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Expanding horizons at SSI
SSI Sintered Specialties: Expanding horizons through ‘next-generation’ MIM materials and Binder Jetting SSI Sintered Specialties, LLC can trace its roots back to the earliest days of Powder Metallurgy in the US. True to its name, that company has over the decades found success through specialisation, in particular stainless steel PM products. This is a theme that continues today, with the company now expanding its horizons through the development of large MIM parts using innovative feedstock technology, and the adoption of metal Binder Jetting. Bernard North visited the company on behalf of PIM International and reports on its plans to remain at the forefront of metal powder based parts production.
Janesville, in the Midwest of the USA, lies ninety-five miles from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport along Interstate 90. This modestly sized Wisconsin city, with a population of around 65,000, is home to SSI Sintered Specialties, LLC, a major player in the Powder Metallurgy parts business, and one with a long and distinguished history. In October, I visited the company on behalf of PIM International magazine and met with three members of SSI’s team: Paul Hauck, Chief Operating Officer, Joe Lange, Vice President, Manufacturing, and Kayla Varicalli, Marketing Manager, to discuss some major developments at the company, including an expansion of its Metal Injection Moulding capabilities and a move into sinter-based metal Additive Manufacturing.
Pen Company opened its Panoramic sintering division for porous Powder Metallurgy components for pens. During the following decade the product line diversified into initial automotive applications, and in the 1970s sintered stainless steel parts for mounting rear-view
mirrors were developed and introduced. In 1982, Parker Pen sold the operation to a group of six private investors, who named the company SSI Technologies, Inc. In 1987, one of those investors became the sole owner and remains as such to this day.
Innovation past and present: the story of SSI The history of SSI can be traced back to the earliest days of PM component production in North America. In the 1950s, the Parker
Vol. 15 No. 4 © 2021 Inovar Communications Ltd
Fig. 1 A continuous sintering furnace in operation at SSI (Courtesy SSI Sintered Specialties)
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