POWDER METALLURGY IN AEROSPACE – FUNDAMENTALS OF PM PROCESSES AND EXAMPLES OF APPLICATIONS

Abstract

Powder Metallurgy (PM) is going to play an important role in manufacturing in all sectors in the future, including aerospace, as it combines ease of alloying with net shape capabilities, design freedom and high performance. Each PM process has distinctive features, uses dedicated metal powders, and delivers materials that rival the properties of conventionally produced parts, with a constantly increasing portfolio, and penetration in many sectors, including automotive and aerospace, is also increasing. Especially, Additive Manufacturing gives unprecedented possibilities of weight optimization. In this review, a number of examples of applications in aerospace taken from the available literature are shown.