It was another successful year for the PM Parts Compacting/Tooling Seminar. The seminar, held about every 18 months, dates back to 1989 and continues to educate a variety of people throughout the industry, mainly catering to powder metallurgy parts and product fabricators.
The Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) is pleased to announce that, for the second year in a row, a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant will be provided to select students from U.S. colleges and universities to attend the POWDERMET2018 and AMPM2018 conferences in San Antonio, June 17–20. NSF Grant Awards will directly cover the full registration fee and hotel accommodation in double occupancy.
Fraunhofer ILT researchers are exploring using selective laser melting (SLM) to additively manufacture (AM) components made of copper alloys and pure copper. While SLM is used to process steels, titanium, and aluminum alloys, as well as nickel and cobalt alloys, copper is a struggle. SLM is currently only suited for copper alloys due to pure copper reflecting most of the laser radiation, Fraunhofer ILT researchers hope to develop a laser beam source that operates with green rather than infrared light by the end of 2017.
John F. Sweet, PMT, president & CEO, FMS Corporation, Minneapolis, Minn., has been elected as the 29th president of the Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF), succeeding Patrick J. McGeehan, Ametek Inc., Eighty Four, Pa. His two-year term will take effect at the conclusion of the Federation's annual Powder Metallurgy (PM) Management Summit and 73rd Annual MPIF Business Meeting, October 21–24, 2017, in Naples, Fla.
The annual Basic Powder Metallurgy (PM) Short Course recently pressed out another batch of students. This year's course, held August 14–16, received excellent feedback from attendees, with over 93% stating that they would recommend the course to others.