Powder metallurgy
In general, powder metallurgy addresses the production of metallic powder material and the further processing via pressing and sintering in order to manufacture compact semi-finished products or prefabricated parts. To produce defined alloy compositions out of elemental powder materials, the process of mechanical alloying in a planetary ball mill is our first choice. For this purpose, powders of the metallic elements are dissolved up to the atomic level due to a very high energetic impact during the milling process. Powder metallurgy is mostly used, when common melting processes fail because of strongly varying melting points of the materials. The alloyed powders are then characterized in terms of properties like particle size, microstructure, chemical composition, oxygen concentration, and phase composition. To avoid a contamination with oxygen and other unwanted reactants working in a glove box under an inert atmosphere is mandatory. This allows a securely handling of toxic and less oxygen resistant substances. In addition to the production of alloyed powder material for conventional process routes, the focus is also on powders for up-to-date manufacturing methods, such as 3D printing and other "near net shape" technologies.
