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Powder metallurgy gear manufacturing process

Powder metallurgy is an advanced process for manufacturing gears, which utilizes metal powder and powder metallurgy equipment to manufacture gears. The following is the general process flow of powder metallurgy gear manufacturing:

1.Material preparation

Select the appropriate metal powder as raw material, the commonly used metal powder includes iron, steel, copper, aluminum and so on. The particle size and composition of the powder need to be selected according to the requirements of the gear.

2.Mix

The metal powder is carefully mixed with various additives, which may include lubricants, reinforcing agents, etc., to achieve a uniform distribution of the additives in the metal powder.

The purpose of this mixing process is to improve flow and compaction during the molding process, thereby ensuring a more uniform and dense texture of the final product. Mixing is one of the important steps in the powder metallurgy process, which plays a vital role in ensuring the quality and performance of the product. During the mixing process, professional technology and equipment are required to ensure the uniformity and stability of the mixing.

3.Suppression

The mixture is fed into the arms of the mold, which in its own way shapes the shape of the gear of the future.

During the pressing process, the application of high pressure is the key, requiring each metal powder particle to be closely combined to form a stable and strong structure. Under the force of high pressure, the metal powder particles gradually yielded and began to show the preliminary gear shape in the mold. Driven by high pressure, they are getting closer and closer to each other, and finally form a whole. At this time, the pressing process is not over yet, and a vacuum annealing heat treatment process is required. Vacuum annealing puts the pressed gear into an environment with a suitable temperature, so that the bonding force between the metal powder particles is stronger. Although the shape of the pressed gear has been preliminarily formed, it is still only a rough embryo, and it needs to go through multiple fine processing steps to finally become the precision gear we need. Pressing is an important part of gear production. It gives the gear its basic shape and structure, and lays a solid foundation for subsequent processing procedures.

4.Vacuum sintering

Vacuum sintering is an important link in the manufacture of gear blanks.

In this process, the pressed metal powder is placed at high temperature, and through a series of physical and chemical changes, the combination of powder particles is strengthened, and finally a dense gear body is formed. This process requires precise control of sintering temperature and time to ensure the quality and performance of the gear blank. Before vacuum sintering, the metal powder needs to be carefully pressed and formed to ensure that the shape and size of the green body meet the design requirements. This process is usually carried out by molding or isostatic pressing. During the pressing process, the metal powder is gradually formed into a green body with a certain shape and density under the action of pressure and friction. During the vacuum sintering process, the green body needs to be heated to the vicinity of the melting point between the powder particles, so that the atoms between the particles can diffuse and recombine. This process is usually heated using an electric or gas furnace. At high temperature, chemical reactions and physical changes occur between metal powder particles, which makes the combination between particles stronger and forms a dense gear body. The vacuum sintering process has a very important influence on the quality and performance of the gear blank. If the sintering temperature or time is not properly controlled, it may cause problems such as cracks, deformation or uneven density of the gear blank. Therefore, in the vacuum sintering process, it is necessary to adopt advanced sintering technology and equipment, and strictly control the sintering temperature and time to ensure that the quality and performance of the gear body meet the design requirements.

5.Finishing

Perform precision machining on the sintered body, including milling, grinding, turning and other processes to obtain the required tooth profile and dimensional accuracy.

6.Vacuum heat treatment

Carry out vacuum heat treatment on the finished gear, such as vacuum quenching, vacuum carburizing, etc., to improve the hardness and wear resistance of the gear.

7.Testing and quality control

Through the use of measuring instruments and equipment, the gears are tested to ensure that the quality of the gears meets the requirements.

8.Surface treatment

Gears can be surface treated as required, such as plating, coating, polishing, etc., to improve the surface quality and corrosion resistance of gears.

9.Assembly

The gears manufactured by powder metallurgy are assembled into mechanical transmissions to complete the final product.

The powder metallurgy gear manufacturing process has the advantages of high efficiency, energy saving, high material utilization rate, etc., and can manufacture gears with complex shapes. However, since powder metallurgy gears have a lower density than solid gears, they are generally suitable for low-load and low-speed transmissions.