A widely-known truck manufacturer has chosen FJ Industries to deliver high-strength sintered components for steering columns because of FJ Industries’ components’ high precision and ability to meet mechanical requirements.
FJ Industries’ sintered metal parts are used in trucks throughout Europe and the US. After extensive tests of our products precision, tolerances, and mechanical properties, we are pleased to announce that we have entered into a partnership with a tier 1 supplier to a well-known truck manufacturer.
Teamwork with specialists from both sides
We were chosen after a thorough design and testing process which involved expert teams from both the customer and FJ Industries. The process consisted of three steps: warm compaction, high temperature sintering, and finally carbonitriding (a post-heat treatment). This resulted in complex parts with four levels and superior levels of strength.
The first step of the warm compaction process was to mix metal powders with additives, whereafter the mixture and the tool were heated up to 120 °C. The resulting components were then sintered at 1250 °C for 60 minutes in an atmosphere of 90 % N2 and 10 % H2.
Which material performed best?
Two different materials were tested: Distaloy AE and Distaloy HP. Both of these materials have 0.5 % carbon added to improve properties. Tensile bars of these two materials were produced and subsequently tested. The first test occurred after sintering, and additional tests were conducted after carbonitriding.
The analysis after hardening showed that the microstructure had developed a full martensitic structure due to the high content of carbon during carbonitriding.
From the lab to the road
Finally, prototypes were produced, and field tests were performed at the customer’s site. Ultimately, the customer chose carbonitrided Distaloy HP as the material for the sintered metal components, as it proved in both laboratory tests and performance tests to be the best solution.
Once the material had been chosen, we then designed an efficient manufacturing setup that catered to both demands and budget of the client. Creating the perfect solution in a lab is one thing, delivering that level of quality reliably and at an attractive price is another. We at FJ Industries are proud to say that we succeeded at both.