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PowderMet2024: The state of the Powder Metallurgy industry in North America A highlight of the Metal Powder Industries Federation’s annual International Conference on Powder Metallurgy & Particulate Materials (PowderMet) is the ‘State of the PM Industry’ presentation, in which key industry data are presented alongside analysis of the performance of PM in major markets. This year’s presentation was delivered by Michael Stucky, president of the MPIF and Business Unit Director at Norwood Medical. Stucky’s presentation, published here in full, brings the current challenges facing PM into focus, as well as highlighting opportunities for growth.
Powder Metallurgy is comprised of four major categories: Press and Sinter (P&S); Metal Injection Moulding (MIM), Additive Manufacturing (AM), and Hot or Cold Isostatic Pressing (HIP/CIP). Many areas of PM can be considered a circular economy as they reduce material use; redesign materials, products, and services to be less resource intensive; and recapture ‘waste’ as a resource to manufacture new materials and products. An advanced manufacturing process that can produce robust net-shape components, PM’s high material utilisation promotes efficient use of raw materials, reduces energy consumption, and improves labour efficiency. The current North American PM industry is driven by applications in the automotive market. Environmental concerns have significantly altered the focus of the automotive sector, to say the least. Just a few years ago, most automotive companies went ‘all in’ with battery
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electric vehicles (BEV); in line with this, they discontinued Research & Development on internal combustion engines (ICE) and announced massive reductions in their engineering workforce. PM companies became increasingly concerned.
Today, there is a new focus on hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), including plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV). These represent the best of both worlds, with reduced emissions while operating primarily on battery power and increased distance with
Fig. 1 Michael Stucky, president of the MPIF and Business Unit Director Norwood Medical, presenting on the state of the PM industry at PowderMet2024, Pittsburgh, June 16-19 (Courtesy MPIF)
Autumn 2024
PM Review
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State of the PM Industry in North America
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