metal-powder.net May/June 2013 MPR 45

Whisker-reinforced ceramic grades improve toughness

The ceramic grades are made

from silicon carbide.

Ssangyong Materials Corp has launched SW400 and SW800 silicon carbide (SiC) whisker-reinforced ceramic grades.

Aluminium oxide has been used successfully as a cut-ting tool material for many years in high speed machin-ing, mainly due to its excel-lent hardness and chemical stability at high tempera-tures. However, the applica-tion of aluminium oxide can be limited in interrupted cutting of high nickel based alloys at high cutting speed because of its low resistance to fracture.

The SW400 and SW800 ultra-strong whiskers reportedly improve fracture toughness and notch wear resistance in the machin-ing of super-alloys at high speed cutting.

SW400 and SW800 also have high productivity and extended reliability in the machining of nickel and cobalt-based alloys, as well as Inconel, Stellite, HSS and so on. They have excellent wear and thermal shock resist-ance at high surface speed. Ssangyong Materials Corp also offers coated whisker ceramic inserts for increased performance.

Stainless steel Catamold lines

Sampling system for ceramic powders

The PowderVision sampling system allows moisture to be measured

in ceramic powders.

NDC Infrared Engineering has developed an in-line sampling system for mois-ture measurements in closed processes.

The PowderVision sam-pling system, which is suit-able for use with ceramics powders, allows moisture to be measured in powders, granules and flakes flowing in enclosed ducts or grav-ity fed conveying systems. Designed to work with an NDC 710e NIR Moisture or Multi-component Gauge, PowderVision collects sam-ples every few seconds, with measurement values output via digital or analogue con-nectivity to a PLC or SCADA system for process control.

PowderVision consists of a tube-mounted sampling cup made from 316 stain-less steel which slides into a collar that is permanently welded into the appropriate duct in the process. It is opti-cally coupled to the 710e NIR gauge via a sapphire win-dow. The cup collects sample as it flows through the duct, allowing moisture and other

measurements to be made simultaneously. When the measurement is complete, the cup is emptied using a jet of compressed air and the next sampling sequence begins.

Making continual on-line moisture measurements eliminates the need to send samples away for laboratory measurement and allows drying processes to be con-trolled automatically, helping users to achieve consistent product quality, as well as creating opportunity for increased product yield and reduced fossil fuel consump-tion through process optimi-sation.

User-configurable software in the 710e HMI provides control of the PowderVision’s sampling timing sequences according to the required sample collection rate, and the gauge’s measurements are automatically synchro-nised with the filling and emptying cycle. The gauge reading is then held until the sampling process has been repeated.

BASF has developed Catamold 17-4PH K and Catamold 316L K for MIM.

Catamold is a ready-to-use raw material for metal and ceramic injection moulding (MIM and CIM). The wide product range includes low-alloy and stainless steels, special alloys, and ceramics, and the two new materials are stainless steel variants.

BASF says that it has also improved efficiency in the production process. “We’re passing on this economy of scale to our customers,” said Dr Matthias Pfeiffer, respon-sible for global business management for Catamold. “Thanks to the lower feed-stock costs, our customers

will be able to exploit new markets and be more com-petitive in the face of com-peting technologies.”

The new products are available internationally and technical support is offered in all.

This follows news in December 2012 that BASF is to build a new Catamold plant in Kuanyin, Taiwan, in the second half of 2013.The company has also built an application technology lab for Catamold in Shanghai, China.

“These investments reflect our commitment to driving growth in the metal injection moulding industry,” said Dr Stefan Koser, vice president metal systems at BASF.

MPR0313_Product showcase 45 22-05-13 16:01:00