Powder Metallurgy includes the processes of blending fine powdered materials, pressing it into a desired shape, and then sintering the compressed material at high temperatures. The sintering process is conducted usually at the temperatures lower than the melting points of the materials.
Powder Metallurgy is applied to various products. Since sintering takes place at lower temperatures than the melting points of the sintering materials, this method can be used for the production of high melting point materials - such as tungsten, molybdenum and ceramics . It is also widely used for the mass production of ceramic and metal parts with specific shapes because the production cost can be lower that those of casting, forging, and machining.
This process is also applicable for the production of high-purity sputtering targets and high melting temperature alloy sputtering targets using high-purity powders or high melting point alloy powders. The advantage of using this method is that the fine grain structure can be easily achieved by the selection of powder sizes and the control of the sintering processes.