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6 MPR November 2004 metal-powder.net

US METAL powder giantHoeganaes Corporationlaunched a new steel powderat the PM2004 WorldCongress in Vienna last monththat, they say, "is the first in aline of binder-treated prod-ucts that simulate wroughtsteel compositions that canbe processed at conventionalsintering temperatures."

The company says that theAncorsteel 4300 alloy systemhas been engineered specifi-cally to counteract the commonoxygen-related problems nor-mally associated with the pres-ence of chromium. In addition,the alloy content of the powderprovides optimum material andprocess economies in the as-sintered condition.

Low sintered oxygen levels ofaround 500 ppm can beachieved in the chromium-bearing alloy when sinteredat 1120ºC, and graphite lev-els can be tailored to meetthe demands of specificapplications.The combination of proper-ties of strength, hardenabili-ty, toughness and fatigue

resistance "means thatAncorsteel 4300 offers acost-effective alternative toalloys that require secondaryprocessing."Hoeganaes says the newpowder shows good com-pressability and exceptionaldimensional stability withrespect to graphite content,compaction pressure and sin-tering conditions.Bill Michael, Senior VP Salesand marketing said:"Hoeganaes has remained amarket leader by keeping upwith market demands. Whenwe see an opportunity werespond with a high-valueproduct that meets a specificneed."

New Hoeganaes steelpowder 'simulateswrought properties'

THE Metal Injection MoldingAssociation (MIMA) reports aresurgence of MIM parts pro-duction in 2004 and expectsmore of the same next year.

According to a recent sur-vey conducted by MIMA, theestimated size of the US MIMmarket in 2004 is about $150million. The association pro-jects the industry growing to$330 million by 2006. MajorMIM markets include hard-ware, medical, telecommuni-cations, and firearms. MostMIM parts produced are 5grams or less.

But MIM specialists arealso looking hard at aero-space applications.

Things lookingbetter for MIM

Hoeganaes Corporation hasannounced the opening of anew sales office in Europe atMeerbusch, near Düsseldorf.It is part of the process ofbuilding a technical serviceorganization to serve thewhole of Europe with supportfrom the fully-equipped fer-rous powder plant in Buzau,Romania, a mixing and post-

processing facility inHuckeswagen, Germany, andaccess to the technologicallyadvanced R&D facilities atHoeganaes Corporation, inNew Jersey, USAThe facility will offer theentire Hoeganaes product lineas well as technical supportto Europe, East Asia, andIndia. It is also prepared to

serve other markets as oppor-tunities arise.The office's sales manage-

ment team includes: PerLindskog, General ManagerMarketing and Sales (pictured left); CristinaDiaconu, Customer ServiceManager Europe; and Dr.Klaus Vossen, Sales ManagerEurope.

Euro office opens