What is sintering?
The pressed parts are fed into the sintering furnaces at a temperature below the melting point of the metals used. The result is sintered parts ready for use.
The sintering time depends on the materials used in the powder mix – steel, iron, bronze, tungsten – and on the physical and mechanical properties that are to be imparted to the sintered materials.
The sintering of metals takes place in three stages.
Stage 1
The mechanical part, or “green part”, i.e. the pressed material obtained in the pressing stage, is brought to a temperature that allows the lubricants used in the powder mix to evaporate. This process is generally referred to as de-binding or de-waxing.
Stage 2
In the second stage, the mechanical material is brought to the temperature of the actual sintering process. At this stage the mechanical part reduces in size and pores are eliminated. The result is an object with a shape and size that is very similar to those of the mechanical part. The furnace temperature at this stage depends on the size of the part and the type of metals used in the powder mix.
Stage 3
In this last phase the mechanical part is brought very slowly to room temperature and then taken out of the furnace.
What are the advantages of sintering?
The sintering process enables the processing of sintered materials of very complex geometric shapes. Precisely because they originate from a preliminary design phase, specifically tailored to the customer’s needs.
Compared to other forming technologies such as forging, metal casting, turning or machining, metal sintering significantly reduces post-production processes with a consequent reduction in energy consumption and a reduction in waste related to the use of raw materials. This makes the product considerably cheaper than other mechanical parts obtained by different processes.
More sustainable process phases, less processing and less waste of material and energy mean that producing sintered products has a very low environmental impact: a clean technology with minimal processing waste.
In addition, because the mechanical parts are obtained through a preliminary design phase, they are unique pieces created to meet specific customer requirements. Additionally, alloys can be adapted to impart specific physical characteristics to meet performance properties and requirements. The sintered parts guarantee:
- Tailored performance
- Isotropic properties
- Noise and vibration reduction
- Magnetic properties
- Excellent surface finish
- High repeatability in large series production
- Wear resistance
Why choose DL Sintered Srl?
Today DL Sintered Srl owns one of the main sintering plants in the province of Bergamo, where it produces self-lubricating bushings and simple and complex shaped mechanical parts in bronze, stainless steel and iron.
If you are looking for companies that produce tailor-made mechanical parts with unique characteristics for different fields of application. The technical staff at DL Sintered Srl will help you find the most suitable application for your needs.
