The motor car still plays an important role in daily travel worldwide. In the face of increasingly demanding customers who require more energy efficiency, environmental sustainability, and good user experience, fuel efficiency, intelligence, and lightweight have become irreplaceable features for this kind of vehicle. Metal powder parts better satisfy the above requirements than traditional material processing.

What Automotive Parts Can Be Made with Metal Powder

More and more important automotive parts are manufactured by the metal powder forming process.

Fig 1. Auto Parts

1. Engine Components

Metal powder technology finds extensive use in the production of various types of engine parts, such as camshafts, pistons, connecting rods, and gears. Due to the high temperature and pressure inside the engine, a part is needed that can deliver excellent wear and heat resistance. With the use of nickel-based alloy powders like Inconel 718 or iron-based alloy powders, it becomes possible to make high-strength, corrosion-resistant, and heat-resistant engine parts for better reliability and durability.

2. Transmission System Parts

Molybdenum or titanium alloy-based powders are great for manufacturing gears and clutch plates in the transmission system. Such materials give excellent strength, and resistance to wear and fatigue, thereby enabling the development of the system more durable and lightweight.

3. Exhaust System

Exhaust pipes and muffler parts have to operate under high temperatures and corrosive conditions. Stainless steel powders like 316L are perfect for the fabrication of components for an exhaust system performing under such harsh conditions.

4. Pumps and Valves

It is also possible to make parts, such as fuel pumps or oil pumps, by means of bronze or stainless steel powders. This material provides better sealing and wear resistance, improving pump life.

5. Chassis Components

The suspension system and axles can be fabricated using aluminum alloy powder. Aluminum is lightweight and strong; thus, it reduces the overall vehicle weight.

Table 1. Automotive parts made of metal powder metallurgy

Stanford Advanced Materials (SAM) was founded in 1994 to provide best-in-class atomized metal alloy powders. Our wide range of spherical metal powders, including nickel-based, titanium-based, aluminum-based, copper-based, iron-based and stainless steel, can meet various manufacturing needs of various powder metallurgy technologies.

Advantages of Metal Powder in Manufacturing Auto Parts

Metal powder is the powdered form of metal, generally having the properties of metal wire, foil, block, strip, and other profiles. However, because of its shape, it has many advantages in the parts manufacturing process.

1. High Material Utilization

Metal powder forming is a near-net-shape process that reduces material waste to a great extent compared with the traditional method. Such as making the chassis parts with aluminum alloy powder can reduce waste during the production process and therefore increase material efficiency.

2. Manufacturing of Complex Shapes

By using metal powder technology, one can design and manufacture parts that could be complex in shape, even hollow, or with complex internal shapes that are difficult to make conventionally. In manufacturing, some complex parts have been characterized by excellent mechanical performances and workability, to which the transmission system is applied with titanium alloy powder.

Fig 2. Automobile gear parts

3. High-Performance Material

The parts manufactured by metal powder metallurgy have superior performance. For instance, the engine parts fabricated with powder from a nickel-based alloy are highly resistant to heat and corrosion and, hence can be used inside the engines at high temperature and high pressure, which improves their durability.

4. Lower Production Costs

This results in high material utilization and a reduction of processing steps in metal powder forming, thus reducing the total cost of production. This advantage is more pronounced during mass production and especially when relatively inexpensive materials, like iron-based alloy powders, are used to make common automotive parts.

Looking Ahead

As automotive continues to provide yet a more overall efficiency focus, lightweight design, and environmental protection perspective, the functions of metal powder materials will be important in the future. Combining advanced manufacturing technology such as 3D printing, in the future the automotive part design can be much more flexible and reach high production efficiency. Besides, with rapid development in electric vehicles, metal powder materials will find applications in motor components and battery housings. Lightweight, high-strength materials, such as aluminum and titanium alloy powders, will become hotspots in the industry.

In summary, metal powder materials offer innovative solutions for the automotive industry. They enhance part performance and manufacturing efficiency while reducing costs and supporting sustainability. As technology advances and market demands evolve, the use of metal powder materials will continue to expand, providing new momentum for the automotive sector.

Reference:

[1]. Hall, D., and Mocarski, S., "Powder Metal Parts for Automotive Applications," SAE Technical Paper 850458, 1985, https://doi.org/10.4271/850458

[2]. Tan, Zq., Zhang, Q., Guo, Xy. et al. New development of powder metallurgy in automotive industry. J. Cent. South Univ. 27, 1611–1623 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11771-020-4394-y