The P/M industry (Powdered Metals/Ceramics/Cermets/Intermetallics) is diverse and sophisticated and includes aerospace, medical and dental, electronics, defense, automotive, lawn and garden, hardware and appliances. The vision of this industry is to continuously seek out new materials, and innovative techniques to manipulate these materials, to enable its customer base to solve increasingly difficult problems related to energy conservation, biocompatibility, reliability, product performance, and cost.

Our assistance to powder (material) and equipment producers, involves investigating flowability, processing, and consistency concerns with respect to powder handling systems, as well as assisting in understanding the implications of how material flow will impact the products they will be used in. Our assistance to parts producers, involves designing or improving processes to deliver fewer defects (six sigma), higher density (full density), and closer near-net-shape parts with greater strength and lower weight. Flow problems are often due to erratic or inconsistent flow (including arching and ratholing), as well as segregation of the mix or blend from the P/M powder producer through delivery to the final process step (e.g., feed shoe delivery into the die cavity, feed into the HIP can, MIM or PIM feed, etc.)

If your plant is currently experiencing problems with part uniformity, poor flow, or limited production due to powder handling, Jenike & Johanson can help you. If you are considering developing higher-end products or planning for a new plant or production line, we can apply our industry-leading technology and years of experience to avoid process upsets due to mishandling of materials that are prone to arching, ratholing, or segregation .

KEY ENGINEERING SERVICES

• Powder blends
• Dimensional tolerance of parts
• Microstructure
• Mechanical properties / Apparent packing density / Green density and strength
• Hold bins, portable containers, and hopper discharge stations
• Transfer stations and chutes
• Press feed hoppers
• In-bin and tumble mixing and blending / Static blenders
• Conveyors
• Distributors
• Dosing systems

In order to formulate an approach to solving or preventing a problem, we need to learn as much as possible about your application to ensure that handling problems do not occur with the new equipment.

TYPICAL PROJECT APPROACH

• Plant visit for troubleshooting and understanding plant and system requirements
• Flow properties testing of bulk solids
• Root cause analysis of handling/feeding/conveying problems
• Functional design of solids handling equipment
• Detailed engineering design of equipment
• Supply of custom designed equipment

For over forty years, our team of experienced engineers has been providing proven technology solutions that are cost-effective and safe. Contact Jenike & Johanson to help you solve and prevent bulk solids handling problems.