Powder metallurgy (PM) has long been used to mass-produce durable stainless steel parts with complex shapes – and for good reason.
When you combine the net-shape capabilities of the PM process with the impressive material properties of stainless steel, it’s no surprise that sintered stainless steel parts have a wide variety of uses across a number of industries.
Let’s take a closer look at the diverse applications of sintered stainless steel parts.
Sintered stainless steel – more specifically, 300 series – is widely used for demanding applications exposed to harsh environments and elevated temperatures. This is because of stainless steel’s corrosion resistance – in other words, its ability to withstand long-term exposure to heat and various chemicals.
Compacting and sintering stainless steel parts allows for high-volume production of metal components with high strength, tight tolerance requirements, and complex shapes, making it a cost-effective, versatile, and efficient process for manufacturing metal parts tailored for corrosive environments. PM is also an environmentally friendly process due to its use of recycled materials, and produces less waste, making it more sustainable compared to traditional machining methods.
Curious to learn more about how sintering is used across different manufacturing methods? Read our article on PM sintering versus metal injection molding (MIM) sintering.
You can only truly comprehend the capabilities of sintered stainless steel by learning about real-life examples of how they’re used across multiple sectors. Below, we’ll walk through some of these applications and how they benefit their particular industry:
Pressing and sintering allows for high-volume production of stainless steel parts with tolerances generally around ±0.3% to ±0.5%, depending on the size and shape of the part. PM’s ability to achieve tight dimensional tolerances of complex geometries, paired with the material properties of stainless steel deems it suitable for producing medical and other pharmaceutical equipment, such as:
Appliances are another common application for PM stainless steel parts due to their high production volume and tight dimensional requirements. Applications that are frequently exposed to cleaning solutions, outdoor elements, and elevated temperatures often use stainless steel for its superior strength compared to plastic or its superior corrosion resistance compared to traditional steel. Some specific examples include:
The automotive industry is by far the largest partner for powder metal parts manufacturers, and this holds true for sintered stainless steel components as well. Under-body assemblies that are exposed to the elements and exhaust systems that are exposed to extreme heat often contain numerous sintered stainless steel parts, including:
Sintered stainless steel filters have more applications than those you see here – check out this article about the advantages and capabilities of sintered stainless steel filtration.
For the same reasons sintered stainless steel parts are used for automotive and consumer appliance applications, they’re common for recreational use as well. Common recreational uses of stainless steel sintered components are:
Sintered stainless steel components are ideal for harsh environments, where reliability, durability, and corrosion resistance are mandatory. The PM process allows for the production of complex shapes with extremely tight tolerances, supporting a wide variety of industries.
A trusted manufacturer will know the most sustainable, cost-effective, and productive sintering processes, and will continue to evolve with advancements in technology and ever-changing needs of the industries discussed in this article.
Want to learn more about sintering at Nichols Portland, Inc.? See what sets our Sintered Metals Division apart from the rest and learn about how we keep up with the changing needs of every industry.