AN ASSESSMENT OF GLASS-CERAMIC AS AN INSERT MATERIAL FOR DIE COMPACTION OF METAL POWDERS

Abstract

Glass-ceramic inserts have been made and shrink-fitted into steel bolsters to assess the feasibility of glass-ceramic as a die material for the die-compaction of lubricated and unlubricated iron powder. Measurements of compacting pressures and ejection stresses were lower for the glass-ceramic die compared with those for a standard tool-steel die in lubricated conditions, while in unlubricated conditions ejection stresses were appreciably higher, with scoring and brittle fracture of the insert. The results indicate that possibilities may lie in the further development of ceramics as inexpensive die materials for powder compaction in which die-wall friction could be significantly reduced.