special feature

PM industries
flying high again
Consulting Editor Joseph Capus delivers his conference
report from the recent PM 2014 World Congress in
Orlando, Florida, USA.

T
he most ambitious pow-
der metallurgy conference
event ever held was opened
by MPIF/APMI Executive
Director/CEO C. James Trombino at
the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
in Orlando, Florida on May 19. He
welcomed over 1500 attendees from
32 countries to the three simultane-
ous conferences: the 2014 PM World
Congress on Powder Metallurgy
and Particulate Materials, the 9th
International Tungsten, Refractory and
Hardmaterials Conference, and the first
(two-day) Additive Manufacturing with
Powder Metallurgy Conference. All
three conferences were sponsored and
organised by MPIF, with the support
of the European Powder Metallurgy
Association, the Japan Powder
Metallurgy Association, the Asian
Powder Metallurgy Association, and the
cooperation of the Refractory Metals
Association. Trombino went on to
thank the members of the various inter-
national organising committees and the
sponsoring companies for their support,
and introduced Richard Pfingstler, the
president of MPIF and CEO of Atlas
Pressed Metals (Figure 1), who added
his welcome, thanked the international
programme committee and recognised
the programme co-chairs, Russell
Chernenkoff, Metaldyne LLC, and
Brian James, Hoeganaes Corporation
(retired) - Figure 2.
Keynote Address:
Advice from the
Ultimate Car Guy
Bob Lutz (Figure 3), former
Vice-Chairman of General Motors,
and a 47-year veteran of the automo-
bile industry, author of a best-seller
book ‘Car guys vs. bean counters’
and more recently, ‘Icons and Idiots:
Straight Talk on Leadership’, is the
highest-ranking automotive execu-
tive ever to address a PM conference.
Commenting on the past, present, and
future of the auto industry, Lutz saw
continuing growth opportunities for
the PM industry. He began by noting
how important the auto industry is
to the PM industry, and vice-versa –
because about 80% of all PM parts are
made for automotive applications. He
thought the US auto industry’s higher
use of PM compared with the European
and Japanese industries was an inter-
esting statistic in view of today’s rapid
transfer of information and the fact
that many of the auto producers used
the same suppliers.

Figure 1: Richard Pfingstler, President of MPIF welcomed delegates to Figure 2: PM2014 World Congress Programme Chairmen, W. Brian
the PM2014 World Congress. (Photo credit: Joseph Capus) James and Russell A. Chernenkoff recognised by MPIF’s President.
(Photo credit: Joseph Capus)

14 MPR July/August 2014 0026-0657/14 ©2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Figure 3: Keynote speaker Bob Lutz, former Vice-Chairman, General
Motors Corp. (Photo credit: Joseph Capus)
He recalled that his first awareness
of PM was at the age of eight when his
father bought a Chrysler New Yorker
Convertible and he read all about the
car and learned about Chrysler’s use
of patented oil-impregnated sintered
bronze bearings, which only Chrysler
had. His most recent employer, GM,
was probably using the most PM parts
per vehicle in the industry, “and the
good news is that the auto industry, PM
industry’s No.1 user, is alive and well
and growing around the world, and is
not going to stop growing for decades.”
He went on to add that there will be
all kinds of new technologies, new
powertrains using more PM gears, but
there will be a gradual move away from
the internal combustion engine because
the electrification of the automobile
is inevitable and is starting to happen
before our eyes. Current restraints in
terms of range and price will eventually
be overcome with new battery technol-
ogy. When we get to the point when the
range and pricing of an electric car is
about the same as an internal combus-
tion car there will be no more reason
to stay with the latter. “But it’s going to
be a long time before electric vehicles
become a globally viable transportation
option in terms of performance and
metal-powder.net
Figure 4: Grand Prize winners in the 2014 PM Design Excellence
Competition. (Photo courtesy MPIF)
ability to mass-produce.” Earlier pre-
dictions of 10-15% of vehicles on the
road using some form of electrification
(which would include hybrids) by the
end of this decade now seem optimistic.
But even if there were about 10% by
2020, with worldwide annual produc-
tion of about 70 million cars, there
would still be a big market for PM
parts for traditional cars, and in addi-
tion electric motors have some applica-
tions for PM parts as well. “The 60+
million conventionally-powered vehicles
that will be produced will also be evolv-
ing rapidly, partly by the ICE drive-
train becoming more efficient, partly
due to global competition and rising
fuel prices, but also due to government
regulation, so you will see more and
more complex drive systems, and trans-
missions that used to be 4-speed going
to 6-, 8-, and now 9-speed, involving
more planetary gears that can be pro-
duced to net-shape by PM.
“Utter product
excellence - always
trying to get an edge
over the competition”
special feature
He always believed that the
automobile was a great provider of
personal freedom, and even if you have
a very efficient public transportation
system, and airlines, etc, there was
nothing like the private automobile. So
by providing components to the auto
industry, the PM industry was by exten-
sion, a provider of freedom. He said
there were very few things that could
stand in the way of progress, but there
were some things that were worrying.
He illustrated what he meant with a
hilarious biblical fable about Noah and
the building of the Ark, and how Noah
would never have completed the Ark
in time for the Flood if he first had to
comply with today’s combination of
permits, codes, and government regula-
tions, not to mention environmental
concerns and labour strife. The machi-
nations of government seemed to be
opposed to industrial activity, private
enterprise, and even the concept of
personal freedom and mobility, whether
intended or not. How to fight back
against global competition on the one
hand and one’s own and other peo-
ple’s governments on the other? Lutz
maintained there was really only one
way and it called for bold new leader-
ship, and that was about all we could
July/August 2014 MPR 15
special feature
Figure 5: North American iron powder shipments 2006-2013, short tons. (Source: MPIF)
Figure 6: North American shipments of copper and copper-based/tin powder, 2006-2013,
short tons. (Source: MPIF)
do. We needed to have bold vision plus
solid executive leadership based on one
simple strategy to succeed—and this
was the key lesson he had learned from
nearly fifty years in the industry. And
this No.1 strategy was not financial,
nor making the employees happy: no
strategy succeeded over time other than
that of “utter product excellence—
always trying to get an edge over the
competition, especially if the company
is trying to gain market share. The
only way to win was if your product
was recognisably more attractive, more
durable, more reliable, and represented
a better value for the customer”. Lutz
went on to illustrate what he meant
by putting product excellence first by
quoting from his book “Car guys vs
bean counters”, and he believed, having
16 MPR July/August 2014
talked to a number of executives from
Europe and Asia that it applied to any
industry in any country. In the book he
had asked “Why did GM produce gen-
erations of vehicles that met all internal
targets, yet fell wide of the mark in
sales? And the answer was, there was
a total lack of focus on the customer
or on product excellence”—which is
what he found when he returned to
the company in 2001. He illustrated
this message with several anecdotes in
how this situation was subsequently
remedied. He added that the US as an
industrial power now had an historic
window of opportunity: exchange rates
were in its favour, labour rates were
by most standards competitive, and it
still had ingenuity, initiative, and a deep
well of technological innovation. It
was time to stop the dominance of the
number-crunchers and put the reins in
the hands of the product guys (of either
gender), with vision and passion for
their product, their customers, and their
service.
In conclusion he referred to the cur-
rent emphasis on lightweight materials,
exemplified by Ford’s announcement
that its F-150 pick-up is going to be
made with an aluminium body. Also,
GM is working with Nanosteel on
a lightweight steel that has the same
properties as regular steel, but can
be stamped at half the thickness. He
added “if you can make a part with the
same properties as before, and make
it 10-15% lighter, the industry will be
very interested, because lowering the
mass of vehicles is the No.1 way to
meet the very onerous future fuel econ-
omy requirements.
Industry Awards
At the Awards Luncheon on May 19,
the President of APMI International,
Dean Howard (North American
Höganäs), presented APMI Fellow
Awards to John R. Enquist, consult-
ant, JENS Solutions LLC (formerly
with Burgess-Norton Mfg. Co.) and
Professor Zhigang Fang, University of
Utah, in recognition of their significant
contributions. Robert J. Dowding, US
Army Research Laboratory, received
the first PM Industry Vanguard Award.
Six student winners of the CPMT/
Axel Madsen 2014 Conference Grant
Awards were recognised.
The luncheon also gave the oppor-
tunity to celebrate the 50th Anniversary
of APMI’s International Journal of
Powder Metallurgy with a retrospective
Video, and also to announce that Dr
W. Brian James will take over as Editor
in January 2015, replacing Professor
Alan Lawley, who has been editor since
1985.
MPIF PM Design
Excellence Awards
The annual PM Design Excellence
Competition sponsored by MPIF
featured a new crop of outstanding parts
when winners were announced at the
Design Excellence Awards Luncheon on
metal-powder.net

Figure 7: Mr Philippe Gundermann, President of EPMA, reviewed the
status of PM in Europe. (Photo credit: Joseph Capus)
May 20. Five Grand Prizes (Figure 4)
and nine Awards of Distinction were
presented in eight product categories
ranging from Auto/engine to medical/
dental. Once again MIM parts featured
prominently, with their manufacturers
taking home the majority of the prizes
(See separate article). Winning parts
together with other competition entries
were display in the Exhibition Hall in
a “Showcase of Excellence” along with
parts from similar competitions run by
EPMA and JPMA.
Industry Global Trends
At a General Session on May 21, the
presidents of the three major industry
associations, MPIF, EPMA and JPMA,
each gave a review and update of PM
industry trends and other developments
in their respective geographical areas.
Richard Pfingstler, president of MPIF,
reported that the North American PM
industry was well into the recovery that
began in 2010 and the various sectors
of PM and particulate materials had
all bounced back and were continuing
to grow at a steady pace. Iron powder
shipments in 2013 increased 4.62 per-
metal-powder.net
Figure 8: Mr Mamoru Moritani, President of JPMA, reported on the
PM production situation in Asia. (Photo credit: Joseph Capus)
cent to 401,738 short tons, surpassing
the 400,000-ton mark for the first time
since 2007 (Figure 5). “Placing 2013
shipments into perspective, we must
remember that the industry’s high point
was 2004, 10 years ago, when iron
powder shipments hit 473,804 short
tons,” Pfingstler said. “Obviously, we
have a way to go in order to regain and
surpass that record.”
2013 shipments of copper and
copper-base powders increased by
an estimated four percent to 16,850
short tons (Figure 6), while stainless
steel powders gained an estimated 3.5
percent to 7,600 short tons.
Continuing his review of the past
year, Pfingstler noted that PM compact-
ing-press builders enjoyed a resurgence
in demand as parts makers invested in
expanding capacity and increased their
capability to meet more-exacting cus-
tomer specifications for more-complex
designs and higher-performance parts.
The PM parts business excelled last
year as well, supported by rising North
American light-vehicle production that
topped 16 million units. This number
was the highest in 13 years according
to WardsAuto. The MPIF president
special feature
cautioned that the trend toward smaller
engines and away from those with six
and eight cylinders was a serious threat
to PM. “Still, opportunities abound for
PM parts in all-wheel-drive systems,
start-stop systems, new diesel engines,
and more-complex and lighter-weight
gears,” he added. Opportunities also
existed for more value-added parts
such as sprockets, which feature laser
welding, rubberising, and CNC grind-
ing. The PM content in a typical U.S.
light vehicle rose slightly last year to an
estimated 44.5 pounds, up from 43.7
pounds in 2012. The forecast for 2014
is for a very modest increase to 44.6
pounds.
“The North American
PM industry is
well into the
recovery that began
in 2010” - MPIF
Looking ahead, Pfingstler said that
most PM parts markets were projected
July/August 2014 MPR 17
special feature
Figure 9: Growth of PM parts production in Asia 2004 to 2013. (Source: JPMA)
to see modest growth in 2014, which
would result in an equally modest rise
in metal powder shipments, again in
the neighbourhood of five percent.
Hampering an even higher growth rate
were the challenges faced by smaller
family-owned businesses, which still
struggle with scarce access to capital
and with the economic and administra-
tive burdens of complying with increas-
ing regulations. Looking beyond the
traditional press-and-sinter PM sector,
he noted that the refractory metals mar-
kets softened somewhat in 2013 and
there was more untapped capacity in
2013 than 2012.
As for the metal injection mould-
ing (MIM) market, he reported that
it continued to enjoy robust growth.
MIM-grade powder shipments in 2013
increased substantially to an estimated
2.5-3.2 million pounds. The current
MIM parts business represented about
70 companies of which an estimated 25
percent, or 18 companies, were captive
operations. The total estimated value
of MIM industry sales in 2013 ranged
from about $300 to $350 million and
was expected to grow in the 10 to 15
percent range in 2014.
Beyond MIM’s traditional parts mar-
kets, which included firearms, medical/
dental, general industrial, automotive,
and electronics, the automotive market
looked especially promising for MIM
parts that go into fuel injection and
turbocharger applications. Aerospace
engineers were considering specifying
MIM parts in the next generation of
aircraft engines.
18 MPR July/August 2014
The hot isostatic pressing (HIP)
business was heating up, particularly
for densifying MIM parts, a significant
trend during the last three years. About
50 to 60 percent of MIM firearms and
medical parts were HIPed. The HIPing
of MIM aerospace parts was a growing
market as well. A future growth area
for HIP was additive manufacturing
(AM). It was anticipated that specifi-
cations for AM parts would require
HIPing to ensure full density for robust
applications. Speaking of additive man-
ufacturing, Pfingstler said that it was
evolving into a serious business model
that goes beyond designing prototypes.
He said that there were an estimated
100 to 200 metal printers installed in
the U.S. providing custom manufactur-
ing and prototype services, including
captive installations doing development
work as well as R&D programmes at
government and university laborato-
ries. End markets for AM extend over
a wide range: dental products such
as dental bridges and copings, medi-
cal implants, aerospace components,
automotive parts, injection moulding
moulds, jewellery, watch cases, and
satellite parts.
In order to maintain the upward
trajectory of its growth pattern,
Pfingstler said, the PM industry con-
tinued to invest in new technology.
Many R&D programmes were aimed
at improving materials and delivering
improved performance. The MPIF had
been investing in PM’s future as well.
Accordingly, the MPIF Technical Board
2014 technology assessment program
was studying how to reduce dimension-
al variability in ferrous PM parts and
processes and the Center for Powder
Metallurgy Technology (CPMT) has
also been active, funding fatigue testing
studies. In addition, MPIF has recently
formed an aluminium standards sub-
committee to provide new materials
data on aluminium PM, particularly
aimed at automotive engineers seeking
to use more lightweight materials to
meet CAFE standards.
In closing, the MPIF president noted
that the industry was alive and well,
introducing new products, materials,
and processes. As a modern, 21st cen-
tury technology with a rich history, PM
continued to reinvent itself. “We must
never stop investing in new talent. In
the end, we are still a special industry
with a bright future.”
“The recovery in PM
parts production
was sustained in
2013 with shipments
totalling 207,000t”
- EPMA
Philippe Gundermann, presi-
dent of EPMA (Figure 7), gave an
up-beat review of developments in the
European PM industries. He reported
that the recovery in PM parts pro-
duction was sustained in 2013 with
shipments totalling 207,000t, 82% of
which was ferrous structural parts, 7%
each for non-ferrous parts and hard
materials, while HIP and MIM parts
represented 3% and 1% of the total,
respectively. With the revival of invest-
ment in 2013, growth was expected in
all European regions during 2014. EU
car registrations continued to recover,
passing 14 million in 2013. The average
weight of PM parts per car rose to just
over 9 kg.
MIM part sales increased in 2013 to
over €250 million, while MIM materi-
als comprised 50% stainless steel, 25%
low-alloy steel, 5% soft magnetic mate-
rial, 1% titanium, with miscellaneous
materials making up the balance. PM
HIP production came close to 14,000t
in 2013, representing a quarter of all
metal-powder.net

HIP output in Europe. The final statistic
was for additive manufacturing, where
revenue climbed about 40% in 2012 to
€18 million, with future growth fore-
cast to maintain double-digit levels.
Gundermann noted that the
European PM industries were well sup-
ported by a network of R & D facili-
ties, with at least 20 academic research
centres. In conclusion, Gundermann
reported that EPMA now had 180
corporate members in 29 countries.
The association celebrates its 25th
anniversary this year and maintains its
objectives of representing the European
PM industry, promoting PM technol-
ogy, and developing the future of PM.
EPMA has begun organising the next
PM World Congress, to be held in
Hamburg, Germany in 2016.
Next, Mr Mamoru Moritani, presi-
dent of JPMA (Figure 8), reported on
the state of PM and MIM in Asia. PM
production was robust across Asia in
2013, growing at 3 to 5% (Figure 9),
with China having the largest output
at 156,584t, followed by Japan, Korea,
India and Taiwan. Sales of MIM parts
in Asia totalled US$470 million, again
with China leading with $230 million.
Figure 10: Additive manufacturing display in the Exhibit Hall. (Photo credit: Joseph Capus)
metal-powder.net
GDP growth in 2014 across Asia,
excluding Japan, was forecast to range
between 3.5% (Singapore) and over
7% (China).
Speaking for Japan, Mr Moritani
reported 2013 production of PM struc-
tural parts at 90,911t, while bearings
were 6,288t. Japanese iron powder
shipments increased slightly in 2013
to 108,883t, while copper powder
shipments continued a slow decline to
4,768t due to material substitution.
In the automotive sector the average
weight of PM parts in a 4-wheeled
vehicle fell slightly in 2013 to 9.0 kg.
Among activities of JPMA men-
tioned by Moritani was the develop-
ment of rotating-bend fatigue properties
for MIM, to be published in June this
year. In conclusion, Mr Moritani said
growth of PM was strong in Asia as a
whole, with China expected to main-
tain the highest level of production for
the fore-seeable future. PM production
in both China and India were heavily
dependent on the auto sector, while
output in Indonesia, one of the smaller
producers, was expected to expand
several-fold with the increase in auto
production.
special feature
Exhibit
The trade exhibition comprised more
than 140 booths featuring companies
and organisations from around the
world involved in powder metallurgy,
particulate materials, tungsten and
refractory materials, and for the first
time a whole section covering additive
manufacturing. The exhibit hall featured
a display of all parts entered in the 2014
PM Design Excellence Competition.
The ‘Showcase of PM Excellence’ also
included award-winning parts from
competitions sponsored by EPMA and
JPMA, altogether providing about one
hundred examples of the latest and best
in PM design achievement from around
the globe. In addition, there was a dis-
play of 3-D printed parts fabricated
by additive manufacturing companies
participating in the exhibition (Figure
10). The exhibition floor was also the
location for a casual Germany-themed
luncheon on May 21 to pre-view the
next PM World Congress in 2016 in
Hamburg, with an afternoon “beer
break” sponsored by EPMA.
Technical Sessions
and Posters
More than 400 presentations in 136
sessions and close to 50 posters from
around the World made this the most
comprehensive coverage of PM and
related topics ever staged. With as
many as 13 technical sessions running
concurrently at any one time, it was
occasionally hard to choose which
programme to follow, and as the ses-
sion chair-persons kept the proceedings
running on schedule, one had to be
pretty nimble to move from one session
room to another in the vast halls of the
convention centre. It would be unjust
to single out specific items for mention
here, but specific topics from the tech-
nical programme will be the subject of
articles in future issues of MPR. Finally,
proceedings of the technical sessions,
posters and special interest programmes
(where applicable) will be published by
MPIF in CD-ROM format as Advances
in Powder Metallurgy and Particulate
Materials—2014. (MPIF, 105 College
Road East, Princeton, NJ 08540-6692,
USA. www.mpif.org)
July/August 2014 MPR 19