POWDERMET2018: State of the PM industry in North America 2018
June 27, 2018
PM equipment trends
PM equipment suppliers (tooling, compacting presses and sintering furnaces) enjoyed a healthy 2017 according to Sweet, and sales are expected to increase again in 2018.
Equipment builders and tool makers face the same scarcity of skilled employees as their customers, and one company expects a drop in production this year due to the difficulty in replacing its experienced retiring employees.
Strong trends include more precise tolerances in tooling, more automation in presses and furnaces and more data collection in equipment operation. Tool makers are designing tooling for seven to eight part levels in shelf dies. Higher precision tolerances for dies and core rods are in the +/‐ 5 micrometre range with face forms at +/‐ 10 micrometre.
Innovations in press technology
Strides made in press automation continue to reduce handling, integrating machines and capturing data for customers. Systems include weighing parts, laser measuring of part levels and applying barcodes on parts for weight and height.
Data‐driven decision making is supported by real‐time monitoring and historical trending of equipment aimed at higher quality parts. Eliminating traces of loose powder around presses is another goal in scrap reduction.
Press sales are trending to higher tonnages designed for multiple part levels. Automation trends are aimed at reduced handling and increasing output per employee.
Furnace trends
According to Sweet, Furnace builders are also innovating strongly. Data collection and automation demand from customers is a given. One example is improving consistency by barcoding to reduce manual input and human handling.
Linking an internal work order or router containing barcodes at the customer’s plant to a specific profile allows the furnace operator to scan the barcode on the work order/router, which will choose the correct profile saved on the PC. The operator then only needs to download the program to the PLC.
