U.S. patent application number 12/320969 was filed with the patent office on 2009-11-26 for production method for sintered part.
This patent application is currently assigned to HITACHI POWDERED METALS CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Toru Hirano, Zenzo Ishijima, Mitsuo Kusano, Masahiro Okahara, Kazuya Suzuki.
Application Number | 20090291012 12/320969 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41342266 |
Filed Date | 2009-11-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090291012 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Okahara; Masahiro ; et
al. |
November 26, 2009 |
Production method for sintered part
Abstract
A production method for a sintered part comprises preparing a
metal powder and a binder composed of a thermoplastic resin and a
wax, mixing the metal powder and 40 to 60 vol. % of the binder with
respect to the metal powder into a mixed powder, and heating and
kneading the mixed powder into a raw material. This production
method further includes supplying a predetermined amount of the raw
material in a hole of a die and compacting the raw material into a
green compact having a predetermined shape by pressing the raw
material by a punch. This production method further includes
ejecting the green compact from the hole of the die, removing the
binder from the ejected green compact by heating, and sintering the
green compact by heating so as to diffusion bond particles of the
green compact. The compacting is performed by pressing at a moving
rate U of the punch, which is not more than a rate calculated from
the following equation (1). In this case, .DELTA.P (Pa) is pressing
power of the punch, .mu. (Pas) is viscosity of the raw material, L
(m) is a length of the green compact, and De (m) is a corresponding
tube diameter. U=.DELTA.P/(32.mu..times.L).times.De.sup.2 (1)
Inventors: |
Okahara; Masahiro;
(Matsudo-shi, JP) ; Ishijima; Zenzo; (Matsudo-shi,
JP) ; Kusano; Mitsuo; (Tokyo, JP) ; Suzuki;
Kazuya; (Tokyo, JP) ; Hirano; Toru; (Tokyo,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
OLIFF & BERRIDGE, PLC
P.O. BOX 320850
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22320-4850
US
|
Assignee: |
HITACHI POWDERED METALS CO.,
LTD.
Matsudo-Shi
JP
HITACHI INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
41342266 |
Appl. No.: |
12/320969 |
Filed: |
February 10, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
419/31 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B22F 2003/145 20130101;
B22F 2003/033 20130101; B22F 2999/00 20130101; B22F 2999/00
20130101; B22F 3/087 20130101; B22F 2001/0066 20130101; B22F
2203/11 20130101; B22F 3/087 20130101; B22F 2202/05 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
419/31 |
International
Class: |
B22F 3/12 20060101
B22F003/12; B22F 1/00 20060101 B22F001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 21, 2008 |
JP |
2008-132905 |
Claims
1. A production method for a sintered part, comprising: preparing a
metal powder and a binder composed of a thermoplastic resin and a
wax; mixing the metal powder and 40 to 60 vol. % of the binder with
respect to the metal powder into a mixed powder; heating and
kneading the mixed powder into a raw material; supplying a
predetermined amount of the raw material in a hole of a die;
compacting the raw material into a green compact having a
predetermined shape by pressing the raw material by a punch;
ejecting the green compact from the hole of the die; removing the
binder from the ejected green compact by heating; and sintering the
green compact by heating so as to diffusion bond particles of the
green compact, wherein the compacting is performed by pressing at a
moving rate U of the punch, which is not more than a rate
calculated from the following equation (1):
U=.DELTA.P/(32.mu..times.L).times.De.sup.2 (1) based on .DELTA.P
(Pa) as pressing power of the punch, .mu. (Pas) as viscosity of the
raw material, L (m) as a length of the green compact, and De (m) as
a corresponding tube diameter.
2. A production method for a sintered part, comprising: preparing a
metal powder and a binder composed of a thermoplastic resin and a
wax; mixing the metal powder and 40 to 60 vol. % of the binder with
respect to the metal powder into a mixed powder; heating and
kneading the mixed powder into a raw material; supplying a
predetermined amount of the raw material in a hole of a die;
compacting the raw material into a green compact having a
predetermined shape by pressing the raw material by a punch;
ejecting the green compact from the hole of the die; removing the
binder from the ejected green compact by heating; and sintering the
green compact by heating so as to diffusion bond particles of the
green compact; wherein the die is made of a magnetic die material,
the die has a forming surface at the hole, and the die is provided
with a cooling device for running a cooling medium at the inside
along the forming surface and is provided with a high-frequency
induction heating device around the cooling device, wherein the raw
material supplied in the hole of the die is heated by heating the
hole by the heating device, wherein the punch is drive controlled
by a servo device in the compacting, and wherein the green compact
is cooled by cooling the hole of the die by the cooling device
after the compacting, and then the ejecting is performed.
3. A production method for a sintered part, comprising: preparing a
metal powder and a binder composed of a thermoplastic resin and a
wax; mixing the metal powder and 40 to 60 vol. % of the binder with
respect to the metal powder into a mixed powder; heating and
kneading the mixed powder into a raw material; supplying a
predetermined amount of the raw material in a hole of a die;
compacting the raw material into a green compact having a
predetermined shape by pressing the raw material by a punch;
ejecting the green compact from the hole of the die; removing the
binder from the ejected green compact by heating; and sintering the
green compact by heating so as to diffusion bond particles of the
green compact, wherein the die is made of a magnetic die material,
the die has a forming surface at the hole, and the die is provided
with a cooling device for running a cooling medium at the inside
along the forming surface and is provided with a high-frequency
induction heating device around the cooling device, wherein the raw
material supplied in the hole of the die is heated by heating the
hole by the heating device, wherein the punch is drive controlled
by a servo device in the compacting, and the compacting is
performed by pressing at a moving rate U of the punch, which is not
more than a rate calculated from the following equation (1):
U=.DELTA.P/(32.mu..times.L).times.De.sup.2 (1) based on .DELTA.P
(Pa) as pressing power of the punch, .mu. (Pas) as viscosity of the
raw material, L (m) as a length of the green compact, and De (m) as
a corresponding tube diameter, and wherein the green compact is
cooled by cooling the hole of the die by the cooling device after
the compacting, and then the ejecting is performed.
4. The production method for the sintered part according to claim
1, wherein the compacting is performed at a moving rate U of the
punch, which is not less than 80% of a rate calculated from the
equation (1).
5. The production method for the sintered part according to claim
3, wherein the compacting is performed at a moving rate U of the
punch, which is not less than 80% of a rate calculated from the
equation (1).
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] The present invention relates to a production method for a
sintered part using a powder metallurgical method, and
specifically, the present invention relates to a production method
for a small sintered part having a thin wall portion approximately
0.01 to 0.2 mm thick or having a convex portion.
[0003] 2. Background Art
[0004] Powder metallurgical methods are broadly classified as die
pressing methods and injection molding methods. In the die pressing
method, a raw powder is supplied in a hole of a die, and the raw
powder is compacted into a green compact by pressing by a punch.
This green compact is sintered into a sintered compact. In the
injection molding method, a raw powder and a large amount of a
binder are mixed and are kneaded into a raw material having
flowability, and the raw material is injected into a gap of a mold
by pressing so as to obtain a green compact. This green compact is
heated so as to remove the binder and is then sintered.
[0005] In the die pressing method, in order to ensure flowability
of the raw powder and lubricity between the raw material and the
die, a lubricant of approximately not more than 1 mass % may be
mixed with the raw powder. Since the amount of the lubricant is
small, the lubricant is easily removed by volatilizing in an early
stage of the sintering step, and a degreasing step can be performed
for a short time. In the die pressing method, a raw powder is
filled into a die such that the raw powder is dropped from a powder
feeding device into a cavity formed by the die assembly and a lower
punch. The powder feeding device is called a feeder (powder box).
In this method, a certain degree of unevenness in the filling of
the raw powder inevitably occurs. In production of a small product
having the above-described small portion, this unevenness is not
within an acceptable range. When the raw powder is filled in a
small gap formed in a die in order to obtain the above small
portion, a raw powder having small particle sizes must be used. In
this case, the flowability of the raw powder is decreased, and the
fillability of the raw powder is decreased, whereby the raw powder
cannot be reliably supplied.
[0006] In the injection molding method, a green compact having a
shape of an undercut or the like, which cannot be formed by the die
pressing method, can be formed. In this case, in order to securely
obtain the flowability of a raw material, 30 to 70 vol. % of a
binder, such as a thermoplastic resin, is mixed and is kneaded with
a raw powder. Therefore, a green compact includes a substantial
amount of the binder, and a step for removing the binder takes a
long time. For a thin wall portion having a thickness of
approximately 0.1 to 0.3 mm, a cavity of a mold is too small,
whereby a metal powder is not easily uniformly supplied into the
cavity. In the injection molding method, a raw material is injected
into a mold through a gate and a runner. Therefore, when a gap of a
mold to be filled with a raw material is small, the raw material
must be injected into the gap at high pressure. However, a
high-pressure device for the injection molding method is not
practical, because the metal powder and a binder may be separated
from each other, and burrs because of the mold may be formed.
Alternately, improving of the flowability of a raw powder is
investigated by increasing a binder, but increasing of a binder
leads to increase in dimensional shrinkage after sintering, whereby
a sintered compact may be deformed. Accordingly, the minimum limit
of the thickness that can be practically injection-molded may be
0.5 mm.
[0007] In view of the above circumstances, a forming method having
the advantages of the die pressing method and the injection molding
method has been suggested in Japanese Patent Application
Publication of Laid-Open No. 2006-344581. In this forming method, a
binder is added to a raw powder in a greater amount than that used
in the typical die pressing method so as to obtain a raw material,
and the raw material is compacted by a die pressing method. The
invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication of
Laid-Open No. 2006-344581 relates to an electrode for a cold
cathode fluorescent lamp. This invention provides a production
method including preparing a metal powder composed of one of Mo and
W, and a binder composed of a thermoplastic resin and a wax, mixing
the metal powder and 40 to 60 vol. % of the binder with respect to
the metal powder into a mixed powder, and heating and kneading the
mixed powder into a raw material. This production method further
includes supplying a predetermined amount of the raw material in a
hole of a die and compacting the raw material into a green compact
having a cylindrical portion and a bottom by pressing the raw
material by a punch. This production method further includes
ejecting the green compact from the hole of the die, removing the
binder from the ejected green compact by heating, and sintering the
green compact by heating so as to diffusion bond particles of the
green compact. As a result, a small sintered part having a small
portion of a cylindrical portion 0.1 to 0.2 mm thick is produced.
In Japanese Patent Application Publication of Laid-Open No.
2006-344581, the compacting may be performed by heating the raw
material to a temperature of not less than a softening point of the
thermoplastic resin, and the ejecting may be performed by cooling
the green compact to a temperature of not more than the softening
point of the thermoplastic resin and not less than a softening
point of the wax.
[0008] The invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Application
Publication of Laid-Open No. 2006-344581 is preferably used in a
production of small sintered parts having a thin wall portion
approximately 0.1 to 0.2 mm thick or having a convex portion. In
this case, the compacting is performed by heating the raw material
to a temperature of not less than the softening point of the
thermoplastic resin, and the ejecting is performed by cooling the
raw material to a temperature of not more than the softening point
of the thermoplastic resin and not less than the softening point of
the wax. Therefore, a forming cycle of this production method takes
a long time. One forming cycle of the above die pressing method is
performed through only steps of filling of a raw material,
compacting, and ejecting. In contrast, one forming cycle of the
invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication of
Laid-Open No. 2006-344581 is performed through steps of supplying a
raw material, heating the raw material, compacting, cooling the
compact, and ejecting. Accordingly, compared to the die pressing
method, one forming cycle of this invention has more steps, and
therefore, it takes longer. Therefore, for mass production,
shortening of the forming cycle is important.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] In view of these circumstances, an object of the present
invention is to provide a technique for improving mass production
by shortening the forming cycle disclosed in Japanese Patent
Application Publication of Laid-Open No. 2006-344581.
[0010] The present invention is based on findings obtained from
investigations regarding characteristics of raw material that is
heated and is fluidized. The essential feature of the present
invention is that shortening of a compacting time and a forming
cycle is achieved by improving a die assembly so as to heat a raw
material before compacting and to reduce the time for cooling a
green compact after compacting.
[0011] Specifically, according to a first aspect of the present
invention, the present invention provides a production method for a
sintered part. This production method includes preparing a metal
powder and a binder composed of a thermoplastic resin and a wax,
mixing the metal powder and 40 to 60 vol. % of the binder with
respect to the metal powder into a mixed powder, and heating and
kneading the mixed powder into a raw material. This production
method further includes supplying a predetermined amount of the raw
material in a hole of a die and compacting the raw material into a
green compact having a predetermined shape by pressing the raw
material by a punch. This production method further includes
ejecting the green compact from the hole of the die, removing the
binder from the ejected green compact by heating, and sintering the
green compact by heating so as to diffusion bond particles of the
green compact. The compacting is performed by pressing at a moving
rate U of the punch, which is not more than a rate calculated from
the following equation (1). In this case, .DELTA.P (Pa) is pressing
power of the punch, .mu. (Pas) is viscosity of the raw material, L
(m) is a length of the green compact, and De (m) is a corresponding
tube diameter.
U=.DELTA.P/(32.mu..times.L).times.De.sup.2 (1)
[0012] In the first aspect of the present invention, the compacting
is preferably performed at a moving rate U of the punch, which is
not less than 80% of the rate calculated from the equation (1).
[0013] According to a second aspect of the present invention, the
present invention provides a production method for a sintered part
for shortening a forming cycle. This production method includes
preparing a metal powder and a binder composed of a thermoplastic
resin and a wax, mixing the metal powder and 40 to 60 vol. % of the
binder with respect to the metal powder into a mixed powder, and
heating and kneading the mixed powder into a raw material. This
production method further includes supplying a predetermined amount
of the raw material in a hole of a die and compacting the raw
material into a green compact having a predetermined shape by
pressing the raw material by a punch. This production method
further includes ejecting the green compact from the hole of the
die, removing the binder from the ejected green compact by heating,
and sintering the green compact by heating so as to diffusion bond
particles of the green compact. In this case, the die is made of a
magnetic die material, and the die has a forming surface at the
hole. The die is provided with a cooling device for running a
cooling medium at the inside along the forming surface and is
provided with a high-frequency induction heating device around the
cooling device. The raw material supplied in the hole of the die is
heated by heating the hole by the heating device, and the punch is
drive controlled by a servo device in the compacting. The green
compact is cooled by cooling the hole of the die by the cooling
device after the compacting, and then the ejecting is
performed.
[0014] According to a third aspect of the present invention, the
present invention provides a production method for a sintered part
for shortening the time of the above compacting, the time of
heating the raw material before the compacting, and the time of
cooling the green compact after the compacting. This production
method includes preparing a metal powder and a binder composed of a
thermoplastic resin and a wax, mixing the metal powder and 40 to 60
vol. % of the binder with respect to the metal powder into a mixed
powder, and heating and kneading the mixed powder into a raw
material. This production method further includes supplying a
predetermined amount of the raw material in a hole of a die and
compacting the raw material into a green compact having a
predetermined shape by pressing the raw material by a punch. This
production method further includes ejecting the green compact from
the hole of the die, removing the binder from the ejected green
compact by heating, and sintering the green compact by heating so
as to diffusion bond particles of the green compact. In this case,
the die is made of a magnetic die material, and the die has a
forming surface at the hole. The die is provided with a cooling
device for running a cooling medium at the inside along the forming
surface and is provided with a high-frequency induction heating
device around the cooling device. The raw material supplied in the
hole of the die is heated by heating the hole by the heating
device, and the punch is drive controlled by a servo device in the
compacting. The compacting is performed at a moving rate U of the
punch, which is not more than a rate calculated from the equation
(1) based on .DELTA.P (Pa) as pressing power of the punch, .mu.
(Pas) as viscosity of the raw material, L (m) as a length of the
green compact, and De (m) as a corresponding tube diameter. The
green compact is cooled by cooling the hole of the die by the
cooling device after the compacting, and then the green compact is
ejected.
[0015] In the third aspect of the present invention, the compacting
is preferably performed at a moving rate U of the punch, which is
not less than 80% of the rate calculated from the equation (1).
[0016] According to the present invention, the present invention
provides a production method for a sintered part. The production
method includes preparing a metal powder and a binder composed of a
thermoplastic resin and a wax, mixing the metal powder and 40 to 60
vol. % of the binder with respect to the metal powder into a mixed
powder, and heating and kneading the mixed powder into a raw
material. The production method further includes supplying a
predetermined amount of the raw material in a hole of a die and
compacting the raw material into a green compact having a
predetermined shape by pressing the raw material by a punch. The
production method further includes ejecting the green compact from
the hole of the die, removing the binder from the ejected green
compact by heating, and sintering the green compact by heating so
as to diffusion bond particles of the green compact. In the present
invention, a forming cycle including steps of supplying,
compacting, and ejecting, is shortened, whereby the mass production
of sintered parts is improved.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 shows frame formats (drawings in the upper side) of
compacting steps A to E relating to the present invention and shows
a graph (graph in the lower side) indicating relationships between
a lowered amount of an upper punch and a compacting load in the
compacting steps.
[0018] FIG. 2 shows photographs of a green compact in each
compacting step A to E.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a graph showing a correlation between an extruded
amount of a thin wall portion and a load required for extrusion in
compacting, which are indicated in terms of measured value and
theoretical value.
[0020] FIGS. 4A and 4B are sectional views showing an embodiment
for preferably performing the production method of the present
invention, and the embodiment has a die assembly and a structure
for obtaining one green compact by using the die assembly.
[0021] FIG. 5 is a control block diagram indicating a control
system of the die assembly shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B.
[0022] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an operation of the die assembly
shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B.
[0023] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the time required for one
forming cycle of an embodiment.
[0024] FIG. 8 is a cross sectional photograph of a sintered part
obtained in an embodiment.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0025] An embodiment of the present invention is described with
reference to the figures hereinafter.
"Characteristics of Raw Material"
[0026] First, results of experiments for investigating movement of
a raw powder in compacting are described.
[0027] A tungsten powder having an average particle diameter of 2
.mu.m as a metal powder and a resin binder primary made of a
polyacetal resin and a paraffin wax were prepared. The metal powder
and 56 vol. % of the resin binder with respect to the metal powder
were mixed and were formed into a cylindrical solid pellet having
an outer diameter of 1.88 mm and a total length of 2.97 mm, whereby
a raw material was prepared. A die including a circular hole having
a diameter of 2.08 mm was mounted with a band heater around the
outer circumference thereof, and a lower punch was slidably fitted
to the hole of the die. This die was placed on an Instron-type
testing machine (SHIMADZU AUTOGRAPH). An upper punch having a
diameter of 1.68 mm and an upper punch having a diameter of 1.88 mm
were prepared, and one of the upper punches was placed on the
Instron-type testing machine so as to be coaxial with respect to
the hole of the die, whereby a die assembly was formed. The raw
material was supplied in the hole of the die assembly, and the die
and the raw material were heated to 433 K by the band heater. Then,
the raw material was compacted into a green compact having a
cylindrical shape of 0.1 mm or 0.2 mm thick and a bottom by
lowering the upper punch at a rate of 0.08 mm/s. Changes in
compacting load in this case are shown in FIG. 1. The drawings in
the upper side in FIG. 1 shows the compacting steps in the order of
A to E, and FIG. 1 shows a reference numeral 31 indicating a pellet
of a raw material, a reference numeral 32 indicating a die having a
hole 32a, a reference numeral 33 indicating a lower punch, and a
reference numeral 34 indicating an upper punch. FIG. 2 shows
photographs of a green compact in each compacting step A to E.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 1, the relationship of the moved distance
of the upper punch and the compacting load includes three stages of
an initial deformation stage (A to B), a middle deformation stage
(B to C), and a late deformation stage (C to E). In the initial
deformation stage (A to B), the upper punch and the raw material
are brought into contact with each other (A), and the raw material
is deformed, as the upper punch is lowered, and contacts the wall
surface of the hole (B). In the middle deformation stage (B to C),
after the raw material contacts the wall surface of the hole (B),
the raw material is further deformed and fills the hole (C). In the
late deformation stage (C to E), after the raw material fills the
hole (C), a thin wall portion is extruded (D), and compacting is
finished (E). In each of the initial deformation stage (A to B),
the middle deformation stage (B to C), and the late deformation
stage (C to E), the compacting load was increased at a constant
rate with respect to the moving distance of the upper punch. In
comparing a green compact with a thin wall portion having a
thickness of 0.1 mm and a green compact with a thin wall portion
having a thickness of 0.2 mm, the load for forming the thin wall
portion of the former green compact was greater than that of the
latter green compact. In addition, the increasing amount of the
load of the former green compact was increased as the moving
distance of the upper punch was increased, which was greater than
that of the latter green compact.
[0029] As shown in FIG. 1, the load required for obtaining a
predetermined cylindrical shape having a bottom was approximately
1.6 N in a case of forming a thin wall portion 0.2 mm thick, and
was approximately 2.6 N in a case of forming a thin wall portion
0.1 mm thick. Therefore, the compacting can be performed at
extremely low pressure, compared to that in a die pressing method.
In this experiment, the cross sectional area of the upper punch was
approximately 2.776 mm.sup.2 in the case of forming a thin wall
portion 0.2 mm thick, and was approximately 2.217 mm.sup.2 in the
case of forming a thin wall portion 0.1 mm thick. Accordingly, the
compacting pressure of the upper punch is approximately 0.72 MPa in
the case of forming a thin wall portion 0.2 mm thick, and is
approximately 0.94 MPa in the case of forming a thin wall portion
0.1 mm thick.
[0030] In a backward extrusion of a bulk metal at a constant
pressure, a portion of raw material, which contacts a container
(die) and a wall surface portion of a punch, does not slide on the
die, whereby extrusion pressure (compacting load) exhibits a
constant value. On the other hand, in the above experiment, the
compacting load required for extruding the thin wall portion in the
late deformation stage (C to E) was increased at a constant rate in
accordance with the increase in the moving distance of the upper
punch. This movement of the above experiment is clearly different
from that in a case of the backward extrusion of a bulk metal at a
constant pressure.
[0031] In the late deformation stage in which a thin wall portion
is extruded, the thin wall portion is formed while the raw material
continuously slides on the die. Therefore, the frictional area is
increased as the moving distance of the upper punch is increased,
whereby the compacting load is increased. In this case, the raw
material is semimelted and moves as a fluid after the raw material
fills the hole (C), and therefore, the raw material slides on the
die. Accordingly, deformation resistance of the mixture, that is,
plastic deformation of a solid, is shown during the initial
deformation stage to the middle deformation stage (A to C). In
addition, rheological movement primarily depending on viscosity of
the mixture, that is, flowability of the fluid, is shown during the
extrusion of the thin wall portion (the late deformation stage: C
to E).
[0032] Regarding the movement in the late deformation stage in a
case of forming a thin wall portion having a thickness of 0.1 mm or
0.2 mm, load required for extruding the thin wall portion with
respect to an extruded amount of the thin wall portion in
compacting was calculated. In this case, a pressure drop equation
(Hagen-Poiseuille equation) was used based on the above idea. The
results are shown in FIG. 3, and the pressure drop equation is
expressed by the following equation (2).
.DELTA.P=32.mu..times.L.times.U/De.sup.2 (2)
[0033] In this case, .DELTA.P (Pa) is pressure drop, .mu. (Pas) is
viscosity, L (m) is a length, and U (m/s) is a flow rate. In the
present experiment, De (m) is a corresponding tube diameter and is
a value of subtracting a diameter of an upper punch from a diameter
of a hole of a die, and the value is twice the thickness t of a
thin wall portion.
[0034] As shown in FIG. 3, for the correlation between the extruded
amount of the thin wall portion and the load required for extruding
the thin wall portion, the calculated values of the above-described
pressure drop equation substantially corresponds to the measured
values. According to this result, it was confirmed that a raw
material, which is sufficiently heated to a temperature of not less
than the melting point of the binder composition and is fluidized,
can be used as a fluid.
[0035] According to the above experimental results, the following
findings were obtained. When a raw material is heated to a
temperature of not less than a softening point of a thermoplastic
resin and is compacted, the raw material can be used as a fluid. In
this case, the raw material is obtained by mixing a metal powder
and a binder made of a thermoplastic resin and a wax into a mixed
powder and by heating and kneading the mixed powder. In addition,
load required for extrusion with respect to extruded amount at a
small thin wall portion can be calculated from the above pressure
drop equation.
[0036] Accordingly, when a raw material is used for forming a green
compact, a moving rate U (m/s) of a punch is adjusted by pressing
power .DELTA.P (Pa) of the punch so as to be not more than a rate
calculated from the following equation (1). The raw material has a
viscosity .mu. (Pas) and includes a melted binder, and the green
compact has a length L (m) and a thin wall portion t of a
corresponding tube diameter De (m). As a result, a raw material
moving as a fluid is sufficiently extruded and fills a hole of a
die corresponding to a thin wall portion, whereby a satisfactory
green compact is formed.
U=.DELTA.P/(32.mu..times.L).times.De.sup.2 (1)
[0037] A satisfactory green compact is obtained even when the
moving rate U of the punch is smaller than that calculated from the
equation (1). However, when the moving rate U of the punch is
extremely small, the time required for the compacting is increased,
and the productivity is thereby decreased. In view of this, the
moving rate U of the punch is preferably set to be not less than
80% of the rate calculated from the equation (1) at the latest.
[0038] By increasing the pressing power .DELTA.P of the punch, the
moving rate U of the punch can be a high rate, and the time
required for the compacting can be reduced.
[0039] The compacting pressure may be approximately 500 to 800 MPa
in producing sintered parts having an ordinary density by a die
pressing method, and the compacting pressure may be more than 1 GPa
in producing sintered parts having a high density. In contrast, in
compacting a raw material having flowability as in the present
invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the compacting pressure of the upper
punch is approximately 0.72 MPa in a case of forming a thin wall
portion 0.2 mm thick and is approximately 0.94 MPa in a case of
forming a thin wall portion 0.1 mm thick. The compacting can be
performed at extremely low pressure compared to the pressure in a
case of the die pressing method. Therefore, in compacting a raw
material having flowability, a high-load pressing device having a
press capacity of several tens of tons to several hundreds of tons,
which may be used in the die pressing method, is not necessary, and
a pressing device may be reduced in size. In compacting a raw
material having flowability, a pressing device for precisely
controlling a pressing power .DELTA.P of a punch and a moving rate
U of the punch, is preferably used. Therefore, a uniaxial servo
pressing device for precisely controlling a stroke is preferably
used.
"Improvement of Die Assembly"
[0040] As described above, a die assembly having a punch, which is
precisely controlled by driving a servo device in compacting, is
preferable, and a die assembly having the following structure is
more preferable. In this case, in order to reduce the time of
heating a raw material and the time of cooling a green compact
after compacting, a cooling device that is relatively difficult to
control is arranged inside the die assembly, and a high-frequency
induction heating device that is easy to control is arranged
outside of the cooling device. That is, since a high-frequency
induction heating device is used, the surface of a hole of a die is
directly heated by eddy currents generated in the vicinity of the
surface, whereby the time of heating is greatly reduced. The
cooling device for running a cooling medium is buried close to the
surface of the hole of the die, whereby the surface of the hole of
the die is rapidly cooled by running a cooling medium. According to
such a structure, shortening of a cycle time of heating and cooling
the die is easily controlled.
[0041] FIGS. 4A and 4B are sectional views showing an embodiment
preferably used for performing the production method of the present
invention, and the embodiment has a die assembly and a structure
for obtaining one green compact by using the die assembly. FIG. 4A
shows a condition in which a raw material is supplied, and FIG. 4B
shows a condition in which compacting is finished. FIGS. 4A and 4B
show a reference numeral 1 indicating a raw material to be
compacted and a reference numeral 2 indicating a green compact with
a cylindrical portion and a bottom after the raw material 1 is
compacted. FIGS. 4A and 4B also show a reference numeral 3
indicating a fixed die (lower die) for compacting, into which the
raw material 1 is supplied, and a reference numeral 4 indicating a
movable die (upper die) that is provided above the fixed die 3 and
compacts the raw material 1.
[0042] The fixed die 3 is provided with a cylindrical die 5 having
a hole 5a at the center. The die 5 is a die part for extruding the
raw material and is made of a magnetic metal that has good heat
conductivity and is heated by high-frequency induction, such as
iron. The die 5 is formed so as to have small mass and small volume
in order to decrease the thermal capacity as much as possible. The
movable die 4 is provided with an upper inner punch 6 for extruding
the raw material 1 by lowering in the hole 5a of the die 5, and the
movable die 4 is also provided with an upper outer punch 7 for
limiting the height of the raw material 1 that is extruded.
[0043] FIG. 4A shows a reference numeral 9 indicating a cooling
device buried close to a forming surface (wall surface of the hole)
5b of the die 5, and the cooling device has tubular portions,
inside of which a cooling medium, such as cold water, runs. In
order to reduce temperature variations on the forming surface 5b
during cooling, a distance A of the tubular cooling device 9 to the
forming surface 5b, and a pitch B between the tubular portions of
the tubular cooling device 9 in a longitudinal direction, are
approximately the same, as shown in FIG. 4B. A cooling medium (cold
water) runs in the tubular portions of the cooling device 9 during
cooling, and the cold water is drained by blowing pressurized air
in the tubular portions so that the tubular portions are empty at
the discharge of the green compact. This empty state of the tubular
portions is maintained during heating. The discharge of the green
compact is described later.
[0044] FIG. 4A shows a reference numeral 8 indicating a heating
device provided around the cooling device. The heating device 8 has
a high-frequency induction heating coil 8a buried within an
insulator 8b, and the heating device 8 is wound around the cooling
device 9. High-frequency induction heating has a large heating
capability and is easily controlled, whereby the heating device 8
is arranged outside of the cooling device 9. A reference numeral 10
indicates a lower inner punch which receives the raw material 1 to
be compacted, and the lower inner punch 10 and the upper inner
punch 6 provide pressing power to the raw material 1 in the axial
direction. The lower inner punch 10 pushes up the green compact 2
that is cooled and is solidified after compacting, and the lower
inner punch 10 moves in the direction of an up-arrow, whereby the
green compact 2 is discharged from the hole 5a.
[0045] FIGS. 4A and 4B show a reference numeral 11 indicating a
heater for maintaining the entirety of the fixed die 3 at
120.degree. C. and a reference numeral 12 indicating a heater for
maintaining the entirety of the movable die 4 at 80.degree. C.
Accordingly, the die 5 and the fixed die 3 are maintained at
120.degree. C., and the movable die 4 is maintained at 80.degree.
C. during forming. A reference numeral 14 indicates a thermal
insulating plate arranged at the outer circumference of the die 5.
The thermal insulating plate 14 thermally separates the die 5 from
the fixed die 3, whereby the thermal capacity of the entirety of
the lower die is decreased as much as possible. Since the fixed die
3 is continuously maintained at 120.degree. C., the die 5 is
maintained at similar temperature by air transmission.
[0046] The structure of the die assembly is described above, and
the die assembly has a simple structure. Therefore, the die
assembly is low cost, and maintenance thereof is easily
performed.
[0047] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a structure of a control
system of a die assembly. FIG. 5 shows a reference numeral 20
indicating a die assembly controlling structure including driving
structures of the fixed die 3 and the movable die 4. FIG. 5 also
shows a reference numeral 21 indicating a heating controller for
controlling the heater 11 for maintaining the temperature of the
fixed die 3, the heater 12 for maintaining the temperature of the
movable die 4, and the high-frequency induction heating coil 8a.
The heating controller 21 drives the high-frequency induction
heating coil 8a at a frequency of approximately 25 kHz. FIG. 5
shows a reference numeral 22 indicating a cooling medium and air
controller for supplying a cooling medium or air in the tubular
portion of the cooling device 9. FIG. 5 also shows a reference
numeral 23 indicating a die assembly controller for controlling
operation of the die assembly controlling structure 20, and shows a
reference numeral 24 indicating a control device for controlling
each controller.
[0048] An operation of the die assembly having the above structure
is described with reference to FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 6. A raw material
1 is supplied to the hole 5a of the die 5 (FIG. 6: Raw material
supply steps T0 to T2), and simultaneously heating of the die 5 of
the fixed die 3 is started (FIG. 6: Steps T1 to T2), as shown in
FIG. 4A. Since the heating is performed by high-frequency
induction, eddy currents are generated in the vicinity of the
surface of the die 5 made of a magnetic material provided inside of
the heating coil 8a, and the entirety of the die 5, including the
surface thereof, is directly heated by the eddy currents.
Therefore, the forming surface 5b of the die 5, that is, the
surface contacting the raw material 1, is directly heated, whereby
heat is transmitted to the raw material 1 at high efficiency.
[0049] At that time, a cooling medium (cold water) is drained from
the tubular portion of the cooling device 9 by blowing air by the
cooling medium and air controller 22, and the tubular portion is
empty. Accordingly, the thermal capacity of the die 5 is small, and
efficiency of the thermal transmission is high, as described above,
whereby the time required for raising the temperature by 30.degree.
C., which is from 120.degree. C. to 150.degree. C., is greatly
reduced (FIG. 6: Heating steps T1 to T4). According to the
embodiment, the temperature was raised from 120.degree. C. to
150.degree. C. in 2 to 3 seconds.
[0050] When the raw material 1 is heated to 150.degree. C. at the
time T4 in FIG. 6, the movable die 4 is lowered in the direction of
a down-arrow and reaches a bottom dead center as shown in FIG. 4B.
As a result, the raw material 1 is extruded by the upper inner
punch 6, and the height of the green compact 2 is set by the upper
outer punch 7 (FIG. 6: Steps T4 to T5).
[0051] In the compacting timing of the above T4 to T5,
simultaneously, heating by the heating device 8 is stopped, and
cooling operation of the cooling device 9 is started instead. That
is, cold water at 4.degree. C. is supplied as a cooling medium into
the tubular portion of the cooling device 9. Since the tubular
portion is buried close to the forming surface 5b of the die 5, the
inside of the die 5 is first cooled, and the entirety of the die 5
is then cooled (FIG. 6: Cooling steps T5 to T7). In the cooling
steps, the die 5 is cooled by 30.degree. C. from 150.degree. C. to
120.degree. C. The die 5 has a small thermal capacity and is cooled
from the inside thereof, whereby the green compact 2 is cooled at
high efficiency, and the temperature is lowered in a short time.
According to the embodiment, when a cold water at 4.degree. C. was
used as a cooling medium, the temperature was lowered by 30.degree.
C. in approximately 3 seconds.
[0052] After the green compact 2 is solidified by cooling, the
movable die 4 is raised and is returned to the top dead center as
shown in FIG. 4A, and the lower inner punch 10 is moved in the
direction of the up-arrow (FIG. 6: Steps T8 to T9). Then, the green
compact 2 is pushed upward from the hole 5a (FIG. 6: Steps T9 to
T10) and is discharged to the outside of the die assembly by a
device (not shown in the figure) (FIG. 6: Step T10). These timings
of T8 to T10 form a step of ejecting a green compact.
[0053] Substantially simultaneously with the timings T8 to T10 of
the step for ejecting the green compact, the cooling medium in the
cooling device 9 is drained. Specifically, air is blown into the
tubular portion of the cooling device 9 by the cooling medium and
air controller 22, whereby the cold water is drained, and the
tubular portion is emptied. After the draining, a subsequent raw
material 1 is provided to the die 5 for a next heating step. By the
draining, the cold water, which is heated by the maintaining heat
of the die assembly, is not boiled in the tubular portion of the
cooling device 9 in the next heating step.
[0054] The above timings T0 to T10 form one forming cycle, and the
forming cycle time can be reduced by performing the heating steps
and the cooling steps at high rates. The die assembly is moved only
in vertical direction, and the operation of the die assembly is
simple, whereby the operation of forming and maintenance are easily
performed, and the die assembly is easy to use.
[0055] In order to obtain a green compact having a cylindrical
portion 0.2 mm thick and a bottom, steps of adjusting a raw
material, supplying the raw material, and compacting, were
performed. In this case, the lowering rate of the upper punch was
set to be a high rate of 5 mm/second so as to reduce the time
required for compacting according to the above-described equation
(1), and the above die assembly structure was used so as to reduce
the times required for the heating steps and the cooling steps. As
a result, as shown in FIG. 7, one forming cycle including steps of
supplying a raw material, heating the raw material, compacting,
cooling a green compact, and ejecting, was performed at 10
seconds/cycle, which is similar to that in a typical die pressing
method.
[0056] A binder was removed from this green compact having a
cylindrical portion and a bottom, which had compacted by the
above-described cycle, and this green compact was sintered. FIG. 8
shows a cross sectional photograph of this sintered part. As shown
in the photograph in FIG. 8, a satisfactory sintered part having a
thickness of 0.2 mm was obtained.
* * * * *