Method and device for sintering aluminum based sintered parts
AssigneeEisenmann Maschinenbau KG
InventorHartmut Weber
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Abstract
The invention relates to a method for sintering aluminium-based sintered parts which are, initially, guided with the aid of a transport system T through a de-binding area (3) before being guided through followed by a sintering area (2) and finally being guided through a cooling area (4). Inert gas atmosphere prevails in the sintering area (2), provided with an oxygen content, corresponding to a thawing point of, maximum, 40° C. The sintered parts (23) are heated to the required sintering temperature of 560-620° C., by means of convection, whereby the inert gas atmosphere is accordingly heated, flowing around said sintered parts in a corresponding manner.
Claims10
A process for sintering aluminium-based sintered parts in which the following steps are carried out in separate atmospheres and in spatially separate areas in each case:
- a) the parts to be sintered are de-bindered;
- b) the parts to be sintered are heated to sintering temperature and maintained at this temperature for a certain time;
- c) the sintered parts are cooled in a controlled manner, characterised in that in process step b) an inert gas the oxygen content of which corresponds to a dew point not higher than −40° C. is used as the atmosphere, and in that the parts (23) for sintering are heated to a sintering temperature of 560 to 620° C. by circulation of the correspondingly heated inert gas.
A device for sintering aluminium-based sintered parts, comprising
- a) a de-bindering area in which the parts to be sintered are stripped of binding agents by heating;
- b) a sintering area in which the parts to be sintered are subjected to a sintering process by heating to sintering temperature, which area has suitable heating arrangements for this purpose;
- c) a cooling area in which the sintered parts can be cooled in a controlled manner after the sintering process;
- d) a transport system which continuously conveys the parts for sintering through the different areas;
- e) airlocks which keep the atmospheres of the different areas separate and through which the parts for sintering must pass on leaving a particular area,
- characterised in that
- f) the atmosphere in the sintering area (2) is formed by an inert gas the oxygen content of which corresponds to a dew point not higher than −40° C.;
- g) the sintering area (2) has at least one heating arrangement for the parts (23) for sintering which includes indirectly heated heat exchanging surfaces (28), a fan (31) and an air guidance arrangement (25) such that a circulating flow of the inert gas around the parts (23) for sintering can be induced.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.