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The 41st Hagen Symposium on Powder Metallurgy, organised by Germany’s Fachverband Pulvermetallurgie (FPM), took place in Hagen from November 30 to December 1, 2023. The event had a focus on sustainability and the changes needed for the PM industry to become greener through improved efficiency, reduced energy consumption and optimised raw materials usage. Dr Georg Schlieper reports on selected presentations that highlight some of the sustainability challenges being met by the industry. He also reports on the 2023 Skaupy Prize Lecture, given by Ruhr University Bochum’s Prof Werner Theisen.
The term ‘sustainability’ broadly refers to the goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time with minimal impact on the planet. In everyday use, the term often focuses on countering major environmental problems, including climate change, loss of biodiversity, loss of ecosystem services, land degradation, as well as air and water pollution. This very general definition encompasses everything that touches environmental, economic, and social concerns, which experts define as the three pillars of sustainability. When we talk about sustainability in PM technology, we are looking at the impact that our manufacturing processes and products have on the environment as well as the economic aspects. A number of issues that impact sustainability can be identified, including: • energy consumption in PM manufacturing • raw material utilisation
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• product performance • waste prevention • weight savings • product lifespan • recycling, or end-of-life product reuse • carbon footprint
The development of highperformance PM materials – as highlighted in the summary of the 2023 Skaupy Lecture that follows – can be regarded as a contribution to sustainability on their merit, as many of these PM materials make it possible to improve the effectiveness
Fig. 1 The Hagen Symposium brings the German-speaking PM community together every November, at the Stadthalle Hagen (Courtesy Kongress- und Eventpark Stadthalle Hagen GmbH)
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Sustainability in Powder Metallurgy: Highlights from the 41 st Hagen Symposium
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Hagen Symposium 2023
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