According to Reuters, U.S. new-car sales in 2024 were on the rise, recovering from pandemic lows thanks to improved inventories, increased incentives, and a growing demand for hybrid vehicles.

Wards Intelligence reported earlier this month that new vehicle sales reached 15.9 million last year, marking a 2.2% increase from the previous year and the highest figure since 2019. Automakers anticipate that this upward trend will persist into 2025.

Peter Brewin, died December 5, 2024. He was 80 years old. Peter’s PM career began in 1972 researching and developing water atomization. Peter helped to develop the British PM industry, becoming President of the British Powder Metal Federation in 1986. In 1989 he helped establish the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA), becoming the first Technical Director in 2001. 

The 2025 Edition of Standard Test Methods for Metal Powders and Powder Metallurgy Products is now available for purchase! The most current versions of these standards, which are used in the manufacture of both metal powders and powder metallurgy products, are required by Quality Assurance programs to maintain full compliance.

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Rhodium, the rarest occurring metal.

Renishaw PLC, Gloucestershire, UK, has delivered a crucial saving for a metal additive manufacturing (AM) process that involves rhodium and platinum, two metals that are generally too expensive to use in industrial applications. However, when alloyed, weight loss at high temperatures occurs slower than pure platinum, providing industrial value.

The Curtiss-Wright Engineered Pump Division, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Bechtel Plant Machinery, Inc., Monroeville, Pennsylvania, and Sintavia LLC, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, have collaborated to produce the first submarine component using qualified metal additive manufacturing (AM). Sintavia, a manufacturer of critical defense components, supplied an AM impeller that underwent rigorous qualification and testing at Curtiss-Wright’s facility. This partnership aims to expand the use of AM parts in naval defense applications.