Production Processes
The typical sequences of manufacturing depend on functional requirements of application and include various steps:
Raw Materials
Metal Powders
The composition of mixes is studied and defined according to the functional requirements of customer’s applications. Stame’s suppliers are the best ones in European and World market.
Mixing Operation
Mixing
This operation is made in such a way to guarantee the uniformity of local chemical composition and the unaltered functional properties of the base powder.
Sintering of the compacts
Sintering
The heating of the “green” parts – under controlled atmosphere - promotes the welding of the powder particles, at the contacting surfaces formed on compaction, by different diffusion mechanisms, and the diffusion into iron of alloying additions. The higher the temperature is, the faster the phenomena of welding and alloy forming occur.
Forming
Forming through compaction and densification inside “rigid” dies
The die designing is carried out in accordance with the characteristics of flow and pressure transmission which characterize the selected powder mix. The design and set-up of tools ensure a faultless forming of compacts (no breaches, no cracks, no internal defects, etc..). The compaction pressure may reach ca. 800 MPa.
Secondary operations
heat treatment, sizing...
The variety of functional requirements of sintered components often requires different secondary operations, such as: heat treatment, sizing, oil or plastic impregnation, finishing machining, in some cases to reach the final shape, if some shape peculiarities present geometry constraints not compatible with compaction inside rigid dies.
Quality control
Analysis of the material properties
The quality control system is extended to the whole production cycle and assures the full respect of all standards and specifications, fully in accordance with the costumer. Analysis, testing and inspection of the material properties are carried out at company facilities, thanks to up-to-date metallographic techniques, through porosity and microstructure analysis, and by specific strength tests.