Iron Powder Manufacturing Techniques: A Brief Review

Abstract

For the iron powder producers the development in the iron powder consuming industries has been a matter not only of meeting demands for greater volumes but also of supplying a variety of powder grades with properties adapted to an increasing number of new applications in various fields, each application requiring specific combinations of the physical and chemical powder properties. A factor of great importance for the growth of iron powder consuming processes has been the ability of the powder producers to meet the increasing demands for consistent properties, i.e. narrow powder specifications, on a high quality level. In large volume powder production this has required specific attention to the development of suitable equipment and methods for powder processing and handling, and also of effective systems for process and quality control. In this paper, experiences and conclusions in the development of iron powder manufacturing at Höganäs AB, Sweden, from what today would be called a pilot scale operation to a full scale industrial process are discussed. PM/0376