Plastic Impregnation of P/M Steels

The use of parts produced from metal powders is rapidly increasing. Advances within the last fifteen years in powder production, fabrication techniques, and processing equipment, have permitted fabricators to produce parts for a wide variety of applications.

Although some parts are used in the pressed and sintered condition, many are subjected to subsequent operations to improve the properties. Plastic impregnation is performed to produce a sealed part. This paper contains information about the characteristics of common p/m steels after plastic impregnation. With this knowledge, fabricators and users can utilize conventional P/M production for parts requiring a minimum of interconnected porosity. These parts are pressure-tight, can be electroplated readily, and machined easily.