Talk 'N Technology presentations are provided by student grant recipients at the annual PowderMet and AMPM conferences. To further advance the excellent research & development by the grant recipients and their universities, APMI will provide the students’ presentations and posters to its members as a benefit. 

Date: Thursday, May 9th, 2024
Time: Social Hour: 5:30–6:30 p.m. • Dinner: 6:30 p.m.
Place: Wildwoods Bar & Grill
Meeting Sponsor: Osterwalder
Speaker: Bob Orsulak
Topic: Electric Press Technology for PM Part Production

BONUS: Any individual that attends 5 of the 7 West Penn technical sessions during the 2023–2024 season will be entered to win a complementary full conference registration to attend PowderMet2024 / AMPM2024, June 16–19, in Pittsburgh!

RESERVATIONS MUST BE MADE NO LATER THAN NOON ON FRIDAY, MAY 3

The University of Utah Powder Metallurgy Research Laboratory, in partnership with the Center of Powder Metallurgy Technology and National Technology Laboratory, was selected for an award of $3.4 million to develop a powder metallurgy-based process technology to produce iron and steel products with drastically reduced energy consumption and carbon dioxide gas emissions. This project represents an opportunity to demonstrate to the manufacturing industry how powder metallurgy can be a gateway to sustainability. The funding is one of the larger federal investments in powder metallurgy in recent decades.

The award was part of the April 18, 2024, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announcement of $28 million in funding for 13 projects across 9 states to advance zero-process-emission ironmaking and ultra-low life cycle emissions steelmaking. The transformative technologies funded through this program would be the first to meet both emissions and cost parity goals, meaning the new, transformative concepts must be cost competitive with existing technologies.

Ames National Laboratory will partner with eight other U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE)  National Laboratories to support the Critical Materials Supply Chain Research Facility recently announced by the DOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. Ames Lab will lead the Critical Materials Refinery Center, one of four Centers to be established in the Facility.

Critical materials are essential for many clean-energy, defense, transportation, and commercial technologies, and include rare earth metals, lithium, cobalt, and others. High demand, lack of domestic sources and processing, and geopolitical instability can disrupt material supply chains.

April Speaker Roland Warzel, North American Höganäs Co., flanked by West Penn Officers, from left to right: Sean Rupprecht, Treasurer; Brent Matheson, Vice Chairman; Steve Reed, Chairman; and Seth Weible, Secretary.

Ninety-five industry professionals attended the West Penn Chapter April meeting that was sponsored by North American Höganäs Co. Roland Warzel, provided a presentation on “Machining Responses of PM Stainless Steel Components Manufactured Under Different Sintering Conditions”.