A practical solution to develop an adequate inspection system in the P/M industry
While today the automotive industry constitutes the largest market for P/M parts, representing about 70% of the total market, P/M parts are in high demand industry-wide internationally and across Europe due to their cost effectiveness and functional flexibility. Companies served by the P/M sector supply mechanical components to the electrical machinery industry, as well as manufacturers of household appliances, power tools, hydraulics, motors and magnetic materials, among others. The world’s market for P/M parts has annual sales exceeding 30 billion Euros. The optimization of the manufacturing process to comply with such industry standards is time consuming, due to the lack of fast and systematic instruments and procedures for the inspection of the inner structure of parts. In recent years the applicability of several techniques for the inspection of P/M parts have been investigated, such as Eddy current testing, computer tomography or X-Ray imaging, but studies have revealed that all of them have deficiencies that make them unavailable for a complete and reliable flaw detection and density defect recognition. The only reliable method currently available for determining the local porosity of P/M parts is destructive optical microscopy where after sintering a sample part is cut and examined on the cut surface with a microscope for deficiencies in the inner structure. Unfortunately in order to obtain a meaningful result, this technique requires careful preparation of the specimens, making it time consuming and expensive. The lack of an adequate inspection system in the P/M industry has important implications from the point of view of quality assurance. Unfortunately, today there is no dependable method able to appropriately reveal the inner structure of sintered parts. Lack of relevant and quickly accessible information about the internal conditions of P/M parts regarding defects and density deflection inhibit the dissemination of Powder Technologies and limit its use in the manufacturing of components. SINTEST project addresses the current need to provide SMEs consortium with an innovative, effective and cost-efficient ultrasonic technology-based system for the improved on-line inspection of P/M sintered parts. The new inspection tool developed was based on pulse echo ultrasonic technology, which makes it possible to provide a global density map of sintered parts, thus enabling a better control of the output into the market, increasing manufacturer reliability for the supply of P/M parts, increasing EU competitiveness and opening up a host of new markets. The ultrasound technology has developed to the point that it is now coming out of the laboratory environment and being used for in-situ application. The ultrasound technology has already been enabled in compact form next to production lines in order to provide a quasi on-line volumetric examination system. This advancement makes it possible to use ultrasound technology in intensive industrial environments. SINTEST will help increase the competitiveness of consortium SME partners by providing them with an innovative, cost efficient, technology to guarantee the quality and robustness of the parts marketed.