Starmix® 500i for excellent lubrication and good filling
A successful PM part production process starts with a suitable powder mix with good properties such as good flow and AD, good lubrication, easy to handle, high productivity and precision. Efficiency and reliability of PM process as any other powder processing is depending upon behaviour of the powder composition during handling and processing. Starmix 500i is a bonded mix with excellent lubrication. It offers good powder properties and bonding. It works well for parts with complicated shapes requiring additional lubrication and by applying warm die compaction, its properties can be further improved. Good filling characteristics, of the Starmix 500i, enables higher compaction rates as well as improved productivity and tolerances simultaneously. As the Starmix 500i is free from zinc the staining tendency is low. Moreover, as there will be no zinc residues in the furnace, the need for furnace maintenance is reduced. A benchmark where Starmix 500i is compared to other mixes are presented in this paper.