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RAW MATERIALS

IRON POWDERS

 

BASE POWDERS

Iron base powder. Iron powder is the main raw material for powder metallurgy. The natural ore (iron ore) is crushed, ground and processed into a mineral powder called powder concentrate. Commercial iron-base powders are classified into three types – reduced iron powder, atomised iron powder and electrolytic iron powder depending on the production method – and are used in various applications by leveraging their respective properties. Depending on the application, aspects such as chemical composition, specific particle surface area, shape aspects and sintering behaviour define the production specifications.

 

PREMIXES

 

DIFFUSION BONDED POWDERS

Homogeneous diffusion bonded powders are used to ensure high mechanical characteristics. In a process called diffusion bonding, iron particles are connected with small particles of alloying elements, i.e. Ni, Cu, Mo. This bonding is carefully controlled to ensure that the powder maintains compressibility and fluidity while increasing homogeneity.

PRE-ALLOYED POWDERS

Pre-alloyed powders are produced when alloying elements such as molybdenum, manganese and chromium are added to molten iron prior to the atomisation process. The graphite powder is mixed with the iron powder to complete the composition needed to create pre-alloyed steel. The science of powder metallurgy is unique in that it can mix a new powder with the basic iron powder or add it earlier during the melting process. This is called pre-alloying. The most common reason for alloying is to increase strength. This is done by dissolving the alloying agents in the metal matrix (a procedure known as solid solution hardening). These pre-alloys are recommended when diffusion bonding treatment is applied to the iron-based powder but the desired mechanical characteristics are not achieved, or for applications requiring higher mechanical strength.

POWDER FOR SINTER HARDENING

The automotive industry has recently been asking for applications requiring high hardness, high hardenability and increased mechanical performance. These often conflicting requirements called for the development of new materials which offer high sintered hardness and good static/dynamic mechanical properties without the additional expense of secondary heat treatment. Traditionally, sinter-hardened materials have offered acceptable hardness but at the expense of mechanical properties and sintered density. This series of sinter-hardening powders offer good compressibility, high hardness and enhanced mechanical properties.

MINERALS

 

FELDSPARS

We supply a wide range of sodium, calcium-magnesium and sodium-potassium feldspars. The raw materials are sourced from abandoned sites previously mined by third parties and also from newly identified feldspar deposits. After extraction, the raw materials are generally treated in various specific ways to increase their purity and reduce their Fe2O3 content. Finished products are available in a range of grain sizes to meet diverse industrial requirements.

We supply Italian feldspars for applications in the ceramic, paint, varnish, sanitary ware and glass industries.

FELDSPATHIC SANDS

Our high quality feldspathic sands are mined, cleaned (to remove contaminants), dried and finally sieved and ground. The range of finished products includes a variety of grain sizes and purity levels.

We supply potassium feldspathic sands for applications in ceramics, paints and varnishes, sanitary ware and glass.

CLAY

Clay is sediment made up of clayish minerals characterised by physical and chemical properties which add plasticity when mixed with water and refractoriness when dehydrated. Depending on its composition, clay can be used for a number of end applications.

Several quarries and extraction plants provide clays for the production of roof tiles and red body bricks. However, clay is the main ingredient used to produce ceramic bodies and porcelain stoneware suitable for presses and wire drawing machines, which harnesses clay’s principal property: plasticity. Plasticity is essential during the forming process which consists of reducing the substance to the desired shape before irreversibly consolidating it during the following processes which are grinding, pressing/wire drawing, drying and firing. The greater the clay’s ability to absorb and retain water, the greater its plasticity and thus its ability to transform into a doughy mass which can be moulded at room temperature without breaking or cracking.

We supply Italian, Portuguese and Indian clays for the ceramic industry and the manufacture of sanitary ware, bricks, tiles, slipware, glaze and majolica.

KAOLIN

Kaolin is a particular type of clay formed almost exclusively from kaolinite. It is usually white or greyish in colour. The name comes from the Gaoling area of China where it was first discovered, which explains why kaolin is commonly called “china clay”.

Kaolin from some quarries is highly prized in the production of sanitary ware, lacquers and porcelain stoneware bodies because of its whiteness. The composition can be highly variable and bring out various commercial and cosmetic properties such as gloss, opacity and strength. Kaolin is often mixed with other materials as a plasticising additive or to add a greater share of alumina to mixtures. Its low content in coloured elements such as iron and titanium means that kaolin can ensure a high level of whiteness and can be used in compounding to get matt effects.

We supply Italian, Portuguese and Indian kaolin for the ceramic industry for manufacturing sanitary ware, glazes and tableware.