The foundation of the PM-parts-production at Zoz GmbH is related to the general-philosophy that an as complete as possible interconnection of an entire producing-process, which in case of powder metallurgy means the way from raw-powder-production via powder preparation and materials-design up to consolidation and if necessary, to machining, that such an interconnection, due to the extensive knowledge on each of the preceding and following single processing steps must insofar lead to an optimum service at least for the intermediate processing step.
The PM-parts-production is consequently not forced forward in large steps but is a new sector that is occupied if preceding processing steps here demand or originate this. So are results of a cooperative project being started in 1999 represented here by bearing bushes with a net-weight of 12 kg each and produced by Mechanical Alloying of Stellite®-based material, consolidated by HIP as well as LPS under HIP and finally machined and fitted on transfer-rolls. The consolidation here is not done in-house and shall not – at least in mid-term plan – be done so. The bearing bushes are used in the liquid metal bath of hot-dip galvanizing/aluminizing plants.
In March 2000 we introduced a new magnetic filter with an NdFeB-magnetic-core MK-078105 which is in principle a combination of powder metallurgy and conventional design. This part is already in series production, marketing is going rapidly and therefore it can be announced as our second PM-part already (a paper on this device, its development and its testing will be published at the next World-PM in summer 2002 in Orlando, together with one of the worldwide largest dental-ceramic producers).