Aluminium and Aluminium Alloy Powders for P/M Applications

Abstract

P/M aluminium components are attracting interest in an increasing variety of industries due to the possibilities for weight saving in engineering parts. There are many processes for manufacturing from powder feedstocks that are either in production, becoming commercialised or still undergoing development. The nature of these processes and the required properties of the end products mean that powders of different particle size, shape, composition and microstructure must be produced. The requirements of various processes requiring aluminium and aluminium alloy powders for metal matrix composites, laser sintering, powder forging and metal injection moulding are discussed in relation to powder particle size and structure. The key requirement of the powder manufacturer is to supply cost effective materials for these different processes. This may require compromises to be made by the supplier and consumer while the techniques evolve from development to large scale production.