Posttreatment of P/M Parts

As P/M parts become more complex and mechanical requirements more critical, the need for post-forming treatments becomes of greater concern to the manufacturer. This paper presents an insight to simple parameters of various types of heat treatments and machining techniques for use on P/M parts.

Various types of heat treatments and their effects upon parts where different from wrought materials are discussed. Methods of hardness testing and interpretation of results are explained as are the needs for good specifications. Various preparatory methods for surface coating and surface protection are covered as well as methods for sealing against liquid and gas pressure leaks. Mention is made of numerous ways used to size or qualify dimensions in close toleranced areas. The final section deals with suggestions for techniques that have worked in providing good production results in the various types of machining that are normally required to complete the piece.