POWDERMET2019: State of North American PM industry 2019

July 8, 2019

News
July 8, 2019

The POWDERMET2019 International Conference on Powder Metallurgy and Particulate Materials was held in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, from June 23-26, 2019. Organised by the Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF), the event attracted over 850 participants and included three days of presentations accompanied by an exhibition and a range of social and networking events.

The Opening General Session included a presentation by MPIF President John F Sweet, PMT, who gave delegates a detailed overview of the state of the North American Powder Metallurgy industry.

Sweet stated that the North American Powder Metallurgy industry posted modest growth in most sectors in 2018. The traditional press and sinter sector gained, along with Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) companies enjoying stronger sales increases in the 5–10% range.

Metal powder producers and PM equipment builders were said to have reported positive gains, with equipment companies reporting rising demand for automation packages and robotics. Interest in metal Additive Manufacturing continued at a rapid pace, but AM companies were still tackling challenges related to qualifying parts for commercial production runs.

 

Metal powder shipments and trends

North American iron powder shipments in 2018 grew by 1% to 392,995 mt (433,203 st), as shown in Fig. 1. PM and friction grade powder shipments were almost even with 2017, at 357,590 mt (394,176 st). Iron powder shipments for welding applications increased by 11% to 15,839 mt (17,460 st). Iron powder going into other uses increased by 5.7% to 19,565 mt (21,567 st).

 

POWDERMET2019: State of North American PM industry 2019

Fig. 1 North American Iron Powder Shipments (1 st = 0.907 mt) (Courtesy MPIF)

 

Sweet stated that 2018 iron and steel powder shipments in Europe and Japan were almost level with 2017. Estimated North American stainless steel powder shipments in 2018 remained even with 2017 at 7,938 mt (8,750 st). Copper powder shipments increased by an estimated 2% to 16,783 mt (18,500 st), with aluminium powder shipments also increasing 2% to an estimated 30,536 mt (33,660 st).

Nickel powder consumption declined by about 3.5% to an estimated 5,534 mt (6,100 st). Molybdenum shipments declined an estimated 23.4% to 856 mt (944 st). Tungsten powder shipments decreased by an estimated 7.4% to 1,588 mt (1,750 st), and tungsten carbide powder shipments decreased an estimated 1.6% to 7,792 mt (8,590 st). Overall, 2018 total North American metal powder shipments gained modestly by just under 1% to 464,022 mt (511,497 st) (Fig. 2).

 

POWDERMET2019: State of North American PM industry 2019

Fig. 2 North American Metal Powder Shipments (Courtesy MPIF)

News
July 8, 2019

In the latest issue of Metal AM magazine

Download PDF
 

Extensive AM industry news coverage, as well as the following exclusive deep-dive articles:

  • LEAP 71: Why engineering must move beyond CAD to realise the promise of AI and Additive Manufacturing
  • Additive Manufacturing and European defence: a critical opportunity as the US and China accelerate ahead
  • A market analyst’s view: Europe’s opportunity as defence AM surges in the US and China
  • From Fixed Processes to flight parts: How REM’s advanced surface finishing supports NASA JPL’s AM innovations
  • The future of large metal parts: WAAMathon #2 showcases developments in Wire Arc Directed Energy Deposition
  • Wire Electron Beam Directed Energy Deposition (DED): Advancing productivity and sustainability in metal AM
  • Building trust in AM: How Qualified AM GmbH is enabling regulated production at scale

TRUSTED CONTENT. TARGETED AUDIENCE

Advertise with Metal AM and access a global base of 50,000+ AM professionals.

Contact Jon Craxford: [email protected]

  • AM machines
  • Process monitoring & calibration
  • Heat treatment & sintering
  • HIP systems & services
  • Pre- & post-processing technology
  • Powders, powder production and analysis
  • Part manufacturers
  • Consulting, training & market data

Don’t miss a thing – register for our newsletter

Don't miss any new issue of Metal AM magazine, and get the latest industry news. Sign up to our twice weekly newsletter.

Register now

Join 40,000+ other AM professionals – follow us online

About Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine

Metal AM magazine, published quarterly in digital and print formats, is read by a rapidly expanding international audience.

Our audience includes component manufacturers, end-users, materials and equipment suppliers, analysts, researchers and more.

In addition to providing extensive industry news coverage, Metal AM magazine is known for exclusive, in-depth articles and technical reports.

Our focus is the entire metal AM process from design to application.

Each issue is available as an easy-to-navigate digital edition and a high-quality print publication.

Discover our magazine archive…

The free to access Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine archive offers unparalleled insight into the world of metal Additive Manufacturing from a commercial and technological perspective through:

  • Reports on visits to leading metal AM part manufacturers and industry suppliers
  • Articles on technology and application trends
  • Information on materials developments
  • Reviews of key technical presentations from the international conference circuit
  • International industry news

All past issues are available to download as free PDFs or view in your browser.

Browse the archive

Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap