Company visit: PIM International, Vol.1 No. 3 September 2007, pages 37-41, 2393 words

Author: Dr. Georg Schlieper, Ingenieurbüro Gammatec, Germany

Ingenieurbüro Gammatec, Alleestr. 101, D-42853 Remscheid, Geramny

Dr. Georg Schlieper reports for Powder Injection Moulding International on a visit to the manufacturing plant of Schunk Sintermetalltechnik GmbH in Thale, Germany. The report offers a fascinating insight into the operations of one of Germany’s premier MIM producers.

Introduction

Hidden in the Eastern foothills of the Harz mountain range in central Germany lies the small town of Thale, a place with a long metallurgical tradition. The Thale ironworks were founded in 1686 with the purpose of refining the iron ores found in the mountains. Powder metallurgy (PM) has been practised here since 1941. Friedrich Eisenkolb, one of the pioneers of PM, was the founding father of this technology in Thale. As the production of raw steel declined in the middle of the 20th century, PM products increasingly gained in importance and eventually became the main business of the ironworks. A full range of PM technologies had been established, some of them under license agreements with major West German companies such as Volkswagen and Mannesmann, when the communist regime fell in East Germany in 1990. These technologies included powder production, pressed and sintered parts, powder forging, tool steels by HIP and CIP, welding electrodes and also the first developments of MIM parts.

Further sections of this article include:

- The history of MIM technology at Thale
- Developing the market for MIM products
- MIM production facilities at Thale
- End-user sectors served

Figures and Tables:

Fig. 1 Injection moulding department (Courtesy Schunk Sintermetalltechnik GmbH)

Fig. 2 Moulded parts on perforated trays prior to solvent debinding

Fig. 3 Chambers for solvent debinding in acetone

Fig. 4 Sintering department (Courtesy Schunk Sintermetalltechnik GmbH)

Fig. 5 Driving cam for seat backrest adjustment (Courtesy Schunk Sintermetalltechnik GmbH)

Fig. 6 Housing, gripping jaw and rack for a passenger car hand brake (Courtesy Schunk Sintermetalltechnik GmbH)

Fig. 7 Rollers for a turbocharger (Courtesy Schunk Sintermetalltechnik GmbH)

Fig. 8 Adjustment ring of a turbocharger (Courtesy Schunk Sintermetalltechnik GmbH)

Fig. 9 Nozzle ring for turbochargers (Courtesy Schunk Sintermetalltechnik GmbH)

Fig. 10 Rocker arm for variable valve stroke engines (Courtesy Schunk Sintermetalltechnik GmbH)

Fig. 11 Drive wheel in the bonnet driving/locking mechanism of a convertible (Courtesy Schunk Sintermetalltechnik GmbH)

Fig. 12 Valve lever in a miniature four-stroke engine for lawn & garden equipment (Courtesy Schunk Sintermetalltechnik GmbH)