AncorMax® D Series Technical Publications
190. Segregation-free Premixes for Increased Productivity and Improved Performance: Powder mixes used in the PM industry contain ingredients of substantially different particle sizes and specific gravities that have a strong tendency to segregate during handling. Reducing or eliminating this segregation is essential for the part producer to achieve consistent precision and optimum performance. Treating the premixes with polymer binders helped to resolve this problem. Binder/lubricant systems have been developed that provide improved flow rates combined with increased green densities and green strengths. A review of these developments will be presented and their impact on overall productivity and performance will be outlined.
177. High Density Processing of Cr-Si-Ni-Mo Containing Steel: Ancorsteel® 4300, an iron alloy containing Cr-Si-Ni-Mo, was recently introduced and is capable of achieving high mechanical strength with exceptional dimensional stability. With the ability to be sintered at conventional temperatures, this alloy offers a unique blend of performance capabilities that can provide an economic advantage over alloy systems requiring high temperature sintering or secondary quench hardening. The current work discusses the performance of the new chromium steel at densities above 7.2 g/cm3 at various cooling rates using an advanced lubricant/binder system. Comparisons to a hybrid Ni-Mo steel and a diffusion alloyed Ni-Cu-Mo steel are presented.
170. Processing PM Components to High Density Using an Advanced Lubricant/Binder System: The recent introduction of a high-density lubricant system enables the processing of ferrous PM components to up to 98% of pore-free density when using a heated compaction tool. This system, AncorMax® D, uses proprietary lubricants that enable the total organic content of a PM premix to be reduced while maintaining comparable ejection characteristics. This results in the ability to compact components to higher green densities (up to 7.40 g/cm3) using higher compaction pressures. This paper outlines production experience using this advanced system.
165. High Density Processing of a New CR-Bearing Steel: The application of PM steels in highly stressed applications requires both high density processing and high performance alloys. Ancorsteel® 4300, a new high performance alloy that contains Cr, Si, Mo, and Ni, utilizes the hardenability and mechanical property enhancement of chromium while maintaining low sintered oxygen contents. The elevated mechanical properties compliment the high compressibility of the powder allowing for use in high density applications. When combined with high density processing techniques such as the advanced lubricant/binder system AncorMax D, high densities and excellent properties can be achieved. This paper presents the effects of processing on density and mechanical properties with this new material, with a comparison to FLN2-4405 and FD-0405.
163. Effect of Heat Treatment and Case Carburizing High-Density PM Steels: Recent advancements in high-density lubricants enable PM steels to be processed to densities approaching 7.40 g/cm3 in a single compaction step using heated compaction tools via the AncorMax D® process. This broadens the number of suitable applications for PM steels, including high performance gears. However, in addition to high-density, the microstructural and mechanical property requirements vary depending on the application. This objective of this paper is to quantify and understand the mechanical property differences obtained by subjecting high-density PM steels to various heat-treatments. Mechanical properties, fatigue properties, and microstructural analysis will be presented in the as sintered, quenched and tempered, and carburized states.
155. Single Pressed Single Sintered PM Products for High Density, High Performance Applications: Further improvements are being developed in binder and lubricant technology that makes it possible to reach green densities approaching 7.4 g/cm3 in some applications, without the need to heat the iron powder or to double press and double sinter. This paper outlines the progress of this research. The effect of die temperature and part length on ejection behavior and final properties has been studied. In addition, optimal processing parameters as well as mechanical data are presented.
151. Properties of High Density Diffusion Bonded Alloys: For PM components, overall mechanical properties can be improved by increasing the density coupled with alloy additions. This can be seen by the excellent properties achieved for high performance applications with material compositions based on 1.75% Ni and 4% Ni diffusion bonded steel powders processed to high densities. Through the use of an advanced binder system, higher densities with subsequent increases in mechanical properties can be achieved in a single compaction step. Further densification can be achieved through the use of the double press, double sinter process coupled with the warm compaction process. The static and dynamic mechanical properties of warm compacted and double pressed, double sintered FD-0205 and FD-0405 with densities up to 7.5 g/cm3 are presented.
150. The Effect of Processing and Density on PM Soft Magnetic Properties: With the trend towards more widespread use of automotive electric systems such as electric power steering, new opportunities exist for PM soft magnetic alloys. These applications require high density for magnetic properties and precision. To meet density, precision and geometry complexity requirements, secondary operations are usually employed, which degrade magnetic properties. Annealing can be utilized for recovery of the magnetic properties, but with the potential for dimensional changes. Through the use of an advanced binder system, higher densities with subsequent increases in magnetic properties can be achieved in a single compaction step. The influence of secondary operations, processing methods such as the use of an advanced binder system and annealing are presented for Fe, Fe-P and Fe-Ni materials.
148. Higher Density and Higher Performance by Single Pressing and Single Sintering: Further improvements were made in binder and lubricant technology that makes it possible to reach green densities approaching 7.4 g/cm3 in some applications, without the need to heat the iron powder or to double press and double sinter. The effect of die temperature and part length on ejection behavior and final properties will be studied. In addition, optimal processing parameters as well as mechanical data will be presented.
136. Binder Treated Products for Higher Densities and Better Precession: Continuing research in the chemistry of binders and lubricants yielded novel materials that combine traditional binder properties with improved lubricity and better dimensional control. New binder-lubricant systems were developed with lower organic content that made it possible to reach higher green and sintered densities and exceptional mechanical properties. Better powder flow and higher apparent density result in more uniform die fill, giving better weight and dimensional control and increased part precision. A comparison of the newly developed binder/lubricant system is made with traditional lubricants, such as EBS and zinc stearate.
133. Advanced Performance Alloys Processed by High Temperature Sintering Technique: As the demand for improved performance of PM components increases, requirements for selection of proper alloy composition as well as its processing routine continue to climb. Major areas of process improvement include utilization of high performance alloy systems, high temperature sintering to create more homogeneous diffusion throughout the alloy matrix, and higher final densities of the processed components. This paper demonstrates the benefits gained by combining all of these factors. Specifically, the properties of recently developed MD compositions compacted to high initial green densities by using an advanced binder system and subsequently subjected to high temperature sintering in a pusher furnace at full-scale production conditions are investigated.
132. High Density Processing of Ancorloy® MDC Materials: Previous experimental work has shown that silicon containing steels exhibit high tensile properties and impact strength at relatively low densities ranging from 7.0 to 7.1 g/cm3. Higher densities via AncorMax D® processing has shown that sintered densities in excess of 7.3 g/cm3 are possible at compaction pressures ranging from 550 to 760 MPa. (40 to 55 tsi) This paper will examine the metallurgical and mechanical enhancements achieved through the AncorMax D process and high temperature sintering of the Ancorloy® MDC and Ancorloy® MDCL materials at densities ranging from 7.0 to in excess of 7.3 g/cm3.
131. Methods to Improve the Fatigue Life of Sinter-Hardened Components: Previous experimental work showed that fatigue performance is affected by the alloy system, heat treatment method, and microstructural features of test specimens. The present study will present information concerning the effects of varying the sinter-hardening cooling rate (and subsequent microstructure features) on the mechanical properties sinter-harden steels and the Ancorloy MDCL™ material system. Emphasis will be given to the rotating bending fatigue performance of these systems and how this experimental data correlates with the fatigue performance of the actual component in accelerated life testing.
127. Powder Metallurgy of High Density Helical Gears: Powder Metallurgy is a proven technology to produce high strength gears for the automotive industry. Advances in powder production, compaction, and sintering combined with double pressing have enabled overall part densities up to 7.5 g/cm³ in spur gears. However, helical gears are more difficult to produce to these same densities because the geometry does not lend itself to the DP/DS process. Described in this paper is a PM parts making technology capable of producing single pressed and sintered helical gears with core densities approaching 7.4 g/cm³. Description of a prototype run will be presented with the resulting sintered part densities and part-to-part variability. To further enhance the performance and geometry of these helical gears, they were subsequently surface densified via rolling. Improvements in the surface density and gear quality will be described.
124. Properties and Applications of High Density Sinter-Hardening Materials: Sinter-hardening materials are characterized by their high hardenability which enables the formation of >80% martensite during accelerated cooling. However, these moderately alloyed materials often exhibit lower compressibility and the resulting lower density limits their use in potential high strength applications. What is needed is a method to improve the green and sintered density of current sinter-hardening materials that will enable these materials to be utilized in new high strength applications. This paper describes how the green and sintered density of standard sinter-hardening alloys can be improved using new alloy systems coupled with advanced binder technology. The resulting improvements in mechanical properties will be presented as well as the potential use of high density.
117. Properties of High Density Sinter Hardening PM Steels Processed Using an Advanced Binder System: Sinter-hardening PM alloys offer an excellent opportunity for a part manufacturer to produce hardened components in an economical fashion by eliminating secondary heat-treatments. Unfortunately, sinter-hardening P/M base iron grades are prealloyed with substantial levels of Ni, Mn, and Mo which increase hardenability but reduce compressibility. Furthermore, Cu and graphite are added to further increase strength and hardness. These alloying additions all reduce compressibility limiting the maximum attainable green and sintered densities. This paper explores how processing sinter-hardening alloys with a new proprietary binder system can improve compressibility and lead to higher densities and mechanical properties. The data show green density increases of 0.05-0.15 g/cm3 and be achieved and can result in tensile strength and hardness improvements.