Abstract: A heat sink substrate comprises a Cu—Mo composite substrate composed of a molybdenum (Mo) green compact with which Copper (Cu) of 20-60 wt % is impregnated. It is preferable that the heat sink substrate is a rolled plate obtained by repeatedly warm rolling or cold rolling the Cu—Mo composite substrate and that the rolled plate does not include any fine void and unevenly impregnated copper, that is, copper and molybdenum are uniformly distributed therein.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a billet using aqueous salt solutions. The method for manufacturing a billet using aqueous salt solutions, comprising the following steps of: infiltrating aqueous salt solutions into metal powders or cut metal wires by adding the solutions to metal powders or cut metal wires filled in a cylindrical container, to obtain a mixture of aqueous salt solutions infiltrated into the metal powders or metal wires; evaporating water in aqueous salt solutions by heating said container containing the mixture, to obtain a dried mixture; and separating said dried mixture of metal powders or metal wires and salts from the container, to obtain a billet.

Abstract: A sintered powder metal part is prepared for machining by injecting grease into the surface of the part to be machined to a depth at least equal to the depth of machining. The grease is injected under very high pressure using repressing tooling by applying a certain volume of grease between the surface to be machined and the mating tool surface and applying pressure sufficient to uniformly inject the grease into the surface. A rim may be formed in the part adjacent to the surface which acts as a seal during grease injection and is compressed into the part.

Abstract: The invention relates to a composite material, manufactured by dynamic densification of an amount of granular or powdered relatively brittle material or a mixture of one or more of such materials, wherein a continuous porous product is obtained, whereafter, by infiltration thereof with a second material, the brittle material particles are embedded in a continuous network of the second material. The invention further relates to a composite comprising ceramic particles embedded in a continuous matrix of a second material, obtainable by a method according to the invention, and to products manufactured from such composite.

Abstract: Solid objects are made by means of a novel multi-step forming, debinding, sintering and infiltrating process, using a metal-ceramic composition. In this process, the mixture is held for a period of time to degas and settle the powdered material from a liquid binder. The packed geometry is then heated to above the melting temperature of the binder to remove the binder portion of the solid geometry. Upon removal of the binder the binder-free solid geometry is raised to a temperature where the metal pre-sinters together into a three-dimensional rigid matrix with interconnected porosity to form a solid precursor. The porous matrix includes the particulate ceramic material and a first metal, which are at least partially sintered. A molten second metal is then introduced to the fill the porous matrix and form an infiltrated matrix.

Abstract: The present invention relates to s a sintered alloy having an excellent wear resistance for a valve seat and a method of producing the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to the sintered alloy having an excellent wear resistance for a valve seat, which is produced by a sub-zero treatment for a metal powder comprising Fe(iron) as a main component, C(carbon), Si (silicon), Cr(chromium), Mo(molybdenum), Co(cobalt), Mn(Manganese), Pb(lead), V(vanadium) and W(tungsten) so that amount of metallic particles separated from a base matrix decreases and a size of the separated metallic particle becomes small when an abrasion of the sintered alloy is in proceed, thereupon a wear resistance and an impact resistance are improved and a self-lubricity and a machinability are enhanced, and a method of producing the same.

Abstract: A heat sink substrate comprises a Cu—Mo composite substrate composed of a molybdenum (Mo) green compact with which Copper (Cu) of 20-60 wt % is impregnated. It is preferable that the heat sink substrate is a rolled plate obtained by repeatedly warm rolling or cold rolling the Cu—Mo composite substrate and that the rolled plate does not include any fine void and unevenly impregnated copper, that is, copper and molybdenum are uniformly distributed therein.

Abstract: Near-net-shape soft magnetic components can be produced from iron powder lubricant compositions using powder metallurgy techniques. The resulting components have isotropic magnetic and thermal properties and may be shaped into complex geometry using conventional compaction techniques. A non-coated ferromagnetic powder is mixed with a lubricant and compacted. After compaction, the components are thermally treated at a moderate temperature to burn out the lubricant, relieve the stresses induced during pressing and reduce the hysteresis losses. Depending on the application, the properties of the material may be tailored by varying the content and type of the lubricant and the thermal treatment conditions.

Abstract: A powder injection molding and infiltration process. A powder of a skeleton material having a relatively high melting point is mixed with a composite binder to form a mold mixture. The composite binder is comprised of at least two binder materials. The mold mixture is molded into a desired shape in a mold device to produce a molded part. The composite binder is then removed to produce voids in the molded part and the voids are filled by infiltrating an infiltrant comprised of an infiltrant material having a relatively low melting point to produce a composite molded part. In a preferred embodiment the skeleton material is TiB2 and the infiltrant material is aluminum and the composite binder is comprised of a plastic and a wax. In this embodiment the wax portion of the composite binder is removed using a solvent and the plastic is removed during the infiltration step. The resulting composite part has a TiB2 skeleton with voids substantially filled with aluminum.

Abstract: A contact material for forming a contact included in a vacuum interrupter comprises 50 to 70% by weight of a conductive material containing Cu as a principal component, an arc-proof material containing at least either TiC or VC and having a mean particle diameter of 8 &mgr;m or below, and 0.2 to 2.0% by weight of Cr on the basis of the sum of the respective amounts of Cr and Cu or 0.2 to 2/0% by weight of Zr on the basis of the sum of the respective amounts of Zr and Cu. The contact material has a hydrogen content in the range of 0.2 to 50 ppm.

Abstract: An insoluble anode for sulfate electrolytes composed of, generally, from 1 to 99 wt % titanium or titanium alloy and the remainder lead or lead alloy, comprising a titanium-lead active layer, or a titanium-lead active layer covering and a core being made from titanium or lead. The anode is produced by infiltration of porous titanium with lead, either by consolidation of the mixture of titanium and lead powders. The anode formed of the active layer, or of the active layer covering and a sheet core is fabricated in the shape of a plate. The anode formed of the active layer covering and a rod or tube core is fabricated in the shape of a lattice. Advantageously, the titanium-lead active layer is dispersion-strengthened by zirconium carbide or titanium carbide particles, and it's surface is released of a portion of lead.

Abstract: Tool having a molding surface is formed from a flowable material (e.g., powder material) wherein the shape of molding surface is formed from a molding process using a master pattern having a surface with a shape substantially the same as the shape of the molding surface to be formed. The tool has at least one thermal control element located within it and spaced from the molding surface where a component used in forming the thermal control element is located within the flowable material prior to solidifying the material. The powder material is preferably a mixture of metals. The thermal control elements include fluid flow paths, heating elements, temperature sensors, and the like.

Abstract: A sintered electrode of high-melting metal (for example tungsten) is produced from spherical metal powder having a well defined particle size. The mean particle size is from 5 to 70 &mgr;m. The particle size distribution covers a range from at most 20% below to at most 20% above the mean particle size.

Abstract: A method of heat treating a sintered body having an exposed surface which has the steps of: providing a sintered body comprised of a hard carbide and a binder, the binder being present in the sintered body at a first binder level and the hard carbide in the sintered body being of a first grain size; placing granules of a sacrificial sintered material in contact with at least one portion of the exposed surface of the sintered body, the sacrificial sintered material comprised of the hard carbide and the binder, the binder being present in the sacrificial sintered material at a second binder level and the hard carbide in the sacrificial sintered material being of a second grain size; and heat treating the sintered body and sacrificial sintered material so as to change the binder content in a surface region of the sintered body.

Abstract: A process of forming a multi-phase sintered article of powdered metal comprising: blending a mixture of copper powder, aluminum powder, iron powder, and nickel, each in their free states, with a lubricant, compacting the blended mixture into a die cavity, forming the article, and high temperature sintering the article in a reducing atmosphere comprised of 100% dissociated ammonia so as to produce the multi-phase sintered article of powdered metal; and the multi-phase sintered article of powdered metal formed thereby.

Abstract: The invention provides for a functionally-graded metal substrate that is made of at least two metal compositions, a functional insert and a surrounding body that surrounds the functional insert. In a preferred embodiment of the invention a functional insert powder composition of loose powder metal is placed in a compact of a surrounding body powder composition and both metal compositions are sintered in a sintering furnace to form a sintered part. The sintered part is infiltrated in part or in whole with a molten metal compound to produce a functionally graded metal substrate having a density of at least 90% of theoretical. A heat-generating component such as a chip can be attached to the metal substrate for use in microelectronic packaging. When the functionally-graded metal substrate has two discrete compositions of copper/tungsten the surrounding body which has a CTE that ranges from about 5.6ppm/.degree. C. to about 7 ppm/.degree. C.

Abstract: In the invention, a stainless steel powder of the desired composition is either directly mixed with a h-BN powder, compressed and sintered or the stainless steel powder is compressed, impregnated with a solution containing h-BN and then sintered or compressed, sintered and then impregnated with a solution containing h-BN. The sintered bodies in all the aforementioned cases may be resin impregnated.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a triphasic composite such as a WC/Co/diamond composite with a high volume fraction of diamond in a WC/Co matrix. The method involves sintering of a WC/Co powder compact to develop a porous preform, which displays some rigidity and strength, infiltrating the porous preform with a controlled distribution of carbon, and high pressure/high temperature treatment of the carbon-containing WC/Co preform to transform the carbon to diamond. The distribution of diamond in the composite can be functionally graded to provide a WC/Co core and a diamond-enriched surface, wherein all three phases form an interconnected structure in three dimensions. Such a tricontinuous structure combines high strength and toughness with superior wear resistance, making it attractive for applications in machine tools and drill bits.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a drill bit or other drilling-related structure used for drilling into subterranean formations is herein disclosed where a blank is formed by placing a ferrous metal powder such as steel into a mold, sintering the ferrous metal powder to form a preformed blank, packing an abrasion- and erosion-resistant material such as tungsten carbide powder around the preformed blank, and infiltrating the preformed blank and tungsten carbide with a common binder such as a copper-based binder. For some materials, during sintering, the preformed blank may shrink in size relative to the mold enough to provide space between the mold and the preformed blank for a layer of abrasion- and erosion-resistant material. With other materials, a separate blank mold may be used to form the sintered blank which can then be inserted into the mold for infiltration.

Abstract: An aluminum-boron-carbon abrasive article is comprised of at least three phases selected from the group consisting of: B.sub.4 C; AlB.sub.2 ; AlB.sub.12 ; AlB.sub.12 C.sub.2 ; Al.sub.4 C.sub.3 ; AlB.sub.24,C.sub.4 ; Al.sub.4 B.sub.1-3 C.sub.4 ; AlB.sub.24 C.sub.4 and Al.sub.4 BC. At least a portion of the surface of the abrasive article is comprised of abrasive grains of at least one phase selected from the group consisting of AlB.sub.24 C.sub.4, Al.sub.4 BC and AlB.sub.2, where the abrasive grains have an average grain size that is at least about two times greater than the average grain size of the grains containing boron and carbon within the abrasive article. The aluminum-boron-carbon abrasive article of claim 1 is prepared by heating, under a vacuum or inert atmosphere, a body comprised of at least one boron containing phase and at least one carbon containing phase in the presence of a separate source of aluminum, such as aluminum metal or alloy thereof.

Abstract: A sliding bearing which is multilayered, self-lubricating and maintenance-free includes a metallic supporting body; and a layer of sintered bronze which is provided on the metallic supporting body and which has pores filled with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) to provide a PTFE-impregnated sintered bronze layer, the PTFE being uniformly distributed and serving as a solid lubricant, and the PTFE-impregnated sintered bronze layer having a sliding surface composed of the PTFE particles but no PTFE cover layer. The sliding bearing is made by a method including applying a layer of bronze powder onto the metallic supporting body, the bronze powder having different particle sizes, having a mean particle size of about 40 .mu.m, and having a particle shape which is dendritic; sintering the layer of bronze powder in a furnace at a temperature of about 800.degree. C.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a photocatalyst for producing hydrogen, harmless to the environment and by which a large quantity of hydrogen is efficiently produced at low temperatures without using any organic promoter, represented by the following formula:Cs(a)X(c)/T(b)wherein "a" represents a percentage by weight of impregnated Cs on the basis of the weight of a carrier, being limited up to 6.0; "X" is a promoter selected from Ni, Co and Fe; "c" represents a percentage by weight of the promoter on the basis of the total weight of Cs and the promoter, being limited up to 50.0; "T" is the carrier consisting of a zinc sulfide mixture comprising an inorganic compound and zinc sulfide with the molar ratio of zinc:sulfur ranging from 1:0.1 to 1:2.8; and "b" represents a percentage by weight of the inorganic compound on the basis of the total amount of the ZnS mixture, being limited up to 50.

Abstract: A method of producing a contact element having a base body made of material with good electrical conductivity (first material) and a contact layer made of material with a less good electrical conductivity which is resistant to arc erosion (second material), includes impregnating a sinter structure of the contact layer with the material of the base body. The base body and the sinter structure are placed one above the other in a cup-like mold and are heated therein to above the melting temperature of the first material but still below the melting temperature of the second material, so that the first material fuses and penetrates into the sinter structure. The sinter structure may be produced by scattering the second material in powder form onto the first material and initially sintering in a degassing process below the melting temperature of the first material. It is also possible to produce the sinter structure in advance and to place a green body on the base body.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a composite material wherein by dynamic densification of an amount of granular or powdered relatively brittle material or a mixture of one or more of such materials, a continuous porous product is obtained, whereafter, by infiltration thereof with a second material, the brittle material particles are embedded in a continuous network of the second material. The invention further relates to a composite comprising ceramic particles embedded in a continuous matrix of a second material, obtainable by a method according to the invention, and to products manufactured from such composite.

Abstract: A sintered oil-impregnated bearing 20 used in a bearing device 30 is made by molding a mixture of a composite fine particles (main material) and a solid lubricant previously added to the main material in a proportion of about one weight percent to about three weight percent, wherein the main material comprises composite fine particles composed of iron powders having surfaces coated with copper, and the solid lubricant comprises fine particles made of an inorganic compound such as molybdenum disulfide and having surfaces coated with copper, sintering the mold at a temperature in a range of 650.degree. C. to 700.degree. C. to form a sintered body 20b, and impregnating the sintered body 20b with lubricant oil. Since the sintered body 20b itself has lubricity, the sintered oil-impregnated bearing is free from abrasion or seizure even if oil is used up.

Abstract: A tungsten skeleton structure fabrication method employed in an application of a copper infiltration and tungsten-copper composite fabrication method includes the steps of forming a source powder by coating the tungsten powder surface having a purity of 99.9 weight percent and 2.about.5 .mu.m in size, with nickel by less than 0.06 weight percent (600 ppm), forming an injection molded admixture by admixing a source powder and a polymer binder, carrying out a powder injection molded with regard to the admixture, and obtaining a tungsten skeleton structure by removing the polymer binder from the resultant injection molded body. The method prevents the molded body from being unevenly shrunken during a liquid phase sintering for thereby decreasing its production cost.

Abstract: A fabrication method for a tungsten heavy alloy includes first fabricating a green compact or a sintered body composed of tungsten and other elements except manganese, then putting manganese thereon, and sintering the tungsten heavy alloy with manganese manganese, whereby the formation of pores, which occurs because manganese is oxidized by the deoxidation of oxides existing on the surface of powders of tungsten, nickel and iron is prevented, and a tungsten heavy alloy having a 100% non-theoretical density of 100% is obtained.

Abstract: A sintered alloy having superb wear resistance consisting, percent by weight of, as a whole, Ni in the amount of 1.35 to 19.61%, Cr in the amount of 0.9 to 11.05%, Mo in the amount of 1.44 to 9.09%, Co in the amount of 3.6 to 20.05%, V in the amount of 0.018 to 0.26%, Si in the amount of 0.1 to 0.75%, C in the amount of 0.35 to 1.5%, and the balance of Fe, and the sintered alloy exhibiting a metallographic structure in which the following hard phases are dispersed in a mixed structure of martensite, sorbite, and austenite: a first hard phase comprising, a hard phase as a core mainly consisting of Mo suicide, and a diffused phase including diffused Co surrounding the hard phase; and a second hard phase comprising, a hard phase as a core consisting of Cr carbide, and a mixed phase of ferrite and austenite surrounding the hard phase.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a sintered oilless bearing using a correcting rod having a projection correcting portion and a groove forming portion having outer diameters respectively identical to inner diameters of projections and grooves to be formed into the oilless bearing. An upper punch is inserted into the upper portion of the correcting rod for pressing the sintered oilless bearing to allow the inner periphery of the sintered oilless bearing to closely contact the groove forming portion and, simultaneously, fit into the projection forming portion.

Abstract: A process for making a component includes the steps of: depositing a layer of a porous material; positioning a mask near to the deposited layer; applying a bonding material that will cause any contacted portions of the porous material to become bonded together, over and through the mask, such that the bonding material is applied to one or more selected regions of the recently deposited layer of porous material; and repeating the foregoing three steps a selected number of times to produce a selected number of successive layers, said bonding material causing each of said successive layers to become bonded to an adjacent layer. Any unbonded porous material that is not at the selected regions is easily removed. The mask may be an open stencil mask, or a screen mask. If open stencil masks are used, there may be more than one mask for a single layer of porous material. Successive masks may be positioned by a continuous sheet, a rotating disk, or individually, such as by a robot.

Abstract: A composite oxygen electrode/electrolyte structure for a solid state electrochemical device having a porous composite electrode in contact with a dense electrolyte membrane, which electrode includes: (a) a porous structure having interpenetrating networks of an ionically-conductive material and an electronically-conductive material; and (b) an electrocatalyst different from the electronically-conductive material, dispersed within the pores of the porous structure. This electrode structure is relatively simple to manufacture, requiring relatively few steps to infiltrate an electrocatalyst precursor material to obtain an electrode structure which will perform advantageously in a solid oxide fuel cell, has a relatively low internal resistance, and permits the selection of an optimal electronically-conductive material and electrocatalyst.

Abstract: The invention is a complex-shaped article, comprising an article prepared by joining at least one multi-phase ceramic-metal part and at least one shaped part of another material, wherein the theoretical density of the at least one ceramic-metal part is greater than 80 percent.In another aspect, the invention is a process for preparing complex-shaped articles, comprising:(a) forming at least one ceramic-metal part;(b) forming at least one shaped part of another material; and(c) joining the at least one shaped ceramic-metal part with the at least one shaped part of another material such that a complex-shaped article is formed.The invention is a less costly and time-consuming process for preparing complex-shaped composite articles wherein the articles are formed of two or more selected materials wherein one of the materials is a ceramic-metal composite.

Abstract: Corrosion-resistant, soft magnetic metal components manufactured by powder metallurgy and infiltration processes are disclosed. The magnetic components are manufactured by a powder metallurgy process using acicular metal particles to form a skeleton, and thermally infiltrating the skeleton.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a dental restoration, comprising the steps of applying a powdered dental metal comprising composition to a refractory model mass, which powdered dental metal consist of at least three alloys each having a different solidus temperature, the difference between the successive solidus temperatures always ranging between 25 and 100.degree. C., heating the powdered dental material in such a manner that one porous mass is formed, and infiltrating the porous mass with a filler metal alloy in such a manner that the refractory model mass is provided with a homogenous metal coating.

Abstract: The invention relates to ZrB.sub.2 /Cu composites, and more specifically to methods of making ZrB.sub.2 /Cu composite electrodes and methods of using ZrB.sub.2 /Cu composite electrodes. ZrB.sub.2 powder is contacted with a polymer and shaped to a desired form. The polymer is vaporized and the ZrB.sub.2 powder is sintered. The sintered ZrB.sub.2 is contacted with Cu and heated above the melting point of Cu which causes the Cu to infiltrate the ZrB.sub.2, forming the ZrB.sub.2 /Cu composite electrode.

Abstract: A metal sintered body composite material which can exhibit superior seizure resistance even when light metal is softened, and a method for producing the same. The production method uses iron base raw material powder including C and one of Cr, Mo, V, W, Mn, and Si, and comprises the steps of forming and sintering a powder compressed article so as to obtain a porous metal sintered body having a space lattice structure having pores, impregnating the pores of the porous metal sintered body with an aluminum alloy and solidifying the aluminum alloy, applying aging treatment by heating and holding the composite material at an aging treatment temperature range, whereby a metal constituting the porous metal sintered body has a micro-Vickers hardness of 200 to 800.

Abstract: The present invention provides a valve seat having a suitable degree of wear resistance, which can be produced without recourse to expensive elements represented by cobalt and at a cost lower than ever before. This valve seat is formed of a wear-resistant sintered alloy having a general composition consisting essentially of, in weight ratio, 0.736 to 5.79% of nickel, 0.12 to 6.25% of chromium, 0.294 to 0.965% of molybdenum, and 0.508 to 2.0% of carbon with the balance being iron, and inevitable impurities, and having a micro structure wherein a bainite matrix structure or a mixed bainite and sorbite matrix structure includes a nucleus having a hard phase composed mainly of chromium carbide, and a ferrite surrounding said nucleus and having a high chromium concentration and a martensite surrounding said ferrite are dispersed.

Abstract: A new class of low chop contact materials based on Ag-chromium carbide and Ag--Cr compositions have an essentially 100% dense, porosity free microstructure. These materials combine the advantageous properties of Ag--WC and Cu--Cr contacts without their disadvantages. A method of making this new class of low chop contact materials includes the steps of cold pressing a mixture of Ag and chromium or chromium carbide to form an unsintered blank and the elevated temperature infiltration of silver into the unsintered blank to obtain an essentially 100% dense, porosity free microstructure.

Abstract: The invention provides a valve seat having a suitable degree of wear resistance, which can be produced without recourse to expensive elements represented by cobalt and at a cost lower than ever before. This valve seat is formed of a wear-resistant sintered alloy having a general composition consisting essentially of, in weight ratio, 0.736 to 9.65% of nickel, 0.736 to 2.895% of copper, 0.294 to 0.965% of molybdenum, 0.12 to 6.25% of chromium, and 0.508 to 2.0% of carbon with the balance being iron, and inevitable impurities, and having a metallic structure in which there are dispersed (1) a martensite, (2) a bainite having a nucleus of sorbite and/or upper bainite and surrounding said nucleus, (3) an austenite having a high nickel concentration, and (4) a hard phase surrounding with a ferrite having a high chromium concentration and composed mainly of a chromium carbide.

Abstract: A method for producing self lubricating powder metal cylinder bore liners for an internal combustion engine includes the steps of loading a powder metal mixture into a die cavity, compacting the powder metal mixture in the die cavity and forming the powder metal cylinder bore liner having a porous structure, sintering the powder metal cylinder bore liner, and impregnating the porous structure of the cylinder bore liner with lubricant.

Abstract: A process for producing a sliding member employs a base material having a covering surface and pores, and a layer material comprising a constitutive component for reacting with a constitutive component of the base material. Initially, the layer material comes into contact with at least part of the covering surface of the base material. Next, the both are heated to the sintering temperature of the base material. Thus, a molten liquid occurs at the boundary between the base material and the layer material. Since the solidus temperature of the molten liquid increases with the reaction proceeding, the molten liquid can solidify early to seal the pores at the covering surface of the base material early. Therefore, the layer material remains on the covering surface of the base material, the remaining layer material comes to constitute a sliding surface.

Abstract: A method for fabricating articles of high-temperature aluminum alloys having a compressional strength of at least 20 kg/mm.sup.2 at temperatures of 300.degree. C. or greater, is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: (a) forming a porous preform from particles of a first aluminum alloy via cold-pressing, the preform having the shape and dimension of the aluminum alloy article to be fabricated; (b) squeeze-casting a molten second aluminum alloy into void spaces of the porous preform to form an aluminum composite containing the first aluminum alloy, which serves as a reinforcement phase, dispersed in the second aluminum alloy, which serves as a matrix phase; (c) wherein the molten second aluminum alloy is cast at such temperatures so as to cause a surface of the first aluminum alloy particles to melt and thereby form a strong bonding with the second aluminum alloy.

Abstract: This invention relates to a substrate for semiconductor apparatus loading a semiconductor chip in integrated circuit apparatus and is characterized in that a sintered compact containing copper of 2 to 30 wt. % in tungsten and/or molybdenum is used as the substrate having the heat radiation capable of efficiently radiating heat developed from the loaded semiconductor chip and thermal expansion coefficient similar to those of semiconductor chip and other enclosure material except for the substrate.

Abstract: A mold useful for injection molding, comprising: a porous network of metal and oxidized metal and a cured epoxy resin dispersed in the porous network. The mold can be prepared by a process comprising the sequential steps of (a) forming a mixture of a metal powder and a polymer binder; (b) heating the mixture at a temperature in the range from about 100.degree. C. to about 300.degree. C. to remove a majority of the polymer binder from the mixture; (c) heating the mixture resulting from step (b) at a temperature greater than about 300.degree. C. and less than the melting point of the metal in the presence of oxygen to oxidize at least a portion of the metal to form a self-adhering porous network of metal and oxidized metal; (d) contacting the self-adhering porous network with an epoxy resin to fill at least a portion of the porous network with epoxy resin; and (e) curing the body resulting from step (d) to form the mold. The shape of the mold can be performed by selective laser sintering of the mixture.

Abstract: The present invention relates to novel methods for shaping a filler material into a porous preform and subsequently filling at least a portion of the porous preform with a second material to form a composite body. Specific aspects of the invention include novel combinations of materials to form the preform in combination with novel processing techniques for shaping the combinations of materials into a porous preform.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a connecting rod is disclosed, in which a formed body of a connecting rod integrated with a cap section of iron metal powder is heated, before or after being sintered, with a bearing metal ring set in the bearing section thereof. During or after sintering, the bearing metal is infiltrated in the bearing section, followed by the forging as required. Then the cap section is separated. In this way, the manufacturing steps are reduced, while at the same time preventing the bearing section from being overheated and seizured due to an improved heat conductivity between the connecting rod body and the bearing section.

Abstract: A method of making an article by joining together at least two porous components is described, the method comprising the steps of making at least two generally tubular PM components to be joined in the axial direction, each component having an axial length less than that of the tubular article; the at least two components both having interconnected porosity and each having at least one mutual mating face; assembling the at least two components together so that the at least one mutual mating faces are in proximity to each other; placing an infiltrant material in the bore of the assembled components; heating the assembled components to melt the infiltrant material and cause it to infiltrate the interconnected porosity at least in the region of the mutual mating faces so as to cause the components to become bonded together by the infiltrant material. Examples of the manufacture of valve guides are given.

Abstract: Prepare boron carbide-aluminum structural composites by infiltrating molten aluminum or aluminum alloy into a porous preform that is either unbaked or baked at a temperature of up to 1800.degree. C. to form a densified cermet and then heat treat the cermet in air or an oxygen-containing atmosphere to form a dense outer surface layer of aluminum oxide. The resulting structural cermets can withstand prolonged exposure to temperatures above the melting point of aluminum without suffering undue degradation of physical properties such as flexure strength.

Abstract: Composites are grown by contacting pressed aluminum powder forms or metal masses with oxide powder as the oxygen supply source needed for composite growing and then heating, with reaction sintering by a thermite reaction between the oxides and aluminum supplied by capillary action.

Abstract: A metal casing for a semiconductor device is manufactured by a powder metallurgy injection molding process which uses infiltration. The metal casing includes a base member and an enclosure member arranged on the base member. The base member and the enclosure member are formed of an alloy including 20 to 50 percent by volume of copper, equal to or less than 1 percent by weight of nickel and remainder of tungsten or molybdenum. The metal casing is manufactured as a net-shape product by a process which includes the steps of mixing tungsten powder and nickel powder having average particles sizes equal to or less than 40 .mu.