Japan’s Powder Metallurgy industry remains stable
May 8, 2019
Fig. 1 Structural (machine) PM part production in Japan (Courtesy JPMA)
The Japan Powder Metallurgy Association (JPMA) has reported that the production of Powder Metallurgy structural parts and sintered bearings in Japan remained stable in 2018. Figures released by the Japan Ministry of Technology and Industry (METI) showed that structural (machine) PM part production was 88,605 tons in 2018, up from 88,484 in 2017. Sintered bearing production fell slightly, with 6,704 tons produced in 2018, compared to 6,741 tons in the previous year.
The reported value of both structural PM parts and sintered bearings increased in 2018. PM structural (machine) parts were valued at Yen 112,671 billion in 2018, up from Yen 110,904 billion in 2017, with the value of sintered bearings increasing to Yen 16,033 billion in 2018 from Yen 15,843 billion in 2017.
Fig. 2 Production of PM bearings in Japan (Courtesy JPMA)
The statistics published by the JPMA also revealed that 95% of structural PM parts, and 78% of PM bearings, were used in automotive applications. The consumption of PM parts in a typical car produced in Japan was said to be 8.8 kg.
