Sintered Bronze Parts
Sintered bronze parts are rigid, temperature resistant, and high-strength parts formed through sintering or powder metallurgy. Sintered bronze parts can be produced in large quantities with consistent properties and sizes.
Quick links to Sintered Bronze Parts Information
Applications of Sintered Bronze
- Shock Absorbers
- Home Appliances
- Automobiles
- Bearings
- Bushings
Materials Used in Sintered Bronze Parts
Powder metallurgy uses several different metals in the fabrication of metal powder parts.
- Aluminum
- Copper
- Nickel
- Brass
- Steel
- Stainless Steel
- Nickel
- Titanium
Bronze is an ideal material choice for sintering as it is a non-ferrous metal commonly used as a conductive material. Its porosity allows lubricants or air and liquids to pass through it. Sintered bronze parts are an economical manufacturing option, especially for large quantities of products, as sintered metal parts can be fabricated repeatedly with close tolerances. The properties of material strength, clarity, and thermal conductivity are enhanced through the sintering process. Also, because it is a simple process, most of the other physical properties of the metal are retained. The porosity of the parts can also be adjusted according to the intended application and the desired flow level.
The process of powder metallurgy has three basic steps.
- First, the metal, in this case, bronze or bronze alloy, is made into a powdered form. This can be achieved by several methods, including grinding, chemical decomposition, and the most common atomization.
- The metallic powder is then poured into a die or mold cavity and compacted under great pressure to adhere to the particles. This occurs at room temperature.
- The metal part is then inserted into a furnace where the extreme heat fuses the metal particles to form a rigid, high-strength, and porous component. This part of the process is called sintering.
- The resulting porosity of the sintered parts makes powder metal products especially useful in lubricating applications, and as a result, bearings and wear plates are often fabricated from sintered bronze.
- These porous components are also commonly used to create filtration materials, especially for high-temperature applications such as those in the food or pharmaceutical industries.
The bronze powder can also be used to coat the surfaces of wood, plaster, plastic, and other metals to create a bronze-like finish. In addition, in cosmetics such as eye shadows or liners, finely powdered bronze is used to create a shiny appearance.