Powder Metallurgy, often referred to as P/M in the industry, is the process of mixing elemental or alloy powders and compacting the mixture in a die tooled to the desired shape. The parts are then heated, or sintered, in a controlled atmosphere furnace to metallurgically bond the particles. P/M uses more than 97% of the raw process material in the finish part.

The P/M process is cost effective in producing simple or complex parts to final dimensions at a high rate of production. Since the P/M process is not shape-sensitive and normally does not require draft, parts like gears, cams, sprockets, and levers are very economically produced. Two parts can be design as a single component and produced as a P/M part, such as a cam and gear, or a spur gear and a pinion gear, eliminating the number of parts in a product. In addition ferrous and nonferrous P/M parts can be oil impregnated to function as self-lubricating bearings.

The basic versatility of P/M is applied in numerous products and industries, including automotive, business machines, aerospace, electrical and electronic equipment, small and major appliances, agricultural and garden equipment, and hand and power tools. Thousands of different cost-saving, reliable P/M designs now serve these industries in a wide range of engineering applications.


Our design and engineering staff can assist you on design solutions, material selection and tolerance considerations or answer any questions you may have. Call us at 510-782-9226 or email us.