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I N T E R N A T I O N A L
SINTERNEWS 1st EDITION/2004
SOFT MAGNETIC MATERIALS AN INTRODUCTION PRODUCTIONS INCREASE THANKS TO SINTER-FORGED MMC BITS COMPLICATED ITEMS FOR STEERING COLUMNS
International SinterNews GB
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I N T E R N A T I O N A L
SINTERNEWS
Leader
Content
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elcome to this third edition of International SinterNews.The use of powder pressing and sintering offers many technological opportunities and advantages. The purpose of this magazine is to convey knowledge and experience through the presentation of product examples and R&D results. This edition - as well as the previous - is of course found on www.sinternews.com. International SinterNews presents a range of interesting examples; but our day-to-day development work may require further sparring in relation to concrete possibilities and limitations. At FJ Sintermetal we therefore have a staff of highly qualified engineers, who co-operate closely with each individual customer on development, technical aspects as well as purchasing. In this edition we have the pleasure of introducing the "Sales and Engineering" department, which has recently been further reinforced. We also take a closer look at SMC materials. On pages 45 we take an in-depth look at the possibilities of manufacturing workpieces with excellent soft magnetic properties. Customers with very high wear resistance requirements can now benefit from our sinter-forging process, allowing the production of workpieces with a relatively complex geometry and substantially improved wear resistance properties compared to conventional wear resistant materials. Read more on pages 6-7. On the back page we present - with an example from the German company ketten wulf - sintered high-density bronze featuring extreme wear resistance properties. We hope that you enjoy reading our magazine.
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Flux Density, B Max Per
ntivity, B r
THE FUTURE BELONGS TO MAGNETIC MATERIALS
Sat Initial Permea
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y H
PRODUCTION INCREASE THANKS TO SINTER-FORGED MMC BITS
PAGE 6-7
Søren Weis Sørensen, Managing Director, FJ Sintermetal
International SinterNews is published in Danish (2000) Swedish (2000) English (3500) German (5000) French (2000)
COMPLEX ITEMS FOR STEERING COLUMNS
International SinterNews is published by: FJ Industries A/S FJ Sintermetal
SINTER BRONZE FOR WEAR RESISTANCE AND FRICTION PURPOSES
Nyborgvej 27 DK-5863 Ferritslev Tel +45 63 90 90 90 www.fji.dk
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FJ Sintermetal reinforces its "Sales and Engineering" department again FJ Sintermetal has gathered its technical and commercial expertise in one department "Sales and Engineering". The employees in this department have many years of experience with the powder technology and cooperate closely with the customer on the various projects and workpieces.
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”Sales and Engineering” is a department of specialists, each of whom acts as the customer's contact in relation to a project. This means that the employees in the department maintain contact with the customer from the first enquiry until the basis of the tools is in place. »We typically enjoy close co-operation with our customers on development projects, and our Sales and Engineering department gathers experience in a wide range of areas - not only in the area of powder metallurgy«, says managing director Søren Weis. He continues: »All of our six employees in the department work with the many different lines of trade that we service.« A Frank Hemmingsen, a new face at FJ Sintermetal, has gained in-depth knowledge of the German market from his previous job. B Mogens Jensen, the Nestor of the department, has been working with powder technology for more than 40 years. C Peder Edholm is also new at FJ Sintermetal. Working and living in Sweden, he has gained experience from similar jobs in the business. D Søren Lundsgaard has many years of experience with technical sales in Germany and Italy. He also works for FJ Steel. E Sten Pierre Millot grew up in France, but has been living in Denmark for a number of years. Having worked with powder metallurgy for many years, he specialises in sinter-forging. Consequently, he is involved in all parts of the process. F Bent Edal Pedersen has served FJ Sintermetal's customers in Scandinavia, Germany, and England for the past seven years.
Complicated items for steering columns The Swedish company Tidamek specialises in advanced products with a long service life and high tolerance requirements. Together with FJ Sintermetal, Tidamek has developed the optimum sinter solution for their steering columns.
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ne of Tidamek’s core business areas is steering wheel adjustment systems. The Swedish company with head office in Tidaholm contacted FJ Sintermetal in connection with a new project. The company needed to develop a range of complicated items for use in a lorry steering column - an adjustable column with built-in collision protection. The items are used to adjust the steering wheel and for energy absorption purposes in case of a collision. The sintered items will be vital elements. Tidamek's customer is Autoliv - a well-known manufacturer of safety equipment for the car and lorry industry. And the partnership with the Danes has worked well, says Tidamek’s managing director Bengt-Tore Allert, who has taken part in developing the complicated workpieces.
»After we intensified our mutual efforts to develop the workpieces, we have succeeded in improving product quality even more.« On an annual basis, Tidamek needs five different items of varying complexity in quantities of 60,000 from Denmark. Due to the combination of material and geometry, items have been achieved, that meet the demands for abrasion resistance and strength. The items are e.g. exposed to a shock load of approximately 19 kN, which corresponds to a torsional moment in the steering column of 1300 Nm. The choice of sintered metal was motivated by two factors; the items are rather complicated, and the tolerance requirements are stringent. »The items are indeed complicated from a sintering point of view, but they suit the production equipment at FJ Sintermetal's disposal«, says sales engineer Bent Edal Pedersen, who has co-operated closely with his Swedish colleagues at Tidamek to develop the complicated workpieces for the steering columns. According to Bent Edal Pedersen, Tidamek is QS9000-certified, but FJ Sintermetal has not experienced any problems in complying with the resulting documentation requirements.
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Knud Aage Thorsen, former professor at Danmarks Tekniske Universitet, has through a lifelong period worked on research level with thermodynamics and material technology, among others SMC materials. He has taught these technologies at the DTU.
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I N T E R N A T I O N A L
SINTERNEWS
Soft magnetic materials - an introduc By Professor Knud Aage Thorsen
Powder-metallurgically produced soft magnets are very suitable for e.g. mass production of small components with a complicated shape. Furthermore, the tolerance requirements are often met after the sintering process, eliminating the need for subsequent calibration.
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he function of a magnet is based on a magnetic field causing magnetic induction in a material. A magnetic field force H (A/m) creates magnetic induction B (Tesla), which is determined by the permeability µ = B/H. These correlations are measured by means of 2 coils surrounding a closed ring core, one coil generating the magnetic field and the other one measuring the induction rate. The correlation between the magnetic force and the induction rate is described by the hysteresis curve, in which B is plotted as a function of H. Induction increases with the field force, until the item is
By Mats Persson, Höganäs AB
The future belongs to soft materials Soft magnetic composite (SMC) is more than just a material with unique magnetic properties.
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he combination of flexible items design and the Net Shape possibilities with the PM process adds a whole new dimension to the manufacture of magnetic circuits. By using isotropic SMC materials you eliminate the restrictions imposed by two-dimensional steel laminations. SMC materials are composed of powder metal particles with an electrically insulating surface. The powder is pressed together by a binder and/or a lubricant, forming an isotropic material. The heat treatment provides stress relief giving the components strength while allowing the material to retain its insulating layer surrounding each individual particle. The insulating layer restricts eddy currents from travelling in-between particles when the material is exposed to a shifting magnetic field thys improving response time. Beyond their well-established use in iron powder cores, the future of SMC lies in electric motors. The Somaloy TM product family forms the basis of most SMC com-
fully magnetised at the point Bs, also referred to as the saturation induction level. Lowering the field force will cause hysteresis due to deviation from the curve. At field force H = 0 there is a certain amount of residual magnetic induction, also referred to as Br remanence. If a field force is induced in the opposite direction, this field has to reach the Hc coercivity level before the magnetic induction is reduced to 0. If we now increase the field force again, we reach Bs without following the original curve, and the hysteresis loop is closed.
Ferromagnetic materials Iron, nickel and cobalt are the only ferromagnetic materials, and the reason why they amplify a magnetic field induced from the outside can be found in their electron structure. As regards the soft magnetic materials and their properties, the saturation induction rate only depends on the chemical composition of the material, whereas the permeability, remanence, and coercivity depend on the microstructure and thus on cold deformation, heat treatment, grain size, and the content of impurities such as carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulphur - all of which must be kept at the lowest possible level. The ferromagnetic metals - iron, nickel, and cobalt - form the basis of the materials, regardless of the production technology applied.
ponents for use in motors. Each Somaloy TM type is supplied as a ready-to-press mixture. The mixture is adapted to the specific purpose and takes into account the prevailing motor environment - such as operating frequency and flux level. The key to success lies in magnetic circuit design exploiting the unique shaping possibilities offered by the SMC technology: • 3D flux paths for new topologies. • Built-in assembly features for mounting. • Built-in magnetic features such as skew. • Smooth rounded core bodies allowing tighter winding and/or thinner insulation. • Modularity for cost-effective assembly.
Iron powder particles with electrically insulated layer and schematic figure showing an SMC material.
Modular design of a high-performance direct transmission motor, exploiting some of the possibilities offered by the SMC technology.
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I N T E R N A T I O N A L
SINTERNEWS
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5 PM suitable for soft magnetic materials Flux Density, B Maximum Permeability, µ m
Retentivity, Br Saturation, Bs Initial Permeability, µ i -H
Magnetizing Force, H
Coercivity, H C
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Idealized hysteresis loop for a soft magnetic material.
Soft magnetic sintered item for Finnish cranes KCI Konecranes - one of the world leaders in advanced crane technology - has been in contact with FJ Industries for more than 12 years, so it was obvious to contact FJ Sintermetal, when the company needed a shunt piece for use in a small electric motor forming part of a rotor.
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t was of vital importance that the shunt piece was made of a soft magnetic material, says Ismo Kuivamäki, R&D Engineer at KCI. It was therefore suggested to use a phosphorous alloy for the item. The item had to meet stringent roundness requirements, as it was designed to be mounted in a pressure die casting tool and have aluminium cast around it. After casting, the outer ring is turned away, and 22 soft magnetic poles appear: Thanks to fruitful co-operation with Mogens Jensen at FJ Sintermetal, the parties succeeded in meeting this vital requirement.
Powder-technological processes are suitable for the production of electrotechnical and electronics components. They are excellent for the mass production of small components, often with a complicated shape, and the tolerance requirements are typically met after sintering, eliminating the need for subsequent calibration. The materials used for powder-metallurgically produced soft magnets are the same as those used for rolled products plus iron-phosphorous and iron-silicon alloys as well as ferritic stainless steel. Of course, certain process parameters associated with powder metallurgy cannot be found in sheet or rod materials. In order to produce good soft magnetic components it is important to know the materials requirements. High saturation magnetisation and remanence requires powder with good pressing properties. Low coercitive force and high permeability requires clean materials - a characteristic of powder metallurgy. The unabridged version of Professor Knud Aage Thorsen's article can be downloaded at www.fji.dk/sinternews or obtained using the enclosed reply card.
When asked why KCI Konecranes chose a sintered soft magnetic material, Ismo Kuivamäki replies: »For the prototype we obviously started with conventionally produced steel items - in order to find the correct dimensions and other parameters. However, steel items turned out to be much too expensive and, in addition, it was not even possible to give the item the optimum shape. All in all, we concluded that sintering would be the most cost-effective way to produce these items in quantities of approx. two thousand.« As an alternative to sinter metal, KCI Konecrane considered using precision-cast steel. This would have been an acceptable solution from a technical point of view, but the item price would be 4050 % higher than for the sinter solution. Ismo Kuivamäki stresses the fact that he has been most satisfied with FJ Sintermetal’s way of solving the task, adding that ”the Scandinavian way of working” suits himself and his colleagues well. Shunt -piece in soft magnetic material, which is being used in the Finnish crane industry.
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I N T E R N A T I O N A L
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Production increase thanks to sinter-forged MMC bits The Danish company FMT A/S processes i.a. wood waste from the building sector and the recycling sector. By using a sinter-forged MMC bit in its mobile waste reducer, the company has managed to produce a greater amount of compost than earlier, while enjoying the bonus of improved finances.
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oday, the market offers new, inexpensive and wear-resistant steel-based MMC materials. They are characterised by having embedded hard particles in a steel matrix, improving the wear
Sinter-forging of FMT bit.
are therefore very suitable for application in functions requiring high wear resistance and involving considerable exposure to impact. FMT A/S currently uses 1.9 kg sinter-forged MMC bits in their reducer, which crushes the waste against a plate at high speeds.
Longer service life with MMC bits Microstructure of respectively unetched and etched MMC. Black areas are matrix-reinforcing particles with improved wear resistance.
resistance compared to conventional materials. The uniform distribution of the embedded particles ensures uniform wear-resistance properties throughout the material. Apart from the wear-resistance properties, the MMC materials excel in their good ductility properties two properties that are normally difficult to combine. MMC materials
When reducing garden waste, there is a risk of taking in rocks and other unwanted elements, which will be sorted out after passing the drum with the bits. Naturally, this entails exposure to heavy impact and wear on the bits.
Abrasive blasting wear test 250 200 150
Other examples of items manufactured using the sinter-forging technique include a small cutting disc used to remove bark from trees in the forestry sector. With a weight of only120 g, the cutting disc represents the other end of the scale in relation to the above-mentioned bits. The cutting disc is incorporated in Iggesund Tools' bark cutting tools, which are mainly used in the USA, Canada, and Europe.
100 50 0 Sinter-forged MMC material Hardox 400 Carbon steel-heat treated (index100)
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I N T E R N A T I O N A L
SINTERNEWS
Suspension fixture for soldering and glueing purposes System 3R has already received a number of their constructional details for suspension tools from FJ Sintermetal. Consequently, it was only natural for the Swedish company to solve an urgent task in close co-operation with the factory in Denmark.
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ystem 3R offers products that help customers increase their productivity. Thanks to e.g. robots, they improve the overall production level and the exploitation of the machinery. The task that System 3R presented to FJ Sintermetal was not a simple one. The company needed two suspension fixtures for their spark erosion machine; they also wanted to achieve cost savings. The suspension fixtures are used to hold blanks for electrodes while machining and for subsequent suspension in spark erosion machine. Consequently, the company required very high item accuracy and uniformity. In addition to stringent dimension and tolerance requirements, System 3R emphasised on sufficient material strength and the possibility of fixing the electrode material by means of glueing as well as soldering. This meant that the items could not have open pores allowing dirt and oil to gather and impair the glueing or soldering. Last but not least, the task had to be solved at a realistic price level. As the article is a consumable, System 3R’s customers cannot accept a solution that is too expensive.
Examples of suspension fixtures with more complex shapes.
Suspension fixtures with simple shape but complex material demands.
Savings achieved The solution to the System 3R assignment was a further development of a patented sintered material, with full density achieved by pressing and conventional sintering - without any form of sealing of the micropores normally found in sintered materials. This process ensured the accuracy and uniformity required. The task was thus solved in full, and the desired cost savings were achieved.It is System 3R’s future aim to have FJ Sintermetal take over the entire product responsibility for this task and supply the items packaged in System 3R’s cartons directly to the Swedish company's warehouses.
F A C T
The sinter-forging process is a powder-technological process, in which you consolidate the powder material to full density. A pre-form is produced using conventional powder techniques and subsequently forged to its final shape in hot condition. Components manufactured by means of sinter-forging achieve 100 % relative density, improving their properties as regards ultimate strength, fatigue strength, elongation as well as impact strength. Sinter-forging allows the manufacture of netshape components, eliminating the need for expensive further machining. Sinter-forged MMC materials are difficult to machine using cutting tools; hence the advantage in manufacturing components without further processing.
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The hard, unwanted foreign objects literally chip the corners off the conventional bits (made of soft and ductile steel with welded hard metal), resulting in rapid wear and consequent replacement or repair work. According to manager Claus Bennetzen at the FMT A/S plant, the service life of the new sinter-forged MMC bits is 20-30 % longer than that of the conventional types based on hard metal. This brings down the number of production interruptions as the need for replacement is minimised. In addition, the production rate has increased from around 80 to 100 tonnes per hour, and drum and support maintenance has been reduced by approx. 1 hour per day after the new MMC bits were employed. All in all, the company has increased its production of compost and improved its economy. The price for the MMC bits amounts to 70 % of that of the conventional type coated with hard metal. When you include the increased tool life in the calculation, the total costs have been reduced by more than 50 %.
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If undelivered please return to: FJ Industries A/S DK 00059860 9 Trident way Southall UB18 7DN
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Sintered bronze for wear resistance and friction purposes High-density sintered bronze has excellent friction and wear resistance properties. This is the reason why German chain manufacturer ketten wulf uses this material for the friction element in their chains for the textile industry.
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s the name suggests, ketten wulf deals in chains, and the German company supplies chains for industries ranging from escalators to hydraulic steel engineering. FJ Sintermetal has previously co-operated on projects with the German chain manufacturer, who came on a visit to Denmark and was convinced that the factory in Ferritslev has the capacity required to solve demanding tasks. The task presented to FJ Sintermetal was to develop a friction component for a chain to be used in the textile industry, operating at speeds of up to 180m/min. The operating temperature occasionally reaches 220 degrees C.
ketten wulf is the leading German manufacturer of conveyor chains, special-purpose chains, and sprockets. The task, that ketten wulf asked FJ Sintermetal to solve, was to develop a friction element - to build in their conveyor-chain in order to avoid friction and abrasion. We suggested the application of a high-density sintered bronze-material. In connection with an earlier assignment, we had already tested this material, which has proven to be superior to both oil saturated sintered bronze and massive bronze-alloys. The suggestion turned out to fulfil the task from ketten wulf.
Tests performed during the process confirmed this. According to Uwe Vallentin at ketten wulf, the German company and its customers are very content with the result of the partnership - especially in relation to process safety. As regards technical matters, Uwe Vallentin highlights FJ Sintermetal’s outspoken helpfulness and technical expertise.
In 2004, FJ Sintermetal will be present at the following European exhibitions: Friction part in high-density sintered bronze, which has proven to have excellent friction and wear properties.
Fruitful partnership The extreme operating conditions required a unique friction component. Consequently, the two companies agreed on a solution involving high-density sintered bronze - a material with excellent proven friction and wear resistance properties.
Hannover Messe, Hannover, Germany: 19.-24. April 2004 Elmia Subcontractor, JĂśnkĂśping, Sweden: 9.-12. November 2004 Midest, Paris Nord Villepinte, France: 7.-10. December 2004
FJ SINTERNEWS
Exhibition calendar