TECHNOLOGY AND PAPERS      

INTRODUCTION

Powdermet Inc. was founded in 1996 for the express purpose of utilizing Fluidized Bed Chemical Vapor Deposition (FBCVD) to provide advanced, nano- and micro-engineered particulates to the advanced materials industry. Today Powdermet operates fully functional R&D, pilot plant, and limited production facilities producing surface engineered powders and powder metallurgy components.  Powdermet serves many large industrial customers by custom manufacturing engineered particulates and by making available our expertise and specialized facilities for preparing bench, pilot, and production quantities of surface-modified powders and particulates.

At Powdermet we strive to produce materials of the highest quality and value.  We have installed an ISO9001 compliant quality system to assure compliance with customer specifications.  Each client project, no matter how modest, is assured of the specialized and complete attention necessary to produce the best results.  Through our vertically integrated fluidized bed processing facility, Powdermet provides a unique, non-captive powder and particulate surface modification laboratory and production facility that is among the most complete in the world.  We are constantly expanding both capacity and capabilities to better meet client needs and requirements.

PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY

Powdermet's processing is based on vapor-plating fine particulates using our R&D 100 Award  (2000) winning, patented Recirculating Fast-fluidized Bed Chemical Vapor Deposition processing technology (RFFBCVD).  In the RFFBCVD process, fine particulates are injected at high concentration into a high velocity fluidizing gas stream, where they are fluidized in the turbulent fluidization regime.  Through operation in the turbulent fluidization regime cohesive, Geldhart Class C powders can be uniformly handled with minimal agglomeration.  Unlike transport reactors very high solids content is achieved, leading to a highly economical process.

Once fluidized, the particles are heated and an organometallic precursor is added.  The organometallic precursor, typically a carbonyl or metal alkyl, is decomposed to form the desired coating and organic byproduct, which is subsequently removed from the system.  Due to the relatively high cost of purchased organometallics, Powdermet is vertically integrated, enabling us to produce the required metal carbonyls from low cost metal, metal salt, or metal halide intermediates.  Because the synthesis and decomposition steps are very highly efficient (typically well over 90%), costs are competitive or better than alternate powder synthesis and milling processes and improved constituent materials distribution is enabled.

This technology is illustrated in the three papers posted below:

MICROENCAPSULATED POWDER APPROACH FOR ADVANCED MATERIALS

RECIRCULATING FAST-FLUIDIZED BED PILOT PLANT REACTOR FOR CVD COATED POWDER PRODUCTION

POTENTIAL OF COATED POWDERS FOR POWDER INJECTION MOLDING

ENCAPSULATING (COATING) MATERIALS

LIST OF REINFORCEMENTS (MATERIALS COATED)

Niobium, Tantalum, Rhenium, Molybdenum, Tungsten, Platinum, Palladium, Iridium, Ruthenium, Lead, Zinc, Silver, Copper, Nickel, Cobalt, Iron, Titanium, Zirconium, Hafnium, Aluminum, Magnesium, Silicon, Boron, Chromium, and Most of Their Carbides, Oxides, Nitrides and Intermetallics

Metal Powders, Boron Carbide, Silicon Carbide, Alumina, Diamond, Tungsten Carbide, Titanium Nitride, Titanium Diboride, Silicon Carbide Whiskers and Platelets, Tungsten, Carbon, Milled Carbon Fibers, Intermetallics, Oxides, Hollow Carbon, Glass, and Ceramic Spheres

Who we are

A company with a unique, high tech, and innovative product line of micro- & nano-encapsulated powders ready for commercial scale production.

With our patented Fast-fluidized Bed Chemical Vapor Deposition (FFBCVD) technology, Powdermet Inc. is at "The Cutting Edge in Metal Powder Technology."

What we do

Our fully operational plant uses a manufacturing process with over 10 years and 10 million dollars development history.

Batch sizes from grams to tons, aspect ratios up to 25:1, and particle sizes from 0.5 micron to 1/8 inch are realized.

The process starts with selecting the material system of interest.  For example, a system of great interest would be W coated with Ni and Fe to produce a tungsten heavy alloy.  An ideal theoretical microstructure is generated through insight and knowledge of the material system.  Ideally in this case, after consolidation the W would be uniformly coated with the matrix alloy.  This will result in very low contiguity, which enhances properties.

Parameters are generated for producing the desired CVD coating using a suitable precursor.  Coated powder is characterized in terms of wt.% of the elements and the coating type (continuous or discreet).

Consolidation techniques are developed to maintain desired microstructural features.  Generally these alloys are sintered by liquid phase sintering; however in this case, to preserve the desired microstructure, solid state processing is used.  The consolidated structure is then characterized.  If the property goals are met or surpassed, market development activity is initiated.