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New development of powder metallurgy in automotive industry

粉末冶金技术在汽车工业的新进展

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Abstract

The driving force for using powder metallurgy (PM) mostly relies on its near net-shape ability and cost-performance ratio. The automotive application is a main market of PM industry, requiring parts with competitive mechanical or functional performance in a mass production scale. As the automobile technology transforms from traditional internal combustion engine vehicles to new energy vehicles, PM technology is undergoing significant changes in manufacturing and materials development. This review outlines the challenges and opportunities generated by the changes in the automotive technology for PM. Low-cost, high-performance and light-weight are critical aspects for future PM materials development. Therefore, the studies on PM lean-alloyed steel, aluminum alloys, and titanium alloy materials were reviewed. In addition, PM soft magnetic composite applied to new energy vehicles was discussed. Then new opportunities for advanced processing, such as metal injection molding (MIM) and additive manufacturing (AM), in automotive industry were stated. In general, the change in automotive industry raises sufficient development space for PM. While, emerging technologies require more preeminent PM materials. Iron-based parts are still the main PM products due to their mechanical performance and low cost. MIM will occupy the growing market of highly flexible and complex parts. AM opens a door for fast prototyping, great flexibility and customizing at low cost, driving weight and assembling reduction.

摘要

粉末冶金技术应用的驱动力主要来自于其近净形能力和高性价比. 汽车工业是粉末冶金技术的主要市场, 而汽车行业要求粉末冶金零部件在机械性能或功能上具有竞争力, 同时可满足大规模生产需求. 随着汽车技术从传统内燃机向新能源的转变, 粉末冶金技术在制造工艺和材料开发方面正经历着重大变化. 本文概述了汽车技术的变革给粉末冶金技术带来的挑战和机遇. 低成本、 高性能和轻量化是未来粉末冶金材料发展的关键因素. 因此, 本文就粉末冶金合金钢、 铝合金和钛合金材料的研究进行了综述. 此外, 还讨论了粉末冶金软磁复合材料在新能源汽车上的应用, 阐述了对先进加工技术如金属注射成形和增材制造产生的新机遇. 一般来说, 汽车技术的变革为粉末冶金提供了足够的发展空间, 新兴技术出现需要更加优异的粉末冶金材料. 铁基零件由于其机械性能好、 成本低, 将仍是粉末冶金的主要产品. 金属注射成形也将在灵活和复杂零件的市场得到巨大的发展机会. 增材制造提供了一种低成本、 灵活性、 个性化设计原型零件的快速制造途径, 并能减少零件的重量和组装步骤.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

    Zhao-qiang Tan  (谭兆强), Wei-jiang Zhao  (赵伟江), Cheng-shang Zhou  (周承商) & Yong Liu  (刘咏)

  2. Höganäs (China) Co., Ltd., Shanghai, 201799, China

    Zhao-qiang Tan  (谭兆强) & Qing Zhang  (张青)

  3. School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

    Xue-yi Guo  (郭学益)

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  1. Zhao-qiang Tan  (谭兆强)
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  2. Qing Zhang  (张青)
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Correspondence to Cheng-shang Zhou  (周承商) or Yong Liu  (刘咏).

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Foundation item: Project(51625404) supported by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, China

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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

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