Eighty Four Pennsylvania 15330 USA Tel: +1 724 250 5182 Fax: +1 724 225 6622 E-mail: dick.mason@ ametek.com Web: www. ametekmetals.com

174

Metal Powders

Ametek Specialty Metal Products is a division of Ametek Inc, a US$1.2 billion company based in Paoli, Pennsylvania and engaged in the manufacture of electric motors and electronic instruments. The Specialty Metal Products Division manufactures composites, metal powders, clad products, strip, wire, metal matrix composites, and fully-dense components serving a wide variety of specialty markets. Operations of Ametek Specialty Metal Products Division are shared between two plant sites: one in Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, and the other in Wallingford, Connecticut. The metal strip and wire products are manufactured at the Wallingford plant and the metal powders and specialty clad metal products at Eighty Four. Ametek produces a full range of austenitic and martensitic stainless steel powders, as well as Ni-, Co- and Cubased special alloys and Ni-Cr-B hardfacing powders. Ametek's powders are

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

largely used for PM part fabrication, thermal spraying, porous metal filters, and fine powders for metal injection moulding. Ametek has been manufacturing metal powders since 1970, and fine powders for MIM since 1975, and is ISO 9001:2000 certified. The specialty metal powders are produced by high-pressure water- and gas-atomization in sizes f r o m - 1 0 mesh t o - 1 0 microns. Ametek has also developed advanced techniques for the production of intermetallic alloy powders, specifically the development of nickel and iron aluminides.

AMPAL Inc (a Division of United States Bronze Powders lnc) PO Box 124 Palmerton Pennsylvania 18071 USA Tel: +1 610 826 7020 Fax: + 1 610 826 6337 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.ampalinc.com

AMPAL Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of United States Bronze Powders Inc, has been manufacturing air-atomized aluminium powders since 1966, and since 1981 at its facilities on a 68-acre site in Palmerton, Pennsylvania, where about 30 people are employed. AMPAL's annual production capacity is 12 000 tonnes. AMPAL produces a range of standard aluminium powder grades from coarse to fine, focusing on producing relatively high purity powders and markets them worldwide. These include unalloyed, alloyed, and blended aluminium powders for a wide array of applications such as powder metallurgy, chemical and commercial explosives. AMPAL is registered to ISO 9000:2000, and has been ISO certified since 1992. AMPAL's sister company, Poudres Hermillon, located in Saint-Jean-deMaurienne, France (see Section 6.2) produces similar grades to those of AMPAL, but also manufactures aluminium flake for aerated concrete operations and aluminium shot/pellets. Significant capital expenditures are in place to improve AMPAL's aluminium powder metallurgy products' quality, consistency and efficiency. A semiautomated mixing station will be fully functional in the first quarter of 2005. AMPAL continues to develop new processes and products, and has sponsored R&D programmes in PM aluminium at the University of Queensland, Australia. In June 2004, a partnership was announced between Metal Powder Products Co, of Westfield, Indiana, and AMPAL to develop new PM aluminium powders and processes.

Metal Powders 175

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

Carpenter Powder Products Inc (formerly Dynamet Powder Products) 600 Mayer Street Bridgeville Pennsylvania 15017 USA Tel: +1 412 257 5102 Fax: +1 412 257 5154 E-mail" Item Ipes@ca rtec h .corn Web: www.dynamet.com

Carpenter Powder Products (CPP) is organized within the Carpenter Technology Corp. CPP is a major producer of inert gas atomized powders with annual capacity just over 4500 tonnes. CPP produces a wide range of iron-, nickel-, and cobalt-based alloys utilizing both air melt and vacuum melt facilities. The alloys produced include high-speed steels, stainless steels, MCrAIY's, superalloys, high temperature brazing and proprietary alloys. Engineered parts are available in consolidated forms such as HIPed shapes, bimetallic clad rolls and wear parts. Screened powders are sold to the thermal spray, PTA, MIM, laser cladding, and high temperature brazing markets.

Crucible Compaction Metals (Crucible Materials Corp) 1001 Robb Hill Road Oakdale Pennsylvania 15071 USA Tel: +1 412 923 2670 Fax: +1 412 788 4240 or +1 412 787 4180 E-mail" rizzo@ cruciblecompaction. corn Web: www.crucible.com

Crucible Materials Corp of Syracuse, New York, has recently authorized a US$2 million upgrade to the large autoclave (HIP) system at their Compaction Metals (CCM) facility in Oakdale, Pennsylvania. The work is expected to be complete by the 3rd quarter of 2004 and once finished, the vessel will be re-commissioned for operation through at least 2024. CCM produces gas atomized specialty powders and converts them into fully densified components by HIP. Although CCM sells powders, 99% of sales are in the form of HIPed products The primary products include nickel base superalloys for gas turbine engine rotating parts, corrosion resistant alloys for oil field and marine systems applications, and wear resistant iron base clad products for the plastic extrusion industry. CCM has recently received certification from Performance Review Institute as a registered firm to the ISO 9001:2000 and AS9100 quality systems. CCM's plant capacity is approximately 2000 tonnes/year of powder and it employs about 50 people. It has one of the largest HIP units in the industry. Recent product developments include gas atomized titanium and titanium aluminide powder alloys and superaustenitic and duplex stainless steel powders utilizing nitrogen as an alloying element. In Syracuse, New York, Crucible Materials Corp manufactures powder metal high speed and tool steel grades. These powders are HIPed to full density and hot worked to standard round and flat products. The plant has a capacity of approximately 7000 tonnes per year. CSM Industries I n c - see H C Starck Inc

Dynamet Powder Products - see Carpenter Powder Products Inc

176

Metal Powders

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

FW Winter Inc & Co Delaware Avenue & Elm Street Camden New Jersey 08102 USA Tel: +1 856 963 7490 Fax: + 1 856 963 7463 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.fwwinter.com

F-3N Winter Inc and Co manufactures a wide range of metal and alloy powders by crushing and grinding of lump materials. The company specializes in the production of chromium metal and ferro-aUoys for a variety of applications at its 5600 m 2 plant near the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in Camden, New Jersey, where 25 people are employed. The plant's crushing, milling, and screening facilities are capable of reducing lump material from 5-20 cm to powder of almost any size from -4 mesh to -45 microns. Air classification allows the production of fine powders with median sizes ranging from 4 to 12 microns. For powder metallurgy and MIM, FW Winter produces powders in suitable sizes of the following metals and alloys: chromium, chromium carbide, ferro-boron, ferro-chromium, ferrophosphorus, ferro-molybdenum, ferro-manganese, ferro-silicon, ferrovanadium, ferro-tungsten, nickel-boron and other master-alloys. The company also offers chromium metal and chromium carbide powders for thermal spraying and surface coating applications, as well as various powders for welding electrode, hard-facing and melting applications etc. FW Winter also provides customized mixing and blending services.

Hart Metals Inc (a subsidiary of Magnesium Elektron) PO Box 428, Route 209N Tamaqua Pennsylvania 18252 USA Tel: +1 570 668 0001 Fax: +1 570 668 6526 Web: www. magnesiumelektron.

Hart Metals is a major producer of atomized magnesium powder, both in the United States and worldwide, utilizing specialist atomization technology at its plant in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. Hart Metals was founded by the Hart family in 1965 and is a major supplier to the US defence industry, as well as providing powder for applications in the steel, pharmaceutical and agrichemical industries. The business employs 60 people and also manufactures other magnesium powders, chips and turnings.

corn

In 1998, Hart Metals was acquired by the Luxfer Group of the UK (formerly British Aluminium) and merged with Reade Manufacturing Co (see below) in the Magnesium Elektron Division.

HC Starck Inc (formerly CSM Industries Inc) 460 Jay Street Coldwater Michigan 49036 USA Tel: +1 517 279 9511 Fax: +1 517 279 9512 E-mail: john.shields @hcstarck.com Web: www.hcstarck.com

HC Starck's Coldwater facility provides molybdenum powders, extrusion services and molybdenum wrought bars for the glass melting, medical diagnostic, vacuum furnace, electronic and aerospace markets. The company began manufacturing in the Coldwater Industrial Park in 1958 and played a pioneering role in using the arc cast process. This process is still used to melt the highest quality molybdenum ingots. In 1962, a molybdenum powder reduction plant, the largest of its kind in the world, was commissioned. The Coldwater facility ensures a steady supply of powder to the arc cast process and the powder metallurgy processes of isostatic pressing and sintering. Molybdenum mill products, available in round and flat shapes, are produced using manufacturing and quality control processes which include: extrusion,

Metal Powders

177

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

rolling, swaging, annealing, machining, caustic cleaning, grinding and ultrasonic testing. A 5500 ton extrusion press was installed in the mid 1970s. First used for extruding arc cast molybdenum ingots, the press has since been expanded in scope to provide toll extrusion services for manufacturing a wide variety of shaped metal alloys. HC Starck's Coldwater facility produces a range of molybdenum powders of varying purities: 99.95% pure powder reduced from ammonium dimolybdate, 99.8% purity powder reduced from molybdenum trioxide, spherical powders of 99.5% purity for thermal spray coating applications and 98.8% (ex oxygen and carbon) for mechanical pressing, as well as 99.8% pure powder for MIM and 1.5-3.0 micron powder reduced from MoO 3. Molybdenum alloy powders are also produced to customer specifications. In mid 2004, HC Starck's Coldwater facility made the largest PM molybdenum "ingot" ever produced. It measured 1.5m x 1.0m x 0.15m and weighed 3000 pounds (1360 kg.)

Hoeganaes Corp (a subsidiary of GKN plc) 1001 Taylors Lane Cinnaminson New Jersey 08077-2017 USA Tel: +1 856 829 2220 Fax: +1 856 786 2574

E-mail"

[email protected] Web: www.hoeganaes.com

Hoeganaes Corp is a leading producer of iron and steel powders and is the largest producer of ferrous metal powders in North America. The company was founded over 50 years ago by H/Sgan~is-Billesholms AB of Sweden and is currently owned by GKN plc. The Hoeganaes Corp was originally established in 1950 to manufacture iron powder in Riverton (now Cinnaminson), New Jersey, by the H6gan~is sponge iron powder process. The original 11 000 tonnes/year sponge iron powder plant completed in 1953 was expanded several times, raising capacity to 67 000 tonnes/year. In 1961 a new facility to produce water-atomized stainless steel and complex nickel- and cobalt-based alloy powders was brought on stream. This plant, also located in Cinnaminson, has been expanded over the years in response to increasing demand for stainless steel and other special alloy powders. In 1969, Hoeganaes constructed a large-scale plant for production of wateratomized steel powders at its Cinnaminson site, and in 1980 another plant for water-atomized powders began production at Gallatin, Tennessee. This latter facility, originally with a finished powder capacity of 47 000 tonnes/year has since been expanded several times. Completion of new construction projects begun in 1997 makes the Gallatin facility the world's largest, most advanced iron and steel atomizing plant, capable of producing 50 tonnes/hour of atomized steel powder. An automated blending and packaging facility in Milton, Pennsylvania, opened in 1988, expanded the company's capacity for ferrous premixes by 35%. This centrally-located plant permits rapid delivery of proprietary, pressready products, including ANCORBOND, ANCORDENSE| (for warm

178

Metal Powders

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

compaction), Ancorsteel| Insulated Products intended for electromagnetic applications, and ANCORLOY| processed products, an alternative to diffusion-alloyed powders. Other recent product introductions include prealloyed molybdenum steel powders, and Ancorsteel 737SH for sinterhardening applications. In 2000 Hoeganaes expanded the Ancorloy| family of binder-treated material solutions, introducing Ancorloy MDA, Ancorloy MDB, Ancorloy MDC, Ancorloy HP-1 and Ancorloy DH-1. More recently, AncorMix| HGS and AncorMax| D, a binder-treated product, were added to extend the company's portfolio of high performance PM grades. In 1997, Hoeganaes acquired another plant in Ridgway, Pennsylvania, ARC Metals Inc, for custom blending and recycling of ferrous metal powders as a service to the PM industry. ARC also produces mixes, custom blends in lowvolume quantifies, and processes reground products or press scrap into useable materials. In 2001, Hoeganaes formed a manufacturing and technology parmership with Electralloy, a division of GO Carlson Inc, to set up a multi-million dollar water atomization facility at Electralloy's plant in Oil City, Pennsylvania. At the same time Hoeganaes established a new business unit, Ancor Specialties, for the manufacturing, marketing, and sales of stainless steel and specialty alloy powders, and opened a powder-finishing facility in Ridgway, Pennsylvania. This facility, which includes equipment for annealing and blending, was subsequently expanded in 2003. Following the acquisition of Hoeganaes' parent company by GKN plc, Hoeganaes has been expanding globally, first by opening distribution, sales and service centres in Europe and Asia, then establishing Ancorsteel Powders GmbH (now Hoeganaes Corp Europe) with a 45 000 tonnes/year powder processing plant in Htickeswagen, Germany. More recently (2003), Hoeganaes established a powder production foothold in Europe with the purchase of Ductil Iron Powder in Romania (see Section 6.2). Hoeganaes Corp produces iron and steel powder products for both PM and non-PM applications, and has for many years specialized in leadingedge technologies and high-performance products. Current powder production capacities at Hoeganaes plants in North America are as follows: sponge iron powder, 67 000 tonnes/year (Cinnaminson); atomized steel powder, 80 000 tonnes/year (Cinnaminson) and 320 000 tonnes/year (GaUatin); water-atomized stainless steel and high alloy powders, 14 000 tonnes/year (Cinnaminson, Ridgway and Oil City, combined). In March 2005, Hoeganaes announced that it had received ISO 14001:1996 certification from Det Norske Veritas for its four North American ferrous metal powder plants in New Jersey, Tennessee and Pennsylvania.

Metal Powders

179

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

Homogeneous Metals Inc (a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp) PO Box 294 2395 Main Street Clayville New York 13322 USA Tel: +1 315 839 5421 Fax: +1 315 839 5609 E-mail: grant.bauserman @pw.utc.com Web: www.hmipowders.com

Homogeneous Metals Inc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of United Technologies Corp, is the world's leading supplier of superalloy powders. Homogeneous Metals (HMI) manufactures a wide range of nickel- and cobalt-based superalloys for aerospace applications, such as IN-100, and powder equivalents to MERL-76, Astroloy, Waspaloy, Haste|loy X, Udimet 700 and Inconels. It can also produce powder equivalents to other trademarked materials, and binary high-purity alloys. HMI accounts for over 50% of the worldwide superalloy powder market. Its largest customer is UTC's Pratt & Whitney. HMI is also a supplier of thermal spray powders used in gas turbine overhaul and repair as well as oil and gas industry applications. Increasing applications of spray powders are also seen in sputtering targets and abrasion-resistant coatings. Powder production capacity was doubled to over 1000 metric tons per year in 2002. The company was founded in 1965 by Joseph M Wentzell, an inventor and entrepreneur who set up a pilot plant for soluble gas atomization in Chadwicks, New York, later moving to larger premises in Herkimer, New York. In 1970, Pratt and Whitney Aircraft approved HMI as a supplier of superalloy powders for certain engine parts. UTC bought the company in 1975 and expanded its capacity. Increased demand from military engine programs persuaded the company to boost capacity again and extra capacity came on stream at Clayville, New York, where production was consolidated from 1985. HMI products are used in military and commercial aircraft engines and land-based turbines. Some engines use PM superalloy turbine discs, seals and HMI powder coatings. Commercial engines employing HM! products are in service with Boeing, Airbus and MD jet planes. Superalloy powders of the utmost purity and cleanliness are produced by vacuum melting and atomized under argon pressure. Particle sizes range from-20 mesh down to 1 micron. Thermal spray powders are manufactured by rotary atomizing in which a molten metal stream impinges on a rotating water-cooled disc that spins off droplets of molten alloy, producing spherical particles with very few satellites. The resulting powders have excellent flow characteristics, which is good for plasma spraying as well as for filling intricate HIP can shapes for making near-net-shape parts. Finishing and packaging are performed in clean rooms. Extrusion and HIP cans are filled with powder, sealed and shipped to outside fabricators for consolidation into billets.

180

Metal Powders

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

International Specialty Products (ISP) 1361 Alps Road Wayne New Jersey 07 470 USA Tel: +1 973 628 3610 Fax: +1 973 628 3999 E-mail: spapoulia @ispcorp.com Web: www.ispcorp.com

The Performance Chemicals Group of International Specialty Products (formerly GAF Chemical Corp) manufactures and markets fine grades of carbonyl iron powder for use in PM, MIM, electronic and other specialty applications. These fine iron powders are marketed under the MICROPOWDER | Iron tradename. ISP is a leading global specialty chemicals company serving over 6000 customers in more than 30 countries. The company manufactures carbonyl iron powders by the decomposition of iron pentacarbonyl at its manufacturing plant located in Huntsville, Alabama. Over 25 grades of spherical powder are manufactured with particle sizes from sub-micron to 10 microns diameter, and iron purity ranging from 98% to 99.7%. Major applications of spherical carbonyl iron powders are as radar absorbing materials (RAM), in magnetic cores, electronic components, EMI/RFI shielding products, MIM and high-performance PM parts, and as vitamin and food iron supplements.

International Titanium Powder LLC 20634 W Gaskin Drive Lockport Illinois 60441 USA Tel: +1 815 834 2112 Fax: +1 815 834 2113 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.itponline.com

International Titanium Powder (ITP) was formed in 1997 by Donald Armstrong and other former Argonne National Laboratory scientists to commercialize the Armstrong Process for the production of titanium and titanium alloy powders. ITP operates a 9000 sq ft pilot plant in Lockport, Illinois, where 10 people are employed. The Armstrong Process reduces TiCI~ to titanium powder in a continuous reaction with sodium. The process is cheaper than other current processes and also allows alloy powders to be produced, broadening the range of applications. In a recent announcement, ITP will supply titanium alloy powder to ADMA Products Inc, of Hudson, Ohio, for a three-year US$4.9 million US Army Research Lab contract to fabricate titanium plates and modules as armour in future military vehicles. ITP also sees applications for its lower cost powders in sintered parts, HIPing and thermal spraying. Kobelco

1625 Bateman Drive PO Box 983 Seymour Indiana 47274-0983 USA Tel: +1 812 522 3033 Fax: +1 812 522 5191 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.kobelcometal.com

Metal

Powder

of America

Inc

Kobelco Metal Powder of America was established as a subsidiary of Kobe Steel Ltd in November 1987, to manufacture water-atomized steel powders from remelted high-grade scrap. Kobelco's plant is equipped with an electric arc furnace, a high-pressure water jet atomizer and two reduction-annealing furnaces. It began operations in June 1989 and following successive expansions in 1994 and 2000 has a current capacity of approximately 56 000 tonnes/year. The company employs about 130 people. Kobelco manufactures -60 mesh a n d - 8 0 mesh water-atomized steel powder grades for regular PM applications as well as for high-compressibility, high-purity and powder-forging applications. Prealloyed nickel-molybdenum low-alloy steel powders are also produced for PM and powder forging applications. The Kobelco plant also produces a water-atomized steel powder containing

Metal Powders

181

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

finely-dispersed MnS particles that provide excellent machining characteristics and increased fatigue strength, while reducing desulphurization that can cause furnace damage during sintering. Continuing R&D on new alloy powders and binder treated powders is being conducted at the parent (Kobe Steel) company in Takasago, Japan (see Section 6.3). Kobelco achieved ISO 9002 and QS 9000 certification in June 1997 and ISO/TS 16949 certification in 2004.

Micron Metals Inc (a subsidiary of RTI International Metals Inc) 7186 West Gates Avenue Salt Lake City Utah 84128 USA Tel: +1 801 250 5919 Fax: +1 801 250 7295 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.micronmetals.com

Founded in 1970, Micron Metals has a special process for cleaning and sizing metal powders such as titanium, chromium, zinc and zirconium. Micron has an annual powder processing capacity of approximately 2300 tonnes. It was acquired in 1983 by the RMI Co, Niles, Ohio, USA, a major producer of titanium. Micron processes titanium powder and fines produced by RMI (now part of RTI International Metals Inc). Micron Metals produces CP titanium powders in sizes from-100 mesh t o - 3 2 5 mesh for use in PM and MIM applications as well as for welding electrodes, thermal spraying, alloying additions and pyrotechnics.

Mitsui/ZCA Zinc Powders Co 300 Frankfort Road Monaca Pennsylvania 150612295 USA Tel: +1 724 773 2201 Fax: +1 724 773 2217

Mitsui/ZCA Zinc Powders is a joint venture between Zinc Corporation of America (ZCA) and Mitsui Mining and Smelting Co Ltd, commercially producing high quality zinc powder for mercury-free batteries in the United States. Using Mitsui's proprietary technology, this joint venture operates a 3000 tonnes/year plant adjacent to the ZCA zinc smelter in Monaca, Pennsylvania. Mitsui Mining & Smelting currently operates a 6000 tonnes/year zinc powder plant in Japan.

North American H6ganiis High Alloys LLC (a subsidiary of

H6ganfis AB)

101 Bridge Street Johnstown Pennsylvania 15902 USA Tel: +1 814 533 7800 Fax: +1 814 539 4857 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.nah.com

182

Metal Powders

Following the sale of part of the assets of the former SCM Metal Products Inc, this subsidiary of H6gan~is was renamed North American H6ganSs High Alloys LLC. It continues to produce stainless and tool steel powders at the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, plant. The company is also the sole North American producer of electrolytic iron powder, used as iron enrichment in foods and pharmaceuticals and in specialized PM applications. North American H6gan~is High Alloys also offers a line of products based on patented aluminium oxide dispersion strengthened copper technology, trade-named GlidCop. Applications include resistance welding electrodes, as well as vacuum tubes, heat exchangers and other high performance electrical and electronic components.

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

North American H6ganiis Inc 111 Hoganas Way Hollsopple Pennsylvania 15935 USA Tel: +1 814 479 3500 Fax: +1 814 479 2003 E-mail: michael.lutheran@nah. com

Web: w w w . n a h . c o m

North American H6gan~is Inc was established in 1999 to be the base for increased activities in North America. This subsidiary initially focused on market and technical support and included a modern and weU-equipped technical centre in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. During the first quarter of 2000, the FirstMiss Steel plant at Stony Creek in Hollsopple, Pennsylvania was acquired for the purpose of conversion into a large-scale integrated water-atomized iron powder plant. The first stage of this plan was completed in October 2001 for a total investment of US$65 million. The Stony Creek plant has a rated capacity for 90 000 tonnes/year of iron and steel powders. Initial products manufactured at the plant match the AHC 100.29 and ASC 100.29 grades produced by H/3gan~is AB in Sweden, as well as the 2068 steel powder grade formerly made at the Pyron water-atomizing plant in Niagara Falls. New York. Bonded powder production was added in 2002. The Stony Creek plant is equipped with two 45 000 tonnes/year annealing furnaces built by Htgan~is AB and has space for three additional furnaces. In 2001, North American H6gan~is' headquarters was moved from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to Stony Creek. North American H6gan~is also has a powder blending facility in St Marys, Pennsylvania, inherited from Pyron. The Pyron operation (see below) in Niagara Falls, now part of North American H6gan~is, continues to produce sponge iron grades for niche applications in PM and friction products. The Stony Creek, Niagara Falls and St Marys plants received ISO 9001/2000 and QS-9000 certifications in 2002 and ISO 14001 certifications in early 2003.

Novamet Specialty Products Corp (a subsidiary of INCO Ltd) 681 Lawlins Road Wyckoff New Jersey 07481 USA Tel: +1 201 891 7976 Fax: +1 201 891 9467 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.novametcorp.com

Novamet Specialty Products is a subsidiary of INCO Ltd and a component of the Inco Special Products business unit (see Section 6.1.1). Novamet creates value-added products from INCO carbonyl nickel powder and nickel oxide production. The Novamet product line includes nickel powder, several grades of nickel oxides, screened and air-classified and repackaged nickel powders, nickel-coated graphite and nickel, stainless steel and zinc flakes. Novamet products are used in PM, MIM, specialty ceramics, catalysts, hardmetals, plasma spray and organic coatings. A new air-classified spherical nickel powder, Type 4SP-10, closely matches the carbonyl iron powder used in FeNi MIM parts, promoting uniform dispersion of the two elements. A -5 micron version is also available.

Metal Powders 183

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

OM Group Inc 127 Public Square, Suite 1500 Cleveland Ohio 44114 USA Tel: +1 216 781 0083 Fax: +1 216 781 1502 E-mail: Kathie.Swarm @na.omgi.com Web: www.omgi.com

The OM Group (OMG) was formed in 1991 by the merger of Mooney Chemicals Inc of Cleveland, Ohio and Kokkola Chemicals, a division of Outokumpu Chemicals Oy of Finland. OMG manufactures a wide range of metal-based specialty chemicals and metal powders, supplying more than 1500 customers around the world in leading industries from electronics to petrochemicals. OMG is a major refiner of cobalt-based powders. OMG is the world's largest producer and refiner of cobalt, and a leader in the industry for over 50 years. OMG's refining operations produce cobalt in all forms, including briquettes and powders, serving industry needs with several thousand tonnes of product each year. With over 30 years of experience in cobalt powders, OMG manufactures fine powders for the hardmetal and diamond tool industries, as well as for batteries, magnets etc. OMG provides cobalt chemicals for catalysts, pigments, cobalt rechargeable batteries, and cobalt organics for catalysts, driers for paints and inks, and cobalt carboxylates used to promote adhesion for the tire industry. OMG is also one of the world's largest nickel producers, supplying nickel cathodes and briquettes for plating and steelmaking, powders for chemical applications and nickel salts and organic compounds.

OSRAM Sylvania Products Inc (a subsidiary of OSRAM GmbH} Hawes Street Towanda Pennsylvania 18848 USA Tel: +1 570 268 5000 Fax: + 1 570 268 5189 E-mail: david.vine @sylvania.com Web: www.sylvania.com

OSRAM Sylvania Products began making tungsten powder and tungsten products during World War II, and has long been an important source of refractory metal products, especially tungsten wire filaments for light bulbs. OSRAM Sylvania, headquartered in Danvers Massachusetts is the North American subsidiary of OSRAM GmbH, a Siemens company, headquartered in Munich, Germany. The tungsten plant of OSRAM Sylvania Products in Towanda is one of the largest tungsten/tungsten carbide plants in the world and supplies all the needs of its parent company's tungsten facilities in Germany. About 30% of the plant's output goes internally to OSRAM, with the balance sold to outside customers. OSRAM Sylvania has three plants that manufacture refractory chemicals and powders, phosphors, and tungsten and molybdenum metal products such as wire, rod, sheet and parts. The main plant in Towanda employs about 1200 people. Raw materials include ore concentrates, tungsten scrap etc, from many sources. The company also produces cobalt powder, hardmetal-grade mix powders, hardfacing powders, tantalum carbide and tungsten carbide powders, tungsten and molybdenum metal powders and tungsten-copper powders. Other products include tungsten and molybdenum wire, rod, plate, heavy sheet, molybdenum and molybdenum alloy mill products and tungsten and molybdenum parts.

184

Metal Powders

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

In 2001, OSRAM Sylvania Products and Sandvik AB, of Sweden, signed an agreement to purchase all the tungsten concentrate from the re-opened CanTung mine in the North West Territories, Canada, owned by North American Tungsten Corp Ltd.

Pyron Corp (a subsidiary of North American H6ganiis Inc) 5950 Packard Road PO Box 310 Niagara Falls New York 14304-0310 USA Tel: + 1 716 285 3451 Fax: +1 716 285 3454 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.pyroncorp.com

Pyron Corp, (a subsidiary of North American H6gan~is Inc), is the oldest established producer of ferrous powders in North America, having been in operation since 1940, manufacturing hydrogen-reduced sponge iron powder at its plant in Niagara Falls, New York. More recently (between1991 and 2002), Pyron operated a 20 000 tonnes/year wateratomization facility to produce atomized steel powder for PM applications. This facility has since been closed and the production of Pyron's 2068 grade of atomized steel powder transferred to the North American H6gan~is Stony Creek plant in HoUsopple, Pennsylvania. Pyron's sponge iron powders are manufactured from selected mill-scale (iron oxide) which is ground, roasted, then passed through a belt furnace where it is reduced by hydrogen from a nearby chemical plant. The reduced cake is milled, screened and blended to produce powder grades for various applications. Pyron P-100 grade is used for low and medium density PM structural parts and beatings and is known for its high green strength characteristics. Pyron also manufactures PMA Moly alloy powders, lowdensity iron powders (R-12, LD-80 and R-80) for friction products such as wet clutch plates and brake pads and linings, as well as -325 mesh powder for applications such as chemical synthesis, plastic reinforcement and metalbonded abrasive products. The Pyron plant employs 120 people and received ISO 9002 certification in 1998, ISO 9001/2000 and QS-9000 certification in 2002 and ISO 14001 in 2003.

Reade Manufacturing Co Inc (a subsidiary of Magnesium Elektron) 100 Ridgeway BIvd Manchester New Jersey 08759 USA Tel: +1 732 657 6451 Fax: +1 732 657 6628 E-mail: bford@melmagnesium. com

Web: www.magnesiumelektron.com

Reade Manufacturing, together with Hart Metals of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, form part of Magnesium Elektron's worldwide group of powder manufacturing units. Reade Manufacturing is a major producer of magnesium granules, chips and powders, for iron- and steel-making, pharmaceutical, refractory, chemical, defence and nuclear energy applications. The business employs about 80 people and has annual sales of about US$25 million. It was acquired by Magnesium Electron in 1990. Magnesium Elektron is now a member of the Luxfer Group of companies (formerly British Aluminium).

Metal Powders 185

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

SCM Metal Products Inc- a Gibraltar Industries Company 2601 Weck Drive PO Box 12166 Research Triangle Park North Carolina 277092166 USA Tel: +1 919 544 8090 Fax: +1 919 544 7996 Web: www.SCMMetals.com

SCM Metal Products Inc was acquired by H6gan~is AB in early 2003 fi'om OM Group Inc, which had owned the company since 1997. SCM Metal Products has been supplying a variety of ferrous and non-ferrous powders to the PM industry for over 70 years. The beginnings of SCM Metal Products as a metal powder producer can be traced back to the Glidden Metals Co, which in the early 1930s began to produce copper powders for the emerging industrial use of self-lubricating bronze bearings. The basic process of copper atomization followed by oxidation and reduction has been optimized over the years, and has for many decades made SCM Metal Products one of the largest copper powder producers in the world. The flexibility of the atomization/oxidation/reduction process permits the manufacture of copper powders with a very broad range of properties. As a result they are used in all major applications requiring copper powder including bronze bearings, ferrous premixes for structural parts, friction materials, carbon brushes, infiltrating powders, electrical parts, conductive paints and decorative finishes. SCM Metal Products also produces atomized tin and lead powders for use in premixes for PM parts and bearings production as well as in chemical applications. In June 2004, H6gan~is AB sold the non-ferrous powders part of SCM Metal Products business and plant operations in North Carolina to Gibraltar Steel Corp of Buffalo, New York. The stainless steel powders, gas-atomized nickel and electrolytic iron powders produced at the Johnstown, Pennsylvania plant were retained by H6gan~s as were the Glidcop dispersion-strengthened copper products (see North American H6gan~is LLC, above). In 2003, SCM Metal Products had about 200 employees at plants in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and its copper business had sales of about US$45 million according to American Metal Market.

Starmet Powders LLC (See Advanced Specialty Metals Inc) loyal America Inc (formerly Alcan Toyo America Inc) 1717 N Naper Blvd, Suite 201 Naperville Illinois 60563 USA Tel: +1 630 505 2160 Fax: +1 630 505 2176 Web: www.toyala.com

186

Metal Powders

Originally established in 1987 as a joint venture between Alcan Aluminum Corp (Cleveland, Ohio) and Toyo Aluminium KK (Osaka, Japan), Toyal America Inc is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nippon Light Metals and Toyo Aluminium KK. Toyal America is a leading producer of aluminium powders, paste, and aluminium flake pigments for applications in the automotive, industrial/protective coatings, powder coating and ink markets. Products manufactured at its Lockport, Illinois plant include non-leafing aluminium pigments, polymer-coated flakes, leafing aluminium pigments, and standard aluminium flake pigments, as well as conventional and spherical-shaped atomized aluminium powders.

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

UltraFine Powder Technology Inc Highland Corporate Park 500 Park East Drive Woonsocket Rhode Island 02895 USA

Tel: +1 401 769 5600 Fax: +1 401 769 5908 E-mail:

[email protected] Web: www. ultrafinepowder.com

Founded in 1987, UhraFine Powder Technology manufactures high quality, specialty metal powders using proprietary vacuum melt, inert gas atomization and melt spin technologies. The gas atomized product line consists of ferrous, nickel, cobalt and copper based alloys used in specialty applications such as metal injection moulding (MIM), HVOF thermal spray, electronic inks, brazing pastes, radar absorption and as additives for conventional powder metallurgy. These powders are produced in a 2500 lb (1100 kg) vacuum melting furnace and subsequently classified or screened to a specific particle size distribution, which can be from 1 to 80 microns. UFP has about 25 employees and is certified to ISO 9002.

United States Bronze Powders Inc 408 Route 202 North PO Box 31 Flemington New Jersey 08822-0031 USA

Tel: +1 908 782 5454 or Tel: +1 908 544 0186 (North America only) Fax: +1 908 782 3489 E-mail" [email protected]

US Bronze Powders makes a wide range of non-ferrous powders and flakes and has a production capacity in excess of 30 000 tonnes/year. The company has four manufacturing facilities in the US, one in Canada (see Canbro, Section 6.1.1), one in Ireland (Shamrock Aluminium, Section 6.2), one in the UK (see Makin Metal Powders Ltd, Section 6.2), and one in France (Poudres Hermillon, Section 6.2). US Bronze Powders produces aluminium, brass, bronze, copper, copperalloy, copper-nickel, and nickel silver powders for PM, and a variety of other applications. It is one of the largest US producers of aluminium, copper, bronze, and stainless steel metallic pigments. Manufacturing capabilities include gas and water atomization, annealing, reduction, electrolysis, grinding, milling, polishing, screening, and blending. US Bronze Powders, through its subsidiary AMPAL Inc, offers aluminium powders, and premixes intended to provide the PM industry with a new medium for both weight reduction and cost savings.

Valimet Inc 431 Sperry Road Stockton California 95206 USA

Tel: +1 209 982 4870 Fax: +1 209 982 1365 E-mail:

[email protected] Web: www.valimet.com

Valimet is a small specialty producer of inert gas atomized aluminium and aluminium alloy powders. Valimet's chief products are spherical powders of aluminium, aluminium-silicon, and aluminium bronze. Valimet also manufactures custom atomized alloy powders. The major markets for its powders are in aerospace, thermal spraying, and pigment (flake) manufacturing. Valimet's plant includes eight inert gas atomizing towers with a total production capacity of over 2000 tonnes/year. Helium gas is used as the atomizing medium and powders are produced in particle size ranges from -80 mesh (177 microns) down to 5 microns. The plant employs 50 people and annual sales are US$9 million.

Metal Powders 187

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

Zinc Corporation of America (ZCA) 900 Delaware Road Palmerton Pennsylvania 18071 USA Tel: +1 610 826 8773 Fax: +1 610 826 8680 E-mail: smeining @zinccorp.com Web: www.zinccorp.com

ZCA was formed in 1987 through the merger of The New Jersey Zinc Co and St Joe Resources Co, to become the largest integrated US producer of zinc, zinc oxide, zinc dust and zinc powder. ZCA is also the world's largest producer of zinc from recycled sources. ZCA's operations consist of a multiproduct zinc manufacturing plant in Monaca and a metal powder facility in Palmerton, Pennsylvania. ZCA manufactures air-atomized zinc powder for battery producers, as well as for brake lining and chemical applications. ZCA also makes copper-based powders by melting, alloying and air-atomization. ZCA copper and copperbased alloy powders (brass, bronze, nickel-silver) are used in PM structural parts, as infihrants for sintering ferrous PM parts, as admixed powders for PM bearings and in friction materials. Non-PM uses include flake and mechanical plating, brazing, and chemical applications, including water purification. New non-leaded, machinable brass powder products were developed for applications where machining is important but leaded brass cannot be tolerated. ZCA also formulated a non-skeletal infihrant for producers seeking cleaner infiltrated ferrous parts.

Europe is the home of a number of major metal powder producers in both the ferrous and non-ferrous sectors. Sweden is the leading producer country, with the world's largest installed capacity units for sponge iron powder and gas-atomized stainless steels. Germany is a major source of both ferrous and non-ferrous powders, while the UK has the largest European source of nickel powders. There are also significant powder production facilities in Belgium, France, Finland, Italy and Spain. While most of this production is consumed in Western Europe, there are substantial exports to North America and the Far East.

ALUMA GmbH (a subsidiary of ECKA Granules) Strohhof 18 D-83418 Fridolfing Germany Tel: +49 8684 9884 0 Fax: +49 8684 1466 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.eckagranules.com

188

Metal Powders

ALUMA G m b H is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ECKA Granules that was acquired in 1993. ALUMA manufactures magnesium and calcium powders and granules in Fridolfing, Germany and is certified to DIN EN 901:2000 and DIN EN ISO 14001"1996.

6

The Aluminium Forge Lane Minworth Sutton Coldfield B76 1AH UK Tel: +44 121 351 4686 Fax: +44 121 3 51 7604 E-mail: jta it@ aIpoco.co. uk Web: www.alpoco.co.uk

Powder

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

Co Ltd

The Aluminium Powder Co Ltd (ALPOCO) is one of the world's largest manufacturers of atomized aluminium powders and granules. ALPOCO was incorporated in 1969 but its roots go back to the 1940s when aluminium powder production was established at Minworth, near Birmingham by Light Metal Products, later taken over by Metals & Alloys (B'ham) Ltd. Since 1990, ALPOCO has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of London and Scandinavian Metallurgical Co Ltd. In 1970, ALPOCO opened a new 5000 tonnes/year plant for atomized high-purity aluminium powder in Holyhead, North Wales, later expanded to 10 000 tonnes/year capacity. The Minworth plant produces specialized grades of aluminium and alloy powders, needles, and granules, by inert gas atomizing and centrifugal spinning-disc or spinning-cup atomizing. The capacity of the Minworth plant is about 5000 tonnes/year. About 50 people are employed at the two plants. The company has a 51% shareholding in Benda-Lutz Alpoco with a 6000 tonnes/year aluminium atomizing plant in Poland. This plant specializes in medium grades of air atomized powders. ALPOCO produces a wide range of aluminium powder products for the paste/pigment, chemical, metallurgical, refractories, explosives, pyrotechnics, spray-deposition and powder metallurgy industries. Metal purities range from superpure 99.99% A1 to secondary 97% AI. ALPOCO also supplies the spherical aluminium powder used in the boosters of the Ariane 5 rocket. A variety of particle sizes can be supplied, ranging from coarse granular material down to "Superfine" (5 micron) sizes. Atomization in air or inert gas allows production of irregular or spherical powders. The company can also supply a wide range of prealloyed or blended powders. Seventy percent of ALPOCO's production is exported (the company won the Queen's Award for Exports in 1984). ALPOCO's quality management system is accredited to ISO9001:2000. AUBERT formerly

6 rue Condorcet F-63063 ClermontFerrand Cedex 1 France Tel: +33 4 73 28 75 43 Fax: +33 4 73 28 90 07 E-mail: Gerard.Raisson@aubert duval.fr

& DUVAL TECPHY

(an E R A M E T

Group company),

AUBERT & DUVAL Powder Division was previously a part of TECPHY founded at the beginning of 1989 as a subsidiary of IMPHY SA, Imphy, Nievre (France). It is now a part of AUBERT & DUVAL in the ERAMET Group, a leading producer of nickel, manganese and special steel and alloys. AUBERT & DUVAL Powder Division manufactures nickel, cobalt, iron and titanium alloy powders by inert gas atomization and the rotating electrode process. Pre-alloyed powders are sold, after screening, for brazing, hard facing and special application, or are converted to fully-dense products by HIPing or hot extrusion. Fully dense products include:

Metal Powders

189

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

9

9 9

semi-products for hot rolling, forging or machining, for medical application (cobalt alloys), Ni-base superalloys for aero engine rotating parts, monolithic shaped parts with simple or sophisticated geometry (ISOPREC | Process), composite material components for multiple applications (corrosion, cold and hot wear, tooling, cryogenics etc.)

AUBERT & DUVAL Powder Division has direct access to the HIP facilities of its subsidiary Traitements Compression Services (TCS) located in MagnyCours (15 km from Imphy). The biggest HIP vessel has a 1200 mm useful diameter. AUBERT & DUVAL Powder Division enjoys metallurgical and technological linkage with ERAMET Group companies in the development of its products, and with university research centres for dedicated technologies (CAD, modeling). The Powder Division employs directly about 30 people. Quality certifications include: ISO 9001 V2K, CE and EN 9100.

BASF AG Global Business Unit Inorganic Specialties and Electronic Chemicals Division Powder Injection Molding G-CAS/BP - J513 67056 Ludwigshafen Germany Tel: +49 621 60 52835 Fax: +49 621 60 22198 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.basfag.de/catamold

190

Metal Powders

BASF is the world's leading chemical company, headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany. With customers in more than 170 countries, BASF is a transnational company with production facilities in 39 countries and approximately 89 000 employees as of 31 December 2002. In its Global Business Unit Inorganics BASF is producing the most diversified range of carbonyl iron powders and Catamold| a ready-to-use feedstock. In carbonyl iron powder BASF is the technology and world market leader. Its plant in Ludwigshafen is the world's largest. Applications of BASF's carbonyl iron powders cover a wide range from powder metallurgy, metal injection molding (MIM), diamond synthesis and diamond tools, electronic components, microwave absorption, magnetorheological fluids to pharmaceutical and food-related markets. Under BASF's trade name Catamold| BASF is selling a ready-to-use granulated feedstock, comprising a powder and a proprietary thermoplastic binder system based on Polyaceta| as well as a new technology of powder injection molding with extremely short debinding times. The Catamold| product range for metal and ceramic injection molding consists of low-alloy steels for heat treatment, stainless steels (including nickel-free stainless steel), tool steel, soft magnetic alloys, special alloys, titanium, oxide and coloured ceramics.

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

BSA Metal Powders (formerly MBC Metal Powders Ltd) Montgomery Street Birmingham B11 1DT UK Tel: +44 121 773 7386 Fax: +44 121 772 3587 E-mail: rweavill @bsapowders.com Web: www.bsapowders.com

After a change of ownership and the sale of the components division by Manganese Bronze Holdings, the Birmingham metal powders plant has returned to the BSA Group. The BSA Group comprises: BSA Precision Castings, BSA Advanced Sintering, BSA Oilite and BSA Metal Powders. The plant has manufactured atomized powders for more than 40 years and currently has a capacity to make 5000 tonnes/year of nitrogen-, water- and air-atomized ferrous and non-ferrous metal powders. Powders can be manufactured to particle size ranges between 5 and 2000 microns by employing mechanical and ultrasonic sieves together with air classification techniques. The Birmingham factory was recently awarded the new BS EN ISO 9001:2000 certificate for the production of a wide variety of iron-, cobalt-, nickel- and copper-based alloys for use in a range of diverse applications from thermal spraying, diamond tooling, brazing and welding, to filtration, hard-facing and powder metallurgy uses. A flexible manufacturing programme enables the plant to cope with a number of different alloys with order sizes ranging from 50 kg to multiple tonnes.

ECKA Granulate MicroMet GmbH Hovestrasse 46a D-20539 Hamburg Germany Tel: +49 40 88885 0 Fax: +49 40 88885 150 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.eckagranules.corn

ECKA Granulate MicroMet GmbH is a producer of electrolytic copper powder and water-atomized copper and copper-alloy powders that became part of ECKA Granules in 2002. The company began as a part of Norddeutsche Affinerie AG (NA), a major producer of metals and chemicals operating an integrated metallurgical and chemical complex in the port of Hamburg. The company has been manufacturing electrolytic copper powder for over 70 years and atomized powders for more than 50 years. The powder production facility was spun off from NA in 1999 and operated as a separate NA unit until the acquisition by ECKA. ECKA Granulate MicroMet currently produces electrolytic copper powders, as well as water-atomized copper and copper alloy powders and air-atomized lead, tin, and lead-tin alloy powders at its Hamburg site. The company also operates a rotary furnace to produce partially-oxidized copper powder for use in the chemical industry as a catalyst. ECKA Granulate MicroMet produces over 200 different types of powders and powder mixtures, used in all the main application areas: sintered parts and bearings, filters, friction materials, carbon brushes, diamond tools, metal-plastic compounds and the manufacture of catalysts. The company employs about 60 people at its Hamburg location and is certified to DIN EN 901:2000 and DIN EN ISO 14001:1996. Two thirds of its 5000 tonnes/year output are sold in Europe, with the balance going to Asia and Latin America.

Metal Powders

191

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

ECKA Granulate Velden GmbH Kaiserstrasse 30 D-90763 FOrth Germany Tel: +49 911 9747 230/292 Fax: +49 911 9747 391 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.eckagranules.corn

ECKA Granulate Velden GmbH, part of the ECKA Granules group, has three plants for manufacturing non-ferrous metal powders in Bavaria, Germany. The Giintersthal plant is a large melting and atomizing plant for non-ferrous metals, ie copper, aluminium and a variety of alloy powders. It also includes a mixing hall for the proprietary press-ready blends ECKA BROMIX| and ECKA ALUMIX| The plant in Giintersthal is certified to ISO/TS 16949:2002, DIN EN 901:2000 and DIN EN ISO 14001:1996. In the industrial region of Velden Nord, ECKA is building a new production site for metal processing. First of all, a melting and atomizing plant for nonferrous metals, copper and copper alloys will be built, followed by a mixing hall for ECKA BROMIX| and ECKA ALUMIX| as well as a technical school with laboratory. ECKA Granules decided in 2001 to take this step in order to meet the growing demand for non-ferrous metal powders and to consolidate and expand ECKA's presence on the international powder market. In this new construction project, quality, flexibility, productivity, environment, and safety will be of prime importance. As a result, in Velden, capacities and competencies will in future be combined in one location, with customers benefiting from shorter delivery times. Furthermore, a certification according to the highest standards is planned for the new plant, in order to continue to guarantee that all quality requirements are fulfilled. The ECKA plant at Trautenfurt is a producer of electrolytic copper powder, and is certified to ISO/TS 16949:2002, DIN EN 901:2000 and DIN EN ISO 14001"1996.

ECKA Granules (ECKA Granulate GmbH & Co KG) Kaiserstrasse 30 D-90763 FOrth Germany Tel: +49 911 9747 208 Fax: +49 911 9747 365 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.eckagranules.corn

ECKA Granules is the world's leading manufacturer of non-ferrous metal powders, with 15 production units around the globe. The product range includes aluminium, magnesium, copper, calcium, tin, lead, zinc, silicon and a variety of alloy powders. Processes employed include grinding, milling, atomization and electrolytic deposition, providing powders and granules with a wide range of particle shapes and sizes. Overall annual production exceeds 100 000 tonnes, including 70 000 tonnes of aluminium powders, 20 000 tonnes of copper powders, 10 000 tonnes of magnesium powders and a significant tonnage of other metal powders. Annual group turnover has risen from about C150 million in 1999 to over C365 million in 2003. In 2003, employment in the group totalled 550, with 404 in Europe, 50 in Asia/Pacific and 90 in the Middle East. Applications for the group's products cover the whole range, from powder metallurgy, welding electrodes, soldering, brazing and flame/plasma spraying, pyrotechnics, to chemical, metallurgical and electronics etc. Founded in 1876 by Carl Eckart as a family gold-beater's shop in Fiirth, Bavaria, ECKART-Werke became, over the ensuing century, a world-leading manufacturer of non-ferrous metal powders, pigments and pastes for the

192

Metal Powders

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

paint, printing, chemical and metallurgical industries, beginning in 1918 with a bronze powders plant in Giintersthal, Bavaria. At the end of the 1960s, ECKART began branching out internationally with new plants and acquisitions. Bahrain Atomisers International was founded in 1972 to produce aluminium powders. In 1974, Non Ferrum, St Georgen, Austria, producer of aluminium, magnesium and alloy powders was acquired. In 1991, the ECKART group purchased the C DORN company, of Trautenfurt, Germany, a manufacturer of electrolytic copper powders, and the following year SPMS Poudmet, S6n6court, France, a non-ferrous powder producer was acquired and now trades as ECKA Granules Poudmet SAS. In 1993, ECKART started the production of water-atomized copper powder in Ekaterinenburg, Russia, as a joint venture, now UEM-ECKA Granules, and acquired ALUMA GmbH, a producer of magnesium and calcium powder and granules in Fridolfing, Germany. A French producer of secondary aluminium granules, METAC, in Biblisheim, France, was acquired in 1995. Then in 1996, to meet the needs of changing markets, and for better efficiency, ECKART-Werke was restructured into two operational groups: ECKART Pigments and ECKART Granules. Continuing its expansion, ECKART Granules acquired the Australian production of Comalco, a producer of atomized aluminium powders, pellets and pastes, and Th Goldschmidt AG, of Essen, Germany, in 1998. In 2000, Non Ferrum GmbH, St Georgen, Austria started production of magnesium raw materials, and Non Ferrum of Slovenia, Kranj, was formed to produce atomized aluminium powders and granules. A complete reorganization and re-naming of the ECKART-Werke company was accomplished in 2001, with the splitting of the group into two independent firms" ECKA Granules GmbH & Co KG and ECKART GmbH & Co KG. This division into separate privately-owned companies will allow ECKA Granules to concentrate all of its efforts on the non-ferrous powders and granules businesses. In the same year, the Ipswich, UK, plant of MBC Metal Powders, a producer of water-atomized copper, bronze and brass powders, was acquired and became ECKA MBC Metal Powders Ltd. More recently, MicroMet GmbH, a subsidiary of Norddeutsche Affmerie, Hamburg, Germany and HOYT Alloys, of the UK, were acquired in 2002 and 2004, respectively.

ECKA Granules Poudmet SAS Rue du Moulin Sdndcourt F-60140 Bailleval France Tel: +33 3446912 31 Fax: +33 3446912 30 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.eckagranules.corn

ECKA Granules Poudmet (a subsidiary of ECKART Granules since 1992) produces water- and air-atomized copper, copper alloy, tin, tin alloy and lead powders at its plant in S~n&ourt, France, for the PM, friction materials, chemical and plastics industries. Production now also includes lead pastes and tin blocks for white alloys.. The company was originally founded in 1922 by Henri Baudier for the production of metallic bronze and gold pigments. After World War II, production expanded and shifted to atomized powders. ECKA Granules Poudmet is equipped for water-, air- and gas atomization, ball-milling, premixes and

Metal Powders

193

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

heat-treated powders, and has a production capacity in excess of 6000 tonnes/year. In 1998, the company acquired Electro-Thermit (a subsidiary of Th Goldschmidt), a manufacturer of white metals for antifriction alloys in ingot and bar forms and tin powder and alloys for the brazing industry. Since October 1999, production has been transferred to France and ECKA Granules Poudmet is now a leading producer of tin powders and metal bearing alloys. The company is certified to I S O / T S 16949:2002, DIN EN 901:2000 and DIN EN ISO 14001:1996.

Eckart Granules Group (see ECKA Granules) ECKART-Poudmet (see ECKA Granules Poudmet SAS) Erasteel Kloster A B - The Powder Division of Erasteel PO Box 100 S-815 82 S6derfors Sweden Tel: +46 293 170 O0 Fax: +46 293 307 70 E-mail: per-anders. [email protected] Web: www.erasteel.fr

In 1992, the French mining and metallurgical group Eramet acquired the Swedish company Kloster Speedsteel and together with Commentryenne, Erasteel was formed. Kloster Speedsteel was renamed Erasteel Kloster AB and became the powder metallurgical division of Erasteel. Erasteel is the largest producer of high-speed steels in the world and Erasteel Kloster AB has since the late 1960s been the pioneer and market leader of powder metallurgical HSS. Erasteel Kloster's powder plant in S6derfors, Sweden is based on the Asea Stora-Process, the origin of the widely known series of powder high-speed steels that go under the brand names ASP | The process is based on inert gas-atomization in combination with the S6derfors-developed Electro Slag Heating- technique (ESH) introduced in 1991. The ESH is a process that drastically reduces the level of non-metallic inclusions. After the atomization, the powder is encapsulated and then HIPed before processing into round or flat bars, wire, strips or sheets etc. The research and development team in S6derfors has for more than 30 years continuously improved the ASP | steels. After the latest upgrades of the process, test results clearly indicate that the ASP| steels are the cleanest PMHSS available. The demand for PM-HSS is constantly increasing and Erasteel Kloster AB has the capacity to meet the requirements. New products are constantly under development for a wide number of uses" cutting tools, saws, knives and wear components. ASP | is a registered trademark of Erasteel.

194

Metal Powders

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

Eurotungst~ne Poudres SA (an Eramet Group company) 9 rue Andr6 Sibellas BP 152X 38042 Grenoble Cedex 9 France Tel: +33 476 705454 Fax: +33 476 485524 E-mail: contact@ eurotungstenepoudres. corn Web: www. eurotungstene.com

Eurotungst~ne Poudres SA has been in business for 50 years and manufactures tungsten and cobalt-based fine powders at its plant in Grenoble, mainly for the diamond tool and cemented carbide industries. Until 2003, Eurotungst~ne Poudres was jointly owned by Sandvik AB of Sweden and the Eramet Group based in France. In August 2003, Sandvik sold its 49% stake in Eurotungst~ne Poudres to the majority shareholder, Eramet. Eurotungst~ne Poudres has about 125 employees and produces over 1200 tonnes/year of powder products for sales of about E35 million. Eramet is a mining and metallurgical group with over 13 000 employees worldwide and sales of E2.2 billion in 2002. Eurotungst~ne Poudres produces five grades of cobalt powders by thermal reduction, with particle sizes ranging from 0.9 to 3.5 microns. The company also produces tungsten metal powders, carbide powders and WC-Co mixed powders. Eurotungst~ne has also developed a series of preaUoyed cobaltiron-copper powders for diamond tool manufacture. These NEXT ~ powders provide significant savings by using cheaper materials and reducing processing cost by lowering the sintering temperature required. The alloys can also be mixed to suit specific applications in the diamond tool industry, such as the cutting of granite, marble, concrete etc, a field in which Eurotungst~ne Poudres can offer leading technology.

Hoeganaes Corporation Europe SA- BUZAU (formerly Ductil Iron Powder SA) 33 Urziceni Street 5100 Buz~u Romania Tel: +40 238 710596 Fax: +40 238 721224 E-mail: powders.dip @ductilsteel.ro Web: www.dip.ro

Ductil Iron Powders SA (DIP) began in 1993 as part of Ductil Steel SA, with an iron powder plant that was commissioned in August 1995. The powder operation was established as a separate business in July 2000 with a capital of DM6 million (E6.4 million). The company manufactures a range of water-atomized iron powders for sintered part production as well as for welding applications at its 10 000 tonnes/year capacity plant in Buz~u, Romania. The company received ISO 9002 certification in 1996 and ISO 9001:2000 certification in October 2002. In June 2003, DIP commissioned a new powder mixing station with blenders up to 10 tonnes and additive handling equipment. Products are sold in Europe, Africa, America and Asia. In November 2003, Hoeganaes Corp of Cinnaminson, New Jersey, announced the acquisition of Ductil Iron Powders, adding that it expected to triple the plant's capacity in the near future. For Hoeganaes Corp, the acquisition was a major step forward by providing full manufacturing capability for its European customers. Ductil Iron Powders was renamed Hoeganaes Corporation Europe S A - Buz~u, Romania, and falls under the recently designated Hoeganaes Corporation Europe, a member of Hoeganaes Corp. The Buz~u plant is approximately 1600 km. Southeast of Hoeganaes' subsidiary in Htickeswagen, Germany.

MetalPowders

195

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

H6ganfis AB S-26383 H6ganhs Sweden Tel: +46 42 33 80 O0 Fax: +46 42 33 81 50 E-mail: ulf.holmqvist@hoganas .com Web: www.hoganas.com

H6gan~is AB is the world's leading supplier of metal powders, headquartered in Sweden, with manufacturing operations in North and South America, Europe, India, China and Japan. Its chief business is in ferrous powders for PM components, welding electrodes, chemical and metallurgical applications. Its other products include copper-base and aluminium powders. The H~3gan~is organization dates back more than 200 years to the 18th century as a manufacturer of refractories and ceramic materials. Its involvement with iron powder stems from the development, in 1910, of the H6gan~is proprietary sponge iron process. Sponge iron was originally sold as a feedstock for manufacture of steel alloys. Experimental production of sponge iron powder began in 1934, and large scale hydrogen reduction was introduced in 1945 (See Section 5.2.4. for a description of the H6gan~is sponge iron powder process). H6gan~is became the leading powder producer following World War II and sponge iron powder capacity was gradually increased to 155 000 tonnes (currently 165 000 tonnes) by the late 1970s. The North American market was originally supplied from Sweden but in the 1950s a subsidiary, Hoeganaes Corp, was formed in the USA to manufacture sponge iron powder and later water-atomized steel powders (See Section 6.1.2). In 1968, H6gan~is sold 80% of its US subsidiary to Interlake Inc, and following the acquisition of Interlake by GKN plc in 1999, the remaining 20% stake in Hoeganaes Corp was sold to GKN in early 2000 for US$65 million. Between 1999 and 2003, Ht~gan~is made a series of acquisitions in Europe and the Americas. H6gan~is started production of water-atomized mild steel at a plant acquired in Bohus, near Gothenburg, Sweden in 1969. However, the company concentrated on its sponge iron products and atomized steel capacity remained at 16 000 tonnes/year until the 1980s, when it was increased to 60 000 tonnes/year. In 1987, H6gan~is AB was acquired by Kanthal AB of Sweden, the present Lind~ngruppen AB. In 1990, the company opened a SEK185 million, 9600 sq m plant for the manufacture of its partially-alloyed (Distaloy) powders, Starmix bonded powders, as well as press-ready premixes. Current capacity of the Distaloy and mixing plant is listed as 200 000 tonnes. In the same year, two further new plants were announced: the building of a 1300 tonnes/year plant for gas-atomization of alloy powders at the Coldstream SA subsidiary in Ath, Belgium, and the conversion of a former steel plant at Halmstad, Sweden, for the production of water-atomized ferrous powders which H6gan~is took over from Fundia Steel Co in May 1991. The plant, started up in mid-1992, is located 80 km north of H/3gan~is and is equipped with a 55 tonne arc furnace which has a capacity of 200 000 tonnes/year of liquid steel and replaced the former steel atomizing facilities at Bohus. Annealing and final processing is carried out at H6gan~is. Recent new product introductions include Astaloy CrM and Astaloy CrL, economical and environmentally-friendly low-alloy steel powders for high-performance

196

Metal Powders

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

PM applications, and Somaloy soft magnetic iron materials for use in electromagnetic applications such as ignition coils and compact electric motors. In 1985, H6gan~is acquired Coldstream SA, of Belgium, a manufacturer of water- and gas-atomized stainless steel and high-alloy powders. Coldstream, originally founded in 1968, was renamed H/3gan~is Belgium SA in 1999 (see below) when it became a wholly-owned member of the group. In addition to its Belgian subsidiary, H/3gan~is has established manufacturing subsidiaries in India, Japan and China (see elsewhere in this chapter). In June 1999, Htigan~is acquired Belgo Brasileira, a Brazilian manufacturer of wateratomized iron powder and aluminium powder, and in April 2000 the ferrous powder business of Pyron Corp was purchased. In the second quarter of 2000 Hrgan~is bought Powdrex Ltd, of Tonbridge, UK, a manufacturer of water-atomized high speed steel powders for s million and brought it into the Coldstream division. North American Hrgan~is Inc was established in 1999 to be the base for H~gan~ activities in North America and in the first quarter of 2000 the FirstMiss Steel plant in Hollsopple, Pennsylvania was acquired at a price of about US$11 million, to be refitted as a water-atomized iron powder plant, commencing production operations in late 2001. In 2002, Hrgan~is doubled the capacity of Coldstream's Belgian plant for gas-atomized nickelbased thermal spray powders and closed down a smaller gas-atomization plant at its H/Sgan~, Sweden site. In 2003, H/Sgan~is acquired SCM Metal Products, North Carolina, USA, a leading manufacturer of copper-base, stainless steel and other metal powders, from OM Group, of Cleveland, Ohio for US$65 million. SCM (see Section 6.1.2) operated as an independent unit of North American H6gan~is, but the copper powder business of SCM was later divested. In the same year, Hrgan~is AB expanded the iron powder capacity of its Brazil plant with a new powder annealing line and a mixing station. With continuing investments in almost all production units, H6gan~is' global capacity has now reached over 500 000 tonnes/year for atomized powders and 175 000 tonnes/year for sponge iron powders. In March 1994, Lindrngruppen AB sold 80% of Htigan~is AB shares in a public offering, and the shares were re-instated on the Stockholm stock exchange in April of that year. With the exception of 1996, Hrgan/is sales revenue has increased each year since the beginning of the 1990s, to reach SEK4162 million (about US$550 million) in 2004, when over 350 000 tonnes of product were shipped. Today, the H6gan~is group is positioned as a global supplier with production facilities in all the industrial regions and sales companies in France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Spain, Taiwan and the UK. Its corporate headquarters in H/Sgan~is, Sweden, include such functions as marketing, human resources, engineering, QA, IT, finance and R&D.

Metal Powders 197

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

H6ganiis Belgium SA (formerly Coldstream SA) Ruelle Gros Pierre 10 B-7800 Ath Belgium Tel: +32 68 26 89 89 Fax: +32 68 28 57 75 Web: www.hoganas.com

In 1999, Coldstream SA was renamed H6gan~is Belgium SA. The Belgiumbased subsidiary of H6gan~is AB manufactures stainless steel and high-alloy powders by water- and gas-atomization. It also produces pulverized ferroalloys and undertakes recycling of hardmetal materials to powder. Originally founded in 1968, Coldstream was acquired by H6gan~is AB in November 1985. The company produces over 200 different alloy grades in as many as 40 different sieve cuts. End uses range from special PM and filter applications to welding consumables and hardfacing. A new 1000 tonnes/year plant for gas-atomization was completed in 1991 at a cost of US$6 million. This facility produces powders for thermal coatings, plasma transferred arc (PTA) welding, hot isostatic pressing and MIM. Following a new share issue in 1991, H6gan~is' interest in Coldstream SA was reduced to 78%. In 1995 Coldstream built an extension to its 2500 tonnes/year wateratomized stainless steel powder plant, which went into production in early 1996. In 1998, H6gan~is responded to the growing market for PM stainless steel components in the automotive industries around the world, announcing a quadrupling of the water-atomization capacity of its Belgian facility and the installation of a new fully-automated furnace, to achieve a total water-atomization capacity of 20 000 tonnes/year by 2000. In 2002, H6gan~is doubled the capacity of Coldstream's gas atomization plant for the production of nickel-based self-fluxing thermal spray powders and closed down a smaller gas atomization facility in Sweden.

HC Starck GmbH PO Box 2540 38615 Goslar Germany Tel: +49 5321 751 0 Fax: +49 5321 751 6192 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.hcstarck.com

In 1920, Herman C Starck founded his company, which originally traded in ferro-alloys and ore concentrates. In subsequent years, production facilities were purchased to diversify the company's product range. H C Starck has developed to become one of the world's major producers of refractory metals, ceramic powders and functional materials for the electronics industry as well as semi-finished and finished parts made of these materials. Starck's newest product launch consisted of powders and components for hightemperature fuel cells. The product list includes powders made of the refractory metals tungsten, molybdenum, rhenium, tantalum, niobium, and of non-ferrous metals such as cobalt and nickel as well as a wide range of intermediates for advanced ceramics. HC Starck is a leader in the recovery of tungsten, cobalt and tantalum from scrap hardmetals and residues. Markets and applications for the company's products cover a huge range fi'om intermediates for hardmetals, cermets and diamond tools, over 500 different compositions of thermal spray powders, electronics applications such as tantalum metal powders for capacitors, materials for superconductors and sputtering targets, nickel and cobalt powders for rechargeable batteries as well as semi-finished products and compounds and catalysts for the chemical industry. Electroconductive polymers and colloidal silica complement the product

198

Metal Powders

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

range, especially for applications in the electronics sector. Other important markets are the aerospace industry, medical engineering, materials processing and power engineering. In addition to its headquarters in Goslar, the HC Starck Group has four plants in Germany, six manufacturing subsidiaries in the USA and Canada, and production facilities in Japan and Thailand. Since 1986, HC Starck has been part of the international Bayer Group. Sales for HC Starck GmbH were E607 million in 2002. INCO Special Products Gordon House 10 Greencoat Place London SWIP 1PH UK

Tel: +44 20 7932 1508 Fax: +44 20 7931 7799 E-mail" [email protected] Web: www.incosp.com

INCO Europe produces high-purity nickel at its Clydach refinery near Swansea, Wales, UK, which commenced production with the carbonyl process in 1902 and is today the largest nickel refinery in Europe. In addition to nickel melting pellets a range of special products are manufactured at Clydach for worldwide markets: filamentary and discrete powder products, extra fine powders, nickel-coated graphite particles, nickel-coated carbon fibres and nickel foams. These products complement those produced at the INCO Copper Cliff Nickel Refinery in Sudbury, Canada (see INCO Special Products, Section 6.1.1). Makin Metal Powders B r o n z e P o w d e r s Inc)

Buckley Road Rochdale Lancs OL12 9DT UK

Tel: +44 1706 717317 Fax: +44 1706 717303

L t d (a s u b s i d i a r y of U n i t e d S t a t e s

Makin Metal Powders, the UK subsidiary of United States Bronze Powders (see Section 6.1.2), is one of the largest European producers of copper and copper-alloy powders. Makin has been involved in the manufacture of nonferrous powders for over 50 years. Operating from a recently constructed purpose-buih facility in Rochdale, England, Makin employs 65 people and has annual sales in excess of US$20 million. Its principal products are copper, bronze, copper alloys and tin for PM and other applications, notably powder metallurgy, friction components and carbon brushes. Both water- and gas-atomization processes are used and the plant has a total capacity of about 8000 tonnes/year. Electrolytic powder is also supplied. In addition, Makin markets the group's aluminium powder for PM applications in Europe. Through its partnership programme, Makin looks to enhance quality and reduce costs for its worldwide customer base, which is served by 14 agents throughout Europe, the Pacific Rim and North America. Currently Makin is certified to QS9000, ISO9002 and ISO14001.

Metal Powders

199

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

Mepura Metallpulver GmbH (a subsidiary of ECKA Granules) Lach 22 A-5282 Ranshofen Austria Tel: +43 7722 62216 0 Fax: +43 7722 62216 11 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.eckagranules.com

Mepura Metallpulver Gesellschaft is another of the earliest companies acquired by the ECKART group, in 1970. The company produces airatomized aluminium powders and employs over 40 people. The start up of a completely automated atomizer, controlled through an on-line laser diffraction particle size measuring system was announced in 2004. Mepura is certified to DIN EN 901:2000 and DIN EN ISO 14001:I996.

MI~TAC- France Sarl (a subsidiary of ECKA Granules) 10 Route de Walbourg F-67360 Biblisheim France Tel: +33 388 902565 Fax: +33 388 902566 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.eckagranules.corn

MI~TAC- France Sarl, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ECKA Granules, was acquired in 1995. The company produces secondary aluminium grit and granules.

Metapol SA (a subsidiary of Pometon SpA) Dr Bergos, s/n ~ 08291 Ripollet (Barcelona) Spain Tel: +34 3 692 1750 Fax: +34 3 691 7234 E-mail: [email protected]

Metapol is the sole producer of PM powders in Spain, and has been manufacturing non-ferrous powders for more than 30 years. Since 1996 it has been part of the Pometon group (see below). Metapol employs 11 people and produces about 2000 tonnes/year of copper, bronze, zinc and tin powders at its plant in Ripollet near Barcelona. Powder is produced either by air- or water-atomization followed by reduction annealing, milling and screening. Combined atomization capacity is 3000 tonnes/year. Further facilities exist for the manufacture of approximately 500 tonnes/year of brass powders for friction materials. About 60% of Metapol's production is exported, with Europe and Latin America being major markets for its I'M grades. Metapo} has achieved ISO 9002 Quality System Certification by Det Norske Veritas Espafia.

MicroMet G m b H - see ECKA Granulate MicroMet GmbH Non Ferrum Kranj DOO (a subsidiary of ECKA Granules) Struzevo 66 SL-4000 Kranj Slovenia Tel: +386 42577 550/110 Fax: +386 42577 551 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.eckagranules.corn 200

Metal Powders

Non Ferrum of Slovenia was founded by ECKART in 2000, to produce airatomized aluminium powders and granules. The company is certified to DIN EN 901:2000 and DIN EN ISO 14001"1996.

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

Non Ferrum Metallpulvergesellschaft (a subsidiary of ECKA Granules) PO Box 11 A-5113 St Georgen bei Salzburg Austria Tel: +43 6272 2919 0 Fax: +43 6272 8439 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.eckagranules.com

Non Ferrum of St Georgen, Austria, was one of the earliest companies purchased by the ECKART group. The St Georgen plant, acquired in 1974, produces air-atomized aluminium, magnesium and alloy powders and granules. The company is certified to DIN EN 901:2000 and DIN EN ISO 14001:1996.

OMG Kokkola Chemicals Oy (a subsidiary of OM Group Inc) Outokummuntie 6 PO Box 286 SF-67101 Kokkola Finland Tel: +358 6 828 0111 Fax: +358 6 828 1260 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.omgi.com

OMG Kokkola Chemicals Oy, a subsidiary of OM Group Inc (see Section 6.1.2), manufactures extrafine and ultrafine cobalt powders and graded powders as well as metal carboxylates and metal salts at its refinery in Kokkola, Finland. OMG Kokkola Chemicals' fine cobalt powders find applications as binders for diamond tools, in hardmetal PM applications for cutting tools and drills, and as strengthening agents for saw blades and drills. Cobalt powder is also used in flame spraying and plasma spraying powders which may contain anywhere from 6% to 77% of cobalt. Other applications include magnets, batteries, electronics and chemicals.

Osprey Metals Ltd - see Sandvik Osprey Ltd - Powder

Group

Pometon SpA Via Circonvallazione 62 30030 Maerne (Venezia) Italy Tel: +39 041 2903611 Fax: +39 041 641624 E-mail: powders @pometon.com

Pometon is a major producer of metal powders and steel shot, with four plants in the Northeast of Italy. Steel shot and grit for sand blasting, shot peening and marble- and granite-cutting are manufactured at a 130 000 tonnes/year plant at San Giorgio di Nogara. Water atomized iron powders, destined principally for PM parts, are produced at the Maerne plant, with a capacity of 40 000 tonnes/year. Diffusion-bonded and sinter-hardening powders are also manufactured here, as well as press-ready iron-based premixes. Other applications are in the chemical industry, welding electrode coatings and seed selection. Copper-based powders, both electrolytic and water-atomized, as well as tin and zinc powders, are produced at in the Venezia-Marghera plant, capacity 6500 tonnes per annum. Here, too, the main application is PM parts, plus friction materials, carbon brushes and diamond tools. Production of magnesium-based products (powders, granules and chips) takes place at a second plant at San Giorgio di Nogara, with a capacity of 6000 tonnes/year, the applications being desulphurizing in steel, welding electrode coatings and pyrotechnics. Metal Powders 201

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

Pometon, certified ISO 9001, currently employs 300 people, with a turnover of approximately C60 million.

Poudres Hermillon SA (a subsidiary of United States Bronze Powders Inc) Usine d'HermillonBP 45 400 route des Jardins 73302 Saint-Jean-deMaurienne Cedex France Tel: +33 4 79 59 18 02 Fax: +33 4 79 59 18 21 E-mail: [email protected]

Poudres Hermillon was founded in 1958 as part of the Pechiney Group. Its plant in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in the southeast part of France is strategically located about 50 kms east of Grenoble. Since 1999, Poudres Hermillon has been part of United States Bronze Powders Inc (see Section 6.1.2). Production capabilities include 10 000 tonnes/year of atomized aluminium powder and aluminium shot/pellets, marketed predominantly to the chemical and metallurgical industries. The Poudres Hermillon product line also includes aluminium flake pastes for aerated concrete applications and nodular and spherical uhrafine aluminium powders for a variety of applications including coatings and electronics. Poudres Hermillon has 35 employees and has been ISO 9002 certified since 1994.

Powdrex Ltd (a subsidiary of H6ganiis AB) 58/66 Morley Road Tonbridge Kent TN9 1RP UK Tel: +44 1732 362243 Fax: +44 1732 770262 E-mail: powdrex @powdrex.com Web: www.powdrex.com

Powdrex is a specialist manufacturer of water-atomized high speed steel and high-alloy powders for cutting tools, wear parts and automotive va}ve seat inserts. The powders are vacuum-annealed to achieve a consistently low oxygen level, accurate carbon content and good compressibility. The main markets are in Germany, the USA and UK. The company, founded in 1972, has about 35 employees and was part ofWilshaw plc until 2000. Powdrex has expanded capacity to meet demand for high speed steel and high alloy ferrous powders, increasing annealing and powder reduction capacity by 50% since 1994. The company has also developed a stainless wear-resistant steel powder for pressing and sintering. In July 2000, Powdrex was acquired from Wilshaw for s million.

QMP Metal Powders GmbH (a subsidiary of Quebec Metal Powders Ltd) Ohlerkirchweg 66, Postfach 100645 D-41006 M6nchengladbach Germany Tel: +49 2161 352 800 Fax: +49 2161 352 8017 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.qmppowders.corn

202

Metal Powders

In July 1998, Quebec Metal Powders Ltd, Montreal, Canada, purchased Mannesmann Demag AG's metal powder business in M6ncheng|adbach, Germany. The Meer Pulvermetall Division of Mannesmann Demag has a long history of ferrous powder production at its plant, having begun manufacturing of iron powder in 1952 using the air atomization RZ process (see Section 5.5.2) developed by Mannesmann in the 1940s. Water atomization of steel powder was developed in the 1960s, and highcompressibility steel powders for PM were introduced during the 1970s. The M6nchengladbach plant, which employs 75 people and has a 32 000 tonne/year annealing capacity for steel powder production, is currently supplied with raw atomized powder from QMP's plant in Tracy, Canada. QMP Metal Powders GmbH continues to produce all the prior Mannesmann steel powder grades and premixes.

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

Sandvik Osprey Ltd - Powder Group Red Jacket Works, Millands Road Neath W Glamorgan SA11 1NJ UK Tel: +44 1639 634121 Fax: +44 1639 630100 E-mail: powders.osprey @sandvik.com Web: www. ospreymetals.co.uk

The Powder Group o f Sandvik Osprey Ltd (a Sandvik Materials Technology group company) manufactures gas atomized powders in a wide range of alloys for thermal spraying, brazing, selective laser sintering, metal injection moulding (MIM) and other PM applications. The Powder Group currently employs 50 people at its plant in Neath, South Wales, where gas atomized production has recently been expanded to 900 tonnes per year. The bulk of this expansion is directed to the manufacture of sub 30 micron powder for MIM and other PM processes requiting fine particle size material. Powder sales in 2003 exceeded US$6 million and further expansion of production capacity is under consideration. The company's Quality Assurance Accreditation was recently upgraded to ISO 9000 2000 from the ISO 9001 standard it has held since 1993.

Shamrock Aluminium Ltd (a subsidiary of United States Bronze Powders Inc) Grannagh Waterford Ireland Tel: +353 51 855511 Fax: +353 51 875843 E-mail" tbarry@ shamrockaluminium.ie

Shamrock Aluminium Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of United States Bronze Powders Inc (see Section 6.1.2), was established in 1979 and has been operating continuously since that time. The company manufactures aluminium pigment in paste and flake powder form and has an annual capacity of about 1000 tonnes. The major applications are in the coatings, plastics and chemicals fields.

Tecphy- see Aubert & Duval Union M i n i ~ r e - Cobalt and Energy Products- see Umicore U m i c o r e - Engineered Metal Powders (UM - EMP} Watertorenstraat 33 B - 2250 Olen Belgium Tel: +32 14 24 54 78 Fax: +32 14 24 57 56 E-mail" [email protected] Web: www.umicore.com

Umicore is an international ~metals and materials group headquartered in Belgium. Its activities are centred on five business areas: Precious Metals Services, Precious Metals Products and Catalysts, Advanced Materials, Zinc and Copper. Each business area is divided into market-focused business units. The Umicore Group has industrial operations on all continents and serves a global customer base; it generated a turnover of E3.2 billion in 2002 and currently employs some 12 500 people Engineered Metal Powders ( U M - EMP) and Specialty Oxides and Chemicals (UM - SOC) are two business units of Umicore active in the fields of mainly cobalt-related value added products and were formed out of the previous Umicore Cobalt & Energy Products business units in 2003. U M EMP produces cobalt powders and alloyed powders (Cobalite | for hardmetals and diamond tools, nickel and copper powders for the electronic industry and zinc powders for primary

Metal Powders 203

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

batteries. U M - SOC produces cobalt oxides and salts and other metal salts for the rechargeable battery industry and chemical, food and ceramic industry. Umicore, via its business units EMP and SOC is a leading producer of advanced materials for batteries, diamond tools, hardmetals, ceramics and industrial metal-based chemicals. It has manufacturing plants in Olen, Belgium (cobalt and nickel), Laurinburg, USA (cobalt and tungsten carbide), Shanghai, PRC (cobalt and zinc, see Section 6.4), Roodeport, South Africa (cobalt), Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada (cobalt, nickel and copper, see Section 6.1.1), Overpelt, Belgium (zinc), Chonan, Korea (lithium-cobalt oxide) and has a joint venture in Japan (Battery Materials Corp, cobalt and nickel).

Metal powder production in Japan is mostly concentrated in a handful of large companies. Japan is a major source of iron and steel powders, largely for domestic consumption.

Atmix Corp (formerly Pacific Metals Co) 8F Kanda Takano Bldg 2-3-1 Kaji-cho Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 100-0044 Japan Tel: +81 3 5298 3351 Fax: +81 3 5298 3366 E-mail: kato.yosh iyuki@exc. epson.co.jp Web: www.atmix.co.jp

Atmix Corp was formed in 1999 to take over the metal powder manufacturing and marketing activities of Pacific Metals Co (PAMCO). The company is a subsidiary of Seiko Epson Co and has its head office and plant in Hachinohe, Japan and an office in Tokyo. Atmix has some 80 employees and will continue to manufacture the complete range of water-atomized stainless and high-alloy steel powders formerly produced by Pacific Metals and retains the 'PAMCO' trademark. Atmix manufactures stainless steel, high speed steel and nickel- and cobaltbased high alloy powders for both conventional PM and MIM applications. Atmix produces water-atomized powders from two 3-tonne HF melting furnaces installed to replace equipment formerly used at PAMCO. The company has developed a method for mass production of uhrafine powders by water atomizing with pressures of 1500 kgf/cm 2 to yield powders with mean particle size as low as one micron. The Hachinohe works also includes an in-house MIM plant opened in 1989. More recently, Atmix has developed agglomeration technology to provide granulated fine powders that permit higher densities and mechanical properties to be obtained more economically by conventional pressing and sintering.

204

Metal Powders

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

Daido Steel Co Ltd Daido Shinagawa Bldg 6-35 1-chome Kounan Minato-ku Tokyo 108-8478 Japan Tel: +81 3 5495 1284 Fax: +81 3 5495 6747

Daido Steel is an important producer of stainless steels and specialty alloys with annual sales in 1999 of u billion (about US$2 billion). At its Tsukiji plant in Nagoya, the Metal Powder Division also produces water-, gas-, vacuum melting gas- and levi-atomized powders. Its chief PM products are stainless steel powders, HSS powder and billet (by HIPing), super-alloy powders, magnetic alloy powders, high alloy powders for auto parts etc, hardfacing powder for plasma deposition, various alloy powders for MIM and reactive metal powder including Ti alloys. Production capacities for water-atomization and gas-atomization are 4800 and 1200 tonnes/year, respectively. The powder manufacturing plant employs about 40 people and has an annual sales volume ofu billion (US$19 million).

Fukuda Metal Foil and Powder Co Ltd 20 Nakatomi-cho Nishinoyama Yamashina-ku Kyoto 607-8305 Japan Tel: +81 75 593 1590 Fax: +81 75 501 1895 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.fukudakyoto.co.jp

Fukuda Metal Foil and Powder is the successor company of a gold and silver leaf and powder business, founded in Kyoto in 1700. Today, Fukuda is a leading specialized manufacturer of metal foils and powders for global markets, supplying hundreds of companies around the world. The company currently has about 600 employees and in 2003 overall sales passed the 27 billion Yen mark. Its chief powder products are electrolytic and atomized copper powders and atomized copper alloy powders, premixed bronze powders, nickel-based powders and flake powders of tin, lead, zinc etc. Fukuda has two metal powder plants, both in Japan. Its Yamashina plant in Kyoto began production of brass flake powder for pigments in 1908, and the production of electrolytic copper powder in 1937. Production of other powders followed and an atomization plant was opened in 1958. An inertgas atomization unit opened in 1962. Fukuda opened a second plant at Shiga in 1986 and now has a total powder capacity of 12 000 tonnes/year. Total employment in the Metal Powder Division is 280, and annual sales volume is about US$85 million. Fukuda produces over 10 000 tonnes/year of metal powders and flake and claims the largest market share in Japan for non-ferrous metal powders, supplying over 1000 types of products. As indicated by the number of product grades, Fukuda powders are used in a multiplicity of applications, the main sectors being: PM bearings, brushes, filters and structural parts; magnetic materials, electronics, flame-spraying, metallic pigments for printing inks, textile printing and paints, alloy additives, brazing filler metals, battery electrode materials, catalysts and chemicals. Fukuda began making spherical titanium metal powder by the plasma rotating electrode process in 1993 and started marketing this product for use in the manufacture of artificial joints in 2000. Fukuda Metal Foil and Powder has been certified to ISO 9001 since 1995 and the Shiga factory was certified to ISO 14000 standard in 2000.

Metal Powders 205

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

H6ganiis Japan KK 5th Floor Tanabe Building 13-16 Akasaka, 3-chome Minato-ku Tokyo 107-0052 Japan Tel: +81 3 3582 8280 Fax: +81 3 3584 9087 E-mail: goran.wastenson @hoganas.com

HOgan~is AB of Sweden began iron powder sales operations in the Japanese market in the early 1950s, initially through Gadelius KK. In 1985, H~Sgan~is Gadelius KK was formed to take over the business and a blending plant was built in Saitama, Japan, in 1987, to produce customized powder premixes. In 1994, H6gan~is acquired 100% of the company, which was renamed H6gan~is Japan KK. Current powder mixing capacity is quoted at 20 000 tonnes/year.

JFE Steel Corp (Iron Powder Technology Division) (formerly Kawasaki Steel Corp) 1 Kawasaki-cho Chuo-ku Chiba 260-0835 Japan Tel: +81 43 262 2776 Fax: +81 43 262 2080 Contact: www.jfesteel.co.jp/cgibin/toiawase.cgi Web: www.jfesteel.co.jp

JFE Steel Corp (JFE) began manufacturing and selling iron powders in 1966 and since 1978 has produced both reduced iron powders and atomized powders at the Chiba Works plant of this large integrated steel producer. JFE's production capacity for reduced iron powders is 40 000 tonnes/year, and 54 000 tonnes for atomized iron and low-alloy steel powders. JFE started operation of a second atomizing plant at the Chiba Works in 1991, which enables it to produce a new high-compressible pure iron powder by processing developed in house. In 2004, JFE expanded its production of segregation-free iron powder which it had been manufacturing since 1989. JFE's powders are sold chiefly for PM applications (auto parts), welding rod coatings, flame-cutting, chemical applications, as deoxidation material, in "body warmers", and as toner carrier material in photocopiers.

Kawasaki Steel Corp- see JFE Steel Corp Kobe Steel Ltd 9-12 Kitashinagawa, 5-chome Shinagawa-ku Tokyo 141-8688 Japan Tel: +81 3 5739 6221 Fax: +81 3 5739 6933 E-mail" ito.ryoji @steel.kobelco.co.jp Web: www.kobelco.co.jp

206

Metal Powders

Kobe Steel is a major Japanese steel producer with over 26 000 employees and has also been a leading company in the production of water-atomized steel powders since 1970. In 1992, Kobe Steel opened its new steel powder plant at its Takasago Works in Hyogo-Ken with a capacity of 6000 tonnes/month and the latest in powder production technology and equipment, providing computerized continuous production, embodying 20 years knowledge and experience. The plant uses an electric arc furnace (DC furnace with EBT) to melt high-grade steel scrap followed by wateratomization, drying, and reduction-annealing in a belt furnace, which can consistently produce a high-compressibility steel powder. The plant became the first powder producer in Japan to receive ISO 9001 certification, demonstrating continued commitment to quality. In an effort to further its commitment to environmental concerns, the Takasago plant also obtained ISO 14001 certification in 1999.

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

Kobe Steel also produces free-cutting (machinable-grade) steel powders, low-alloy steel powders- both partially-alloyed and pre-alloyed, and its "Segless" brand of segregation-free powder. Kobe Steel recently added several newly-developed powder grades: a warm compaction grade for highdensity PM parts, a special pre-alloyed powder for sinter-hardening applications and an insulation-treated powder for new soft-magnetic applications. Kobe Steel is continuing to develop new products and production techniques for future applications. In a separate facility at Takasago, Kobe Steel also manufactures gas-atomized high speed steel powders and water-atomized fine powders for MIM. The tool steel powders are produced for fabrication in-house into highperformance PM tool steel products. Kobe Steel has been manufacturing PM tool steels since 1978, using company-developed gas atomizing equipment and HIP technology. Low-oxygen spherical steel powder is made by injecting high-pressure nitrogen into the stream of molten metal from the tundish. The powder is canned in mild steel and pressed to full density by HIP processing. The resulting tool steel ingots are forged or rolled into various shapes and sizes to suit final applications. Kobe Steel has been the leading producer of PM tool steels in Japan for a number of years. The capacity of the gas atomization plant is 1000 tonnes per annum. Kobe Steel also produces fine powders by proprietary high-pressure water atomization for MIM applications in high-tech industries including electronics (eg parts for mobile phones) and advanced machinery. The main grades produced are stainless steel, high-speed steel, and a special pre-alloy for magnetic applications. Powders are produced with a mean particle size of about 10 microns, a low oxygen content of less than 0.3% and no segregation of alloying elements. Kobelco Metal Powder of America (see Section 6.1.2) was established as a subsidiary of Kobe Steel in 1987, and began operating in 1989 to meet the growing demands of the North American market. Kobelco Metal Powder of America is an ISO 9002/QS 9000 certified producer, enabling Kobe Steel to supply superior quality atomized iron and steel powders worldwide.

The following profiles for metal powder producers outside the major economic zones of North America, Europe and Japan cover only a fraction of those that are in operation. China and India, for example, are believed to have more metal powder plants than the rest of the world combined, but most are very tiny. Most of the profiles included in this section are based on the responses from the multi-national producers.

Metal Powders 207

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

6.4.1 Australia ECKA Granules Australia Pty Ltd PO Box 382 George Town TAS 7253 Australia Tel: +61 3 6382 3453 Fax: +61 3 6382 3439 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.eckagranules.corn

ECKA Granules Australia resulted from the acquisition by ECKART of the Tasmanian production unit of COMALCO in 1998. The company produces air-atomized aluminium powders and pellets. The plant uses hot metal from the adjacent smelter of COMALCO. ECKA Granules Australia has a capacity in excess of 12 000 tonnes/year and makes products mainly for use in the refractories industry and chemical applications and, since 2001, fine powders for use in pigments and automotive finishes.

Western Mining Corp- see WMC Resources Ltd WMC Resources Ltd (formerly Western Mining Corp)

Kwinana Nickel Refinery Patterson Road Kwinana WA 6167 Australia Tel: +61 9 439 0000 Fax: +61 9 439 0150 E-mail: tony.chamberlain @wmc.com Web: www.wmc.com

WMC Resources Ltd (WMC), formerly Western Mining Corp, established in 1933, is one of Australia's largest mining companies with assets of over A$8 billion and annual sales of A$3.8 billion (US$2.8 billion). The original parent in the group, WMC Resources, re-emerged through the de-merger of WMC Ltd in December 2002. In late 2004 and early 2005, WMC Resources was the subject of a take-over battle. In April 2005, a A$9.2 billion offer from Aalglo-Australian resources giant BHP Billiton was given the green light by the Australian authorities. BHP Billiton announced 100% ownership of WMC Resources in August 2005. WMC's operations include a large portfolio of mining interests that cover nickel, copper, uranium oxide and phosphate fertilizer, as well as gold and silver. WMC began making nickel powder in 1970 by the Sherritt process (see Section 5.2.2) at its Kwinana refinery 35 km south of Perth in Western Australia. The original 15 000 tonnes/year plant was modified and expanded, first to 35 000 tonnes, then to 42 000 tonnes/year in 1993, and finally to 70 000 tonnes/year in the second half of 2004. Increased production has resulted from de-bottlenecking, improved process control and other improvements. The Kwinana plant is the fifth largest nickel refinery in the world. Since 1985 the feedstock for the refinery has been 100% nickel matte from WMC's Kalgoorlie smelter. Nickel powder, 99.8% pure, from the refinery is mostly pressed into briquettes and sintered to produce products for use as melting stock to manufacture stainless steels and superalloys. Some powder is also used in non-ferrous applications such as electroplating and for the manufacture of coinage and catalysts. The Kwinana refinery also produces several important by-products, including precious metals. More than 90% of the refinery's output is exported. Nickel metal production at Kwinana rose slightly in 2004 to 62 000 tonnes and is expected to increase by 8% in 2005 as a result of the recent expansion.

208

Metal Powders

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

6.4.2 Bahrain Bahrain Atomisers International BSC Ltd PO Box 5328 Manama Bahrain Tel: +973 17 830 008 Fax: +973 17 830 025 E-mail: bai [email protected] Web: www.eckagranules.com

Bahrain Atomisers International (BAI) is a joint venture between ECKA Granules and the government of Bahrain that began over 30 years ago. BAI produces atomized aluminium powders and pellets from liquid primary aluminium supplied by a nearby aluminium smelter (ALBA Aluminiumhtitte Bahrain) that is also a joint venture between ECKA and Bahrain. The first atomizer started up in 1973 and was expanded to over 7000 tonnes/year during 1980-1995. In 1994, a granulation unit with a capacity of over 2000 tonnes/year was added. A second atomizer was installed and commissioned in 1995 for the production of ultra-fine aluminium powders. BAI employs 55 people and has been certified to ISO 9001 since 2000.

6.4.3 Brazil Belgo Brasileiro S A - see Hrgan~is Brasil Ltda Hrganis Brasil Ltda (formerly Belgo Brasileiro SA) Av Pres Humberto Alencar Castelo Branco 2705 Bairro Rio Abaixos Jacarei CEP 12301-150 Brazil Tel: +55 11 4793 7711 Fax: +55 11 7787 7263 E-mail" [email protected] Web: www.hoganas.com

Founded in 1962, Belgo Brasileira had been producing atomized aluminium powder, and since 1984, atomized iron and steel powders. In 1999, Htgan~is AB acquired 100% of Belgo Brasileira, and on 1 January 2000, the company formally became HOgan~is Brasil Ltda. The company has annual sales of US$20 million and employs about 160 people. The production plant had annual capacities of 20 000 tonnes for iron powders and 5000 tonnes for aluminium powder. In July 2004 a new, highly-automated annealing and mixing plant was opened at Jacarei, 80 km north of Sao Paulo. The new facility increased capacity and was claimed to be able to produce ferrous powder grades matching those produced at other H t g a n ~ plants around the world. The original atomizing plant at Mogi das Cruzes remains in production providing raw powders for the new plant as well as welding grades and the aluminium powders. The plant at Jacarei is built on a site that has enough space for eventual construction of a complete plant. The company is also responsible for the distribution of the complementary range of products produced by the HOgan~is group in Europe.

Metalp6 Industria e Com~rcio Ltda Rua Cel Josd Rufino Freire 453 S~o Paulo - SP - 05159900 Brazil Tel: +55 11 3906 3002 Fax: +55 11 3904 7680 E-mail" sinterizados @metalpo.com.br Web: www.metalpo.com.br

Metalp6 is a 100% Brazilian metal powder and PM parts producer, established in 1967. Its main products are self-lubricating beatings, and structural parts for the automotive and home appliance markets. Metalp6 produces copper powder and its alloys, bronze and brass, tin and lead powders. The PM parts are produced in iron and iron alloys, including stainless steel, bronze and brass. Products are supplied to automotive industries, car assemblers and autoparts producers and home appliance manufacturers in Brazil and worldwide, exporting to South and North America and Europe. Metal Powders 209

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

Metalp6's production capacity is about 1600 tonnes of powders and 120 million PM parts per annum, with presses ranging from 4 tonnes to 220 tonnes, employing 200 people, with a turnover of R$20 million (approx US$11.5 million).

6.4.4 China H6ganiis (China) Ltd No 5646 Wai Qing Song Road Qingpu Shanghai 201700 China Tel: +86 21 692 101 12 Fax: +86 21 692 108 94 Web: www.hoganas.com

In late 1993, H6gan~is AB of Sweden and the Chinese steelmaker Shen Jiang Special Steel Corp of Shanghai established H6gan~is (China) Ltd as a joint venture to produce water atomized steel powder. Until 1999, H6gan~is owned 65% of the shares of the new company with Shen Jiang holding the balance. With effect from October 1999, H6gan~is AB acquired the 35% stake of its minority partner, making H6gan~is (China) a wholly-owned subsidiary of its Swedish parent. H6gan~is (China) invested US$12 million in 1994-95 to construct an atomized steel powder plant near Shanghai having an initial annual capacity of 8000 tonnes which could be raised to 50 000 tonnes. The liquid steel feedstock is purchased from Shen Jiang Special Steel Corp and production started up in October 1995. Further investments include a new mixing station for the production of customized powder mixes, completed in 2000.

6.4.5 India H6ganiis India Ltd Ganga Commerce 4 North Main Road Koregaon Park Pune 411 001 India Tel: +91 20 613 07 61/64 Fax: +91 20 613 07 65 E-mail: bal.ginde @hoganas.com Web: www.hoganas.com

210

Metal Powders

H6gan~is India, a subsidiary of H6gan~is AB of Sweden, was founded in 1986 to produce iron powder for the Indian market by annealing and processing sponge iron feedstock supplied by its parent company. Annealing and powder processing capacity at the plant in Ahmednagar, 120 km north east of Pune, was expanded in 1999 to 21 000 tonnes/year by the installation of a second furnace. Water atomized steel powder capacity of 5000 tonnes became available following the purchase of atomization facilities from neighbouring Mahindra Sintered Metals in October 1992, and were upgraded to 15 000 tonnes/year in 1996. In 2001, H6gan~is AB bought the outstanding minority ownership in HOgan~is India Ltd, which employs about 75 people. Sales are primarily for the Indian PM market (65%) with 20% going to welding electrodes and 15% to chemical and metallurgical applications.

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

6.4.6 Russia MMC Norilsk Nickel (formerly RAO Norilsk Nickel) 22 Voznesensky pereulok Moscow 125009 Russia Tel: +7 095 797 8226 Fax: +7 095 785 5808 E-mail" [email protected] Web: www.norilsknickel.ru

Norilsk Nickel is a large-scale mining, smelting and refining company that was privatized as RAO Norilsk Nickel in 1994 and restructured to become Metal Mining Company Norilsk Nickel in 2001. Its operations are based on Russian nickel-copper ore deposits at Noril'sk in Siberia and Pechenga near the border with Norway. Norilsk Nickel is Russia's largest non-ferrous metals company and its output is equivalent to approximately 20% of the world's nickel and platinum production and 40% of the world's palladium production. Norilsk Nickel also supplies 10% of the world's cobalt in the form of ingots, granules and oxides, and over 3% of the world's copper consumption. Carbonyl nickel powders have been produced since 1963 by Norilsk's Severonickel refinery at Monchegorsk, about 300 kms from St Petersburg in the Murmansk region of the Kola Penninsula. Annual capacity is 6000 tonnes, and currently 15 different types of carbonyl nickel powder are produced by decomposition of refined liquid nickel carbonyl, chiefly in two main density ranges. In addition to pure nickel powders, Norilsk also produces composite powders where nickel is coated on carbides, nitrides, borides, silicides etc. Applications for Norilsk Nickel carbonyl powders include rechargeable batteries, sintered components and magnets, ferrites, welding electrodes, hardmetals, diamond tools, EMI shielding in paints and plastics, and the production of chemicals and catalysts. 99% of production is exported, to customers in Europe, Asia, and USA. Research and development on carbonyl powders is conducted at the Gipronickel Institute in St Petersburg, the research laboratory of Norilsk Nickel.

STAKS (Sulin Metallurgical Works) Joint Stock Company "Sulinsky Metallurgichesky Zavod" 346370 Rostov Region Krasny Sulin 1 Zavodskaya Str Russia Tel: +7 8632 618 530 Web: www.mair.ru

STAKS, Sulin Metallurgical Works, is the oldest metallurgical factory in southern Russia, having been founded in 1870 with the construction of the first blast furnace. The large integrated iron and steel complex formerly included large-scale production capacity for water-atomized steel powders and reduced iron powders. Production was shut down following the Russian financial crisis in the 1990s. According to the company's website, the iron and steel plant became part of the Industrial Group "MAIR" in 2000, and in 2003 plans were made for reconstruction and modernization of the steel melting shop to produce 400 000 tonnes/year of continuously-cast steel billets. Modernization of the reduced iron powder plant was also put in hand to produce 3500 to 7000 tonnes of powder. A preliminary project was also planned to restore manufacture of atomized powders at the rate of 10 000 tonnes/year.

Metal Powders 211

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

UEM-ECKA Granules GmbH Lenina st 1 624091 Verhniya Pyshma Ekaterinenburg, Sverdlovsk Region Russia E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.uem-ecka.ru

Originally started as a joint venture by ECKART in 1993, UEM-ECKA Granules produces water-atomized copper powders in Ekaterinenburg, Russia. Most of the production is exported to the EU.

In this section the leading metal powder producers in each of the ferrous and non-ferrous categories arc tabulated according to the latest reported or estimated plant capacities. This method of ranking was chosen to overcome the difficulties of listing by sales volume, since these numbers are frequently considered confidential. Also, in the non-ferrous category the wide differences in price of the various types of powders would make such comparisons of limited value. Table 6.1 Ranking of Leading Ferrous Metal Powder Producers by Production Capacity ,. Rank

Company

Country

Powder Type

H6gan~is AB

Sweden, USA Sponge Iron, Brazil, China, India Atomized Steel Hoeganaes Corp USA, Romania Sponge Iron, Atomized Steel Sponge Iron, Quebec Metal Canada Atomized Steel Powders Sponge Iron, JFE Steel Corp Japan Atomized Steel Atomized Steel Kobe Steel Japan Atomized Steel Kobelco Metal USA Powder Domfer Metal Powder Pometon SpA Laiwu Iron & Steel Group Powder MetCo

212

Metal Powders

Capacity Tonnes/ year 675 000 500 000 230 000

94 000 72 000 56 000

Canada

Atomized Iron

45 000

Italy China

Atomized Iron Atomized Steel

40 000 40 000

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

Table 6.2 Ranking of Leading Producers of Non-Ferrous Metal

Powders by Capacity Rank

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Company

Country

ECKA Granules

Germany, Australia, Austria, France, Bahrain, Russia INCO Ltd Canada UK WMC Resources Australia Sherritt (Metal Enterprise) US Bronze Powders SCM Metal Products ALPOCO ACuPowder Pometon Fukuda

Canada USA, UK, Canada, France USA UK, Poland USA Italy Japan

Powder Type

Capacity Tonnes/ year

Copper, Aluminium, Magnesium etc

over 100 000

Ni Pellet & Powder Ni Briquette & Powder Ni Briquette & Powder, Cobalt Aluminium, Copper

50 000 50 000

Cu-base

70 000 35 000 over 30 000 est 20 000 21 000 20 000 14 000 12 000

Aluminium Copper etc Copper etc Cu etc

6.6.1 Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) 105 College Road East Princeton New Jersey 08540-6692 USA Tel: +1 609 452 7700 Fax: +1 609 987 8523 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.mpif.org

The MPIF is an international federation of related trade associations formed by member companies in 1944. The mission of MPIF is "to be the recognized international trade association serving the global interests of companies involved in powder metallurgy and particulate materials". The federation comprises the following six trade associations: Powder Metallurgy Parts Association, Metal Powder Producers Association, Powder Metallurgy Equipment Association, Advanced Particulate Materials Association, Metal Injection Moulding Association and Refractory Metals Association. Membership is open to North American and other worldwide companies. MPIF is headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, where its staff is headed by executive director/CEO, C James Trombino. In addition to general industry marketing, promotional and publicity activities, the work of MPIF includes collection of industry statistics, development of PM standards, organizing of conferences, short courses and seminars, publications, government relations and management support information. Each spring, MPIF conducts an annual international PM conference and exhibition in North America and organizes a PM World Congress every six years, the next of which will be in 2008. MPIF is also the world's leading publisher of

Metal Powders 213

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

powder metallurgy publications including conference proceedings, textbooks, manuals and industry directories. It also publishes P/M Newsbytes, the industry's only weekly online news publication available to the trade public as well as a monthly member-only online publication, MPIF

Management Digest. APMI International, a related organization and technical society representing individuals, publishes the bi-monthly International Journal of Powder Metallurgy, annual Who's Who in P/M Directory, and monthly, APMI PM 2 Industry News Online. APMI is comprised of several local chapters and conducts the Powder Metallurgy Technologist (PMT) industry certification program. The APMI headquarters staff and location are the same as MPIF in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.

6.6.2 European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) Suite B Talbot House (2nd floor) Market St Shrewsbury SY1 1LG UK Tel: +44 1743 248899 Fax: +44 17 43 362968

E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.epma.com

The European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) is an international trade association promoting the European powder metallurgy industry through a variety of activities. EPMA represents the commercial and technological interests of member companies throughout Europe. EPMA's Secretariat is headed by Jonathan Wroe, executive director, and is located in Shrewsbury, UK. The association works to represent the PM industry at the European Union in Brussels and internationally. It collaborates with other key European and national organizations to address issues of key importance to the global competitiveness of PM technology. These issues include standards, research, education/training, environmental/health and safety, quality, statistics and technology promotion. A number of these activities are run by industry and Sectoral Working Groups, including the European Hard Materials Group and the Euro MIM Group for companies involved in metal injection moulding. The EPMA also manages on behalf its members a series of research programmes and networks either as private consortiums or with funding from the EU or other organizations. EPMA is currently collaborating with the two other major regional PM trade associations on the development of an online Global Properties Database for use by designers and engineers in end user companies. EPMA has developed a comprehensive PM website which includes details of all member companies on a searchable database. Members receive a weekly "Email News" alert, they also receive a quarterly newsletter- EPMA News and a free copy of the quarterly technical journal Powder Metallurgy. EPMA organizes seminars, intensive short courses and Summer schools and is responsible for the annual series of EURO PM conferences along with all PM World Congresses held in Europe. EPMA organized the 1998 PM World Congress in Granada, Spain and the PM2004 Powder Metallurgy World Congress and Exhibition in Vienna, Austria.

214

Metal Powders

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

6.6.3 Japan Powder Metallurgy Association (JPMA) Tamagawa Building 2-16 Iwamoto-cho-2 chome Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 100-0032 Japan Tel: +81 3 3862 6646 Fax: +81 3 5687 0599

E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.jpma.gr.jp

The Japan Powder Metallurgy Association (JPMA) was established in 1956 as a trade association for the PM industries and now has a membership of 72 domestic, six overseas companies and two complimentary associations. JPMA offices are situated in Tokyo under the direction of Tohru Sakurai, executive director. Activities of JPMA include publications, PM education seminars, development of standards for metal powders and PM materials, and information exchanges such as case study sessions on new product development and productivity improvement, participation in PM World Congresses, issuing of industry statistics, a monthly newsletter and English language annual reports. With the Japan Society of Powder and Powder Metallurgy, JPMA organized the very successful 2000 PM World Congress in Kyoto, the second time for an international PM conference to be held in Japan.

6.6.4 Fachverband Pulvermetallurgie Goldene Pforte 1 58093 Hagen Germany Tel: +49 2331 958817 Fax: +49 2331 958717 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.fpm.wsmnet.de

The German Fachverband Pulvermetallurgie (FPM) was founded in 1948 within the Wirtschaftsverband Stahlverformung based in Hagen. It was initially set up to represent the commercial interests of 14 companies in Northwest Germany involved in ferrous powders or PM manufacturing. Today, as part of WSM Wirtschaftsverband Stahl- und Metallverarbeitung eV, FPM has 42 member companies involved in powder production, PM part fabrication, hardmetals and equipment manufacture. Twelve of the companies are from countries outside Germany, such as Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg. Current activities of the FPM include promotion of PM technology through publications and exhibitions, the collection of market statistics on structural parts, developing German (DIN) PM standards, and organizing the annual PM Symposium in Hagen (for the Gemeinschaftsausschuss flir Pulvermetallurgie - representing the following organizations: Deutsche Gesellschaft ftir Materialkunde (DGM), Deutsche Keramische Gesellschaft (DKG), Fachverband Pulvermetallurgie (FPM), Stahlinstitut VDEh, Verein Deutscher Ingenieure-Gesellschaft Werkstofftechnik (VDI-W)). The FPM also has active committees on hardmetals and standardization as well as on commercial issues. Along with the above-mentioned scientific and technical societies, FPM participates in the Joint Committee on PM, which has working groups on powder manufacturing, PM iron and steel, MIM, Sintering, Simulation and AlumiNum, and has co-ordinated joint research, eg on fatigue studies on PM structural parts materials continuously since 1978. A hardmetal group has been established under the chairmanship of Hans Ko|aska to look after the interests of hardmetal producers, not only in

Metal Powders 215

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

Germany, but also in Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg. From 1 January 2005, management of FPM will be the responsibility of Dirk Htlscheid.

6.6.5 Associazione Operatori Metallurgia Polveri (ASSINTER) Casella Postale 272 10015 Ivrea (To) Italy Tel: +39 0125 239431 Fax: +39 0125 239431 E-mail" [email protected] Web: www.assinter.it

Founded in 1983, ASSINTER is the trade association serving the Italian PM industry. Its office, located in Turin, is headed by Dr Oreste Morandi. Current membership comprises 20 companies involved in the manufacture of PM structural parts and hardmetals, as well as suppliers of raw materials and equipment. Activities include the gathering of industry statistics and the promotion of PM technology through publications and courses, usually organized in cooperation with the Associazione Italiana di Metallurgia. Publications include the "Guides to PM Processing", also published in English, and addressed mainly to PM parts users. Seminars for students in universities and technical secondary schools are also regularly organized. ASSINTER is also involved in the development of PM standards through the ISO Technical Committees.

6.7.1 The Cobalt Development Institute (CDI) 167 High Street Guildford Surrey GU 1 3AJ UK Tel: +44 1483 578877 Fax: +44 1483 573873 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.thecdi.com

There has been some form of The Cobalt Development Institute (CDI) in existence since 1957. The present institute was formed in 1982 and is an international non-profit organization linking producers and users of cobalt. CDI's objectives include promoting the responsible use of all forms of cobalt, providing members with topical information on all cobalt matters including legislation and regulatory affairs, and providing a forum for the exchange of information concerning the resources, production and uses of cobalt. The CDI currently has 43 members from 17 countries, including all the major cobalt producers. Cobalt has many diverse uses both in the metallurgical and chemical industries. As a result of its unique properties it is generally used in specialist applications where substitution is difficult. About 40% of cobalt is consumed in powder form, including powder produced by atomization of primary and secondary refined metal. Cobalt powder is chiefly used for chemical manufacture as well as in powder metallurgical applications by the hard-metal and diamond tool industries. The CDI, headed by Dr Michael Hawkins, general manager, has its offices in Guildford, Surrey, UK, and organizes a major annual conference, usually in

216

Metal Powders

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

the Spring and in a different country each year. CDI has a comprehensive website (www.thecdi.com) with information and news about cobalt and publishes several books on cobalt applications, and "Cobalt News", a free quarterly newsletter now available online.

6.7.2 International Tungsten Industry Association (ITIA) 2 Baron's Gate 33 Rothschild Road London W4 5HT UK Tel: +44 20 8742 2274 Fax: +44 20 8742 7345 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.itia.info

The International Tungsten Industry Association (ITIA) is an international trade organization, founded in 1988, and operating from offices in London, UK, under its secretary-general, Michael Maby (also secretary-general of the International Molybdenum Association, see below). Aims of the ITIA include promoting the use of tungsten and tungsten products, gathering industry statistics, organizing regular meetings, symposia and seminars. ITIA has a comprehensive website with news and information on tungsten, publishes a brochure on tungsten and its uses, and a half-yearly newsletter, also available online. ITIA currently has 44 company members including mining companies, processors/consumers and assayers from 15 countries.

6.7.3 International Molybdenum Association (IMOA) 2 Baron's Gate 33 Rothschild Road London W4 5HT UK Tel: +44 20 8742 2274 Fax: +44 20 8742 7345 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.imoa.info

The International Molybdenum Association (IMOA) was established in 1989 under Belgian Law as an association with scientific purposes. IMOA has become the focal point of promotional, statistical and technical activities of the worldwide molybdenum industry. Membership is broad-based and includes producers, consumers, converters, traders and assayers. IMOA's Secretariat is based in London, under its secretary-general, Michael Maby. IMOA's main current activities include promotion of health, safety and the environment, life-cycle inventory studies, collection of industry statistics on world supply and demand and organizing annual meetings and promotional conferences.

6.8.1 The Powder Metallurgy Association of South Africa c/o Mintek Private Bag X3015 Randburg 2195 South Africa Tel: +27 11 709 4476 Fax: +27 11 709 4480 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.pmasa.co.za

The Powder Metallurgy Association of South Africa (PMA) was founded in 1980 and its current chairman is Garth Williams, Physical Metallurgy Division, Mintek. The objective of the PMA is to promote interaction, particularly at a technical level, between individuals and companies involved in PM activities in South Africa. The scope of the PMA includes hardmetal and cemented carbides, sintered ferrous and non-ferrous metals, ceramics, and "super-hard" materials, as well as the powder producing industries. South Africa is the only country outside North America that offers the

Metal Powders 217

6

Worldwide Review of Metal Powder Producers

Powder Metallurgy Technologist certification programme through the APMI. The PMA organizes an annual Symposium meeting, with speakers from industry and academia.

218

Metal Powders

Appendix

Processes PM

Powder Metallurgy

PF

Powder-Forging

HIP, HIPing

Hot Isostatic Pressing

MIM

Metal Injection Moulding

Trade Associations EPMA

European Powder Metallurgy Association

JPMA

Japan Powder Metallurgy Association

MPIF

Metal Powder Industries Federation

CDI

The Cobalt Development Institute

ITIA

International Tungsten Industry Association

IMOA

International Molybdenum Association

Metal Powders

219

7

Appendices

Journals, etc.

220

Metal Powders

IJPM

International Journal of Powder Metallurgy

IPMD

International Powder Metallurgy Directory and Yearbook

MPR

Metal Powder Report

PM

Powder Metallurgy

USGS

United States Geological Survey

This Page Intentionally Left Blank

Printed in the United Kingdom by Lightning Source UK Ltd. 118405UK00002BA/2

II!Illlllllllrl II7!1!1 81856 174