6931 Ridgway-St. Marys Road
Ridgway, PA 15853
Phone: (814) 772-5551
Fax: (814) 772-1492
sales@ridgwaypm.com

Powder Metal
Information

Powder Metal Information

Powder Metal Information -
Ridgway Powdered Metals

Powder Metal (P/M) is a highly developed industrial technology whose products are mechanical and engineering type metal components.

P/M parts are manufactured by applying two basic operations – compacting (or molding) and sintering – to finely divided metal powders having specific chemistries and physical properties.
- Compacting refers to the pressing of powders in solid tools, which produce “green” compacts having specific shapes and sizes.
- Sintering is a high-temperature thermal operation performed in a rigidly controlled atmosphere furnace during which the powder particles are bonded metallurgically into an homogenous, utilitarian object.
Following these operations many P/M parts are ready for use. Some may require a cold repressing operation to qualify dimensions, shape and/or surface finish or to improve density. Others, like any metal component, may need to be machined, heat treated, plated, welded, etc. in order to produce parts to fit the demands of their particular applications.
P/M is a cost effective method for the production of simple to very complex parts at, or very close to, final dimensions in production rates ranging from a few hundred to several thousand parts per hour.
P/M typically uses more than 97% of the starting raw material in the finished part. Because of this, P/M is an energy and materials conserving process.
P/M is capable of producing unique materials whose properties are designed to accommodate unusual physical and mechanical demands of certain applications due to its solid state alloying and other metallurgical capabilities.

“We get the job done!”