WO2014036661A1

WO2014036661A1 - Techniques using single step lubrication and filling of a die cavity for manufacture of parts from metal powder

Info

Publication number: WO2014036661A1
Application number: PCT/CA2013/050696
Authority: WO
Inventors: Patrick England; Patrick Lemieux
Original assignee: Nanogestion Inc.; National Research Council Of Canada
Priority date: 2012-09-10
Filing date: 2013-09-10
Publication date: 2014-03-13

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for lubricating and filling a die cavity in a powder operation, wherein a plug member is inserted into a die cavity, a lubricant composition is fed into a peripheral zone of the die cavity to form a lubricant layer on die wall surfaces of the die cavity; a powder mixture is fed into a closed central zone of the die cavity; and the plug member is then removed from the die cavity to release the powder mixture such that the powder mixture outspreads and contacts the lubricant layer. The steps of feeding of the lubricant composition and powder mixture may be performed fully or at least partly simultaneously to reduce or minimize a cycle time. The method and apparatuses may be configured to further compact the powder to form a green compact; and eject the green compact. The powder mixture may include metallurgical powder or ceramic powder.

Description

TECHNIQUES USING SINGLE STEP LUBRICATION AND FILLING OF A DIE CAVITY FOR MANUFACTURE OF PARTS FROM METAL POWDER

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technical field concerns metal powder part manufacturing, and more particularly to techniques for lubrication and filling of a die cavity used in powder metallurgy.

BACKGROUND

In the field of powder metallurgy, metal parts are typically manufactured through a series of steps. Metal powders may be mixed with powder lubricants and other additives to form a metallurgical powder mixture that is filled into a die cavity. Such lubricants may be referred to as "admixed lubricants". The metallurgical powder mixture is fed into the die cavity then compacted within the die to produce a green compact. The green compact is then ejected from the die cavity and can undergo further processing, including sintering in order to produce a metal part.

The lubricant in the metallurgical powder mixture is supposed to sufficiently lubricate the die cavity wall surfaces to prevent permanent damage to the wall surfaces that may occur during compaction and ejection and to provide adequate surface finish on the green compact ejected from the die after compaction. However, in some cases it may be difficult or undesirable to incorporate lubricant into the powder mixture, due to various reasons that may relate to operating parameters or properties of the manufacturing operation, such as purity, reactivity, green strength, cured strength of the metal parts, and so on. In other cases, it may be desirable to decrease or minimize the amount of lubricant that is mixed with the powder metal, for various reasons such as to provide a higher maximum density that can be reached during compaction, given that the admixed lubricant occupies a certain volume between particles of the metallurgical powder mixture and limit its final density. In addition, in some case, even with the use of internal or admixed lubricant, parts can be too complex and/or too difficult to eject and/or powders can be too soft (e.g. aluminium powders), such that surface finish may be poor after ejection and die walls may suffer some damage. In such cases, the use of external lubrication has been developed, and may be generally referred to as "die wall lubrication". Regarding die wall lubrication, solid powdered lubricants similar to admixed lubricants that can be mixed with the metal powder, can be delivered to the die cavity in different ways.

There are some die wall lubricants that are known in the field. The use of simple oils as die wall lubricants has been found to be insufficient to sustain the high shear stress that occurs at the boundary between the metal powder mixture and the die wall surfaces during compaction and ejection. In addition, mixtures of oils or other liquids with solid lubricant particles may be challenging to inject uniformly and cleanly in the die cavity. For instance, drops can fall on the die top or die platen later in the manufacturing cycle and when the metallurgical powder mixture is fed via a feed shoe or another means, the metallurgical powder may tend to stick and form a slurry accumulating on the top of the die, eventually hampering or damaging the press and feed shoe movements or disturbing the metallurgical powder mixture by sticking to one component more than another. This problem can also lead to density heterogeneity during compaction if the metallurgical powder mixture falling in the die cavity comes into contact with a liquid drop. Consequently, in view of such challenges, liquid die wall lubricants are generally avoided in standard powder metallurgy practice.

Another method of lubricating die cavity wall surfaces is described in US patent No. 5,682,591 (Inculet et al.) and includes electrostatically charging and spraying a lubricant onto the wall surfaces of the die cavity. The lubricant can be fine liquid droplets or solid particles. The solid particle lubricant is electrostatically charged and attracted to the wall surfaces of the die cavity, for example by the grounded or even polarized walls of the die.

For deeper cavity applications, other techniques have been developed to reduce formation of eddies that can lead to inhomogeneous coverage of the wall surfaces. US patent No. 6,299,690 (Mongeon et al.) describes a method of lubricating the wall surfaces of a die cavity including spraying the wall surfaces with tribocharged lubricant particles via a plug member (which may also be referred to as a "confinement block") having a shape conforming to that of the article to be formed. The plug member is slightly smaller than the article so that when the plug member is inserted into the die cavity, there is a small, but uniform, gap created between the outer wall surfaces of the plug member and the walls of the die cavity. This method lead to improved uniform coverage of the die cavity wall surfaces for deeper cavities.

In addition, when using a plug member or other technique for die wall lubrication, the lubrication step is performed by a separate lubrication step which is followed by a filling step. In the lubrication step, a lubricant delivery device is positioned over or within the die cavity to deliver the lubricant over the die walls. The lubricant delivery device must then be withdrawn and re-positioned away from the die cavity so that a powder metal feed device can be positioned relative to the die to feed the powder metal into the cavity. During the separate powder metal feeding or filling step, the powder metal often enters the cavity from above and it can contact the lubrication on the cavity walls in such as way so as to carry or rub away some of the lubricant layer on certain parts of the walls.

Known techniques also have productivity challenges related to the production cycle time, which includes several production steps.

SUM MARY

The present invention provides techniques for die wall lubrication and filling that may be used, for example, in deep die cavity applications.

In some implementations, there is a method for manufacturing a green compact in a powder metallurgy operation, including providing a die wall lubricant for lubricating wall surfaces of a die cavity and metallurgical powder mixture into the die cavity in a single step.

In some implementations, the method includes: providing a lubricant composition into a die cavity having die wall surfaces to form a lubrication layer coating the die wall surfaces; feeding the die cavity with metallurgical powder mixture; and contacting the lubrication layer with the fed metallurgical powder mixture.

The lubrication and feeding may be performed in a generally simultaneous manner to reduce or minimize a cycle time of the method. The method may also include compacting the metallurgical powder composition in the die cavity at a compaction pressure sufficient to form the green compact; and ejecting the green compact from the die cavity.

In some implementations, there is a method for manufacturing a green compact in a powder metallurgy operation, including: a lubrication and filling step including: inserting a lubricant and metallurgical powder delivery device into a die cavity, to define a central zone and a peripheral zone; feeding the lubricant into the peripheral zone to allow formation of a die wall lubrication layer; feeding the metallurgical powder into the central zone; retracting the delivery device, thereby allowing the metallurgical powder to contact the die wall lubrication layer; compacting the metallurgical powder in the die cavity at a compaction pressure sufficient to form the green compact; and ejecting the green compact from the die cavity.

The method may be continuous and cyclical whereby the steps of lubrication/filling, compacting and ejecting are continuously repeated.

In some implementations, the step of feeding the lubricant composition into the die cavity includes injecting the lubricant composition via a plug member inserted into the die cavity.

In some implementations, the step of feeding the die cavity with metallurgical powder mixture includes feeding the metallurgical powder mixture via the plug member inserted into the die cavity.

In some implementations, the step of feeding the metallurgical powder mixture via the plug member inserted into the die cavity is performed with through a plug member inlet located near a top or side surface of the plug member. Optionally, the inlet may be located near the side surface of the plug member. Optionally, the metallurgical powder may be fed through a feeding hose connected to the plug member inlet.

In some implementations, the step of feeding the lubricant composition into the die cavity includes guiding a flow of lubricant composition in the die cavity so as to be close to the wall surfaces.

In some implementation, the method may include adjusting or ensuring a volume or a mass of the metallurgical powder mixture during the feeding step to a volume of the die cavity.

In some implementations, the method may include vibrating the delivery device, e.g. the plug member and/or the feeding hose and/or powder path, during the feeding of the metallurgical powder so as to ensure the powder releases from the delivery device and is fed within the central zone of the die cavity.

In some implementations, there is a method for lubricating and filling a die cavity in a powder metallurgy operation, the method including: inserting a plug member into a die cavity, the plug member having an inner wall and an outer wall, such that the inner wall of the plug member defines a closed central zone and the outer wall of the plug member and the die wall surfaces define there-between a peripheral zone; feeding a lubricant composition into the peripheral zone to form a lubricant layer on the die wall surfaces of the die cavity; feeding the closed central zone with a metallurgical powder mixture; and removing the plug member from the die cavity to release the metallurgical powder mixture such that the metallurgical powder mixture outspreads and contacts the lubricant layer.

The feeding of the lubricant composition and metallurgical powder may be performed fully or at least partly simultaneously to reduce or minimize a cycle time. Alternatively, the feeding of the lubricant and powder may occur a slightly different times through the same double-walled plug member acting as a delivery device. The lubricant may be fed downwardly through a passage defined between the inner and outer walls of the plug member, and the outer wall may be sized and configured to define a passage in between the bottom of the die and the bottom edge of the outer wall, thus allowing the lubricant to flow from the passage into the peripheral zone.

In some implementations, there is an apparatus for manufacturing a green compact for powder metallurgy operation, including: a die comprising a die cavity defined by wall surfaces and provided with an inlet at a top surface; and a delivery device for delivering a lubricant composition and a metallurgical powder mixture into the die cavity, the delivery system including: a plug member insertable in the die cavity and having an inner wall spaced apart from an outer wall, the inner wall and outer wall extending from a top member of the plug member so as to define respective central zone for receiving the metallurgical powder mixture and a peripheral zone defined between the outer wall and some of the die wall surfaces for receiving the lubricant composition.

The inner wall may be longer than the outer wall so as to define a closed central zone when the hollow plug member is fully inserted in the die cavity and contacts the bottom surface, such that the lubricant and powder may be delivered without contacting each other until the plug member is retracted.

In some implementations, the central zone defined between the inner walls of the plug member communicates with a powder inlet in an upper part beneath the top member, and the inlet is in fluid communication with a container of the metallurgical powder mixture.

In some implementations, the delivery device includes a feed hose connecting the powder inlet to the container, the feed hose including a slide gate slidably cooperating with the powder inlet for selectively closing and opening the inlet.

It should be noted that various different die wall lubricant compositions may be used. For example, any traditional die wall lubricant may be used and may be optionally electrostatically charged prior to feeding to the die cavity. The lubricant includes solid particulates that may be electrostatically activated, softenable and/or meltable components.

In some implementations, the apparatus may include one or more additional features as described herein.

In some implementations, the lubricant composition may include a component that includes a polymeric material, such as a fatty acids, ethylene bistearamide based particles, polyolefin-based fatty acids based particles, polyethylene-based fatty acids based particles, soap based particles.

In some implementations, the lubricant composition may include a component that includes metal stearates based particles, ethylene bistearamide based particles, polyolefin-based fatty acids based particles, polyethylene-based fatty acids based particles, polyethylene based particles, soap based particles, molybdenum disulfide based particles, graphite based particles, manganese sulfide based particles, calcium oxide based particles, boron nitride based particles, polytetrafluoroethylene based particles, or natural or synthetic wax based particles, or a combination thereof.

In some implementations, the step of feeding the lubricant composition includes serially feeding two different lubricant components one after the other, or simultaneously feeding a mixture of two or more components.

In some implementations, the method also includes charging the solid particulate lubricant composition, prior to providing the solid particulate lubricant composition into the die cavity, such that the solid particulate lubricant composition is electrostatically attracted to the wall surfaces of the die cavity.

In some implementations, the method also includes triboelectrically charging the solid particulate lubricant composition, prior to providing the solid particulate lubricant composition into the die cavity, such that the solid particulate lubricant composition is electrostatically attracted to the wall surfaces of the die cavity.

In some implementations, the metallurgical powder mixture may comprise at least about In some implementations, the metallurgical powder mixture may comprise at least 50 wt% of metal carbides, such as cemented carbide parts fabrication.

In some implementations, the solid particulate lubricant composition is provided in an amount sufficient to reduce stripping and/or sliding pressure during the ejecting of the green compact from the die cavity compared to using the first particulate component or the second particulate component alone for lubricating the die wall surfaces.

In some implementations, the solid particulate lubricant composition comprises at least one lubricant additive.

In some implementations, the lubricant additive comprises molybdenum disulfide based particles, graphite based particles, manganese sulfide based particles, calcium oxide based particles, boron nitride based particles, polytetrafluoroethylene based particles, boron nitride based particles, and/or graphite based particles.

In some implementations, there is provided a lubricant and metallurgical powder delivery device comprising: a plug member insertable in a die cavity and having an inner wall spaced apart from an outer wall, wherein: the inner wall has a distal end that is sized or configured to contact an end surface of the die cavity or lower punch upon insertion of the plug member, to define a closed central zone for receiving the metallurgical powder; the outer wall and the inner wall are spaced apart to define there-between a passage for receiving a flow of the lubricant; the outer wall and side surfaces of the die cavity are spaced apart to define a peripheral zone there-between; and the outer wall has a distal end that is sized or configured to be spaced apart from the end surface of the die cavity, to allow the lubricant to flow from the passage into the peripheral zone. In some implementations, there is provided a method for manufacturing a green compact, comprising: feeding die wall lubricant and metallurgical powder respectively into a peripheral zone and a central zone of a die cavity, to form a die wall lubricant layer and a load of metallurgical powder in non-contacting relationship; allowing the load of metallurgical powder to displace outwardly from the central zone into the peripheral zone to contact the die wall lubricant layer; compacting the metallurgical powder to form a green compact; and ejecting the green compact.

Providing the non-contacting relationship may be done by a barrier that separates the two zones. The barrier may be part of a hollow plug member, having characteristics as described herein.

In some implementations, there is provided a system for lubricating and filling a die cavity with a compactable powder material (e.g. metallurgical powder), comprising: a compactable powder material inlet; a lubricant inlet; a plug member insertable within a die cavity, the plug member comprising: an inner side wall surface sized and configured to have a distal end for contacting an opposing surface of the die cavity upon insertion of the plug member, to define a central zone in fluid communication with the compactable powder material inlet for receiving compactable powder material; an outer side wall surface configured to be in spaced relation with the opposing side surfaces of the die cavity upon insertion of the plug member, to define a peripheral zone there-between; at least one conduit located in between the inner side wall surface and the outer side wall surface, the at least one conduit being in fluid communication with the lubricant inlet and the peripheral zone for providing the lubricant from the lubricant inlet into the peripheral zone.

In some implementations, there is provided a method for lubricating and filling a die cavity in a powder operation, the method comprising: inserting a plug member into a die cavity, the plug member having an inner wall and an outer wall, such that the inner wall of the plug member defines a closed central zone and the outer wall of the plug member and the die wall surfaces define there-between a peripheral zone; feeding a lubricant composition into the peripheral zone to form a lubricant layer on the die wall surfaces of the die cavity; feeding the closed central zone with a powder mixture; and removing the plug member from the die cavity to release the powder mixture such that the powder mixture outspreads and contacts the lubricant layer.

Optionally, the powder mixture may include metallurgical powder mixtures and ceramic powder mixtures. Further optionally, the metallurgical powder mixtures may include carbide compounds that may represent up to 95% of the total weight of the powder mixture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Fig 1 is a process flowchart.

Fig 2 is a graph of cycle times according to manufacturing techniques.

Fig 3 is a schematic top view of an assembly comprising a die wall lubrication apparatus for producing green compact.

Fig 4 is a schematic side view of an assembly comprising a die wall lubrication apparatus in its lubricating position for producing green compact. Fig 5 is a schematic side view of an assembly comprising a die wall lubrication apparatus in its powder feeding position for producing green compact.

Fig 6 is a schematic side view of an assembly for producing green compact with a combined lubrication and metal powder filling step.

Fig 7 is a schematic cut view showing a lubricant and powder metal delivery device.

Fig 8 is a schematic cut view showing another lubricant and powder metal delivery device during filling.

Fig 9 is a schematic cut view showing the lubricant and powder metal delivery device of Fig 8 in a retracted position.

Fig 10 is a schematic cut view showing another lubricant and powder metal delivery device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Techniques for die wall lubricating and filling a die cavity with metallurgical powder mixture may include using a delivery device with a plug member performing both lubricating and filling in a single step. The use of a single delivery device for performing steps that are typically performed with two different units in two distinct stages, enables advantages such as reducing the cycle time for producing a green compact.

Referring to Fig 1 , an optional implementation of a process for manufacturing metal parts from metal powders is illustrated. The illustrated process includes not only the production of the green compact but also some additional steps for producing the metal part. It should be noted that the present invention mainly relates to the production of green compacts.

As shown in Fig 1 , the overall process of manufacturing metal parts may include forming a powder mixture including metal or ceramic powder and optionally lubricant powder and other additives (step 100); lubricating the wall surfaces of the die cavity and filling the powder mixture into the die cavity (step 102); compacting the powder mixture in the die cavity to form a green compact (step 104); ejecting the green compact from the die (step 106); optionally subjecting the compact to an additional treatment (step 108) which generally depends on the composition of the powder mixture and is intended to be able to do a second deformation operation or machining operation; and sintering the compact to produce the part (step 110). Of course, it should be understood that there may be various alternative or optional steps that may be used for manufacturing parts from powders. Notably, the combined lubricating and filling step 102 may be enabled by using a delivery device for feeding both the lubricant and the powder to the desired locations in the die cavity.

Briefly referring to Figs 7 to 10, a system for making a green compact is illustrated and includes a delivery device that allows for delivering both the lubricant and the metallurgical powder to the die cavity in a single step. Such a delivery device enables the lubricant to be fed to contact the die walls and form lubricant layer, while the powder is fed into a central zone closed off by inner walls of the delivery device, such that upon retraction of the delivery device the powder remains in the cavity and slightly moves outward to contact the lubrication layer. The powder is then ready for compaction. It should be noted that this technique can allow several advantages, for instance by reducing cycle time of the overall production process by combining two steps and also by allowing the powder to contact the lubricant later by an outward movement that reduces lubricant removal and thus improves the lubrication of the walls. More regarding this system will be described in further detail herein below.

Figs 3 to 5 illustrate systems that utilize two separate units for lubricating the die walls and filling the die cavity with the metallurgical powder. In particular, the system uses a coating unit for delivering the lubricant and a feed shoe for delivering the metallurgical powder. The coating unit may be a "plug member" type device. An upper punch performs vertical compaction of the metallurgical powder mixture fed in the die cavity to form a green compact (as in step 104 of Fig 1). The upper punch (not illustrated in Fig 3) may only be moved downward toward the die cavity 12 when the two separate delivery systems (coating unit 13 and feed shoe 15) are moved sufficiently away from the die cavity 12. As better understood with reference to Fig 3, during operation of the system, the coating unit 13 first moves over the die cavity 12 and then is used to apply the die wall lubricant. Then, the coating unit 13 is removed from the cavity and an actuator, comprising a mechanical linkage 19 (such as an arm) associated with a cylinder 21 , moves the coating unit 13 and the feed shoe 15 such that the feed shoe 15 moves over the die cavity 12 to fill the cavity with the metallurgical powder. It should be understood that the mechanical linkage may be any type of linkage, such as an arm, enabling displacement of the coating unit and feed shoe, and the cylinder may be any type of motor or actuator enabling movement of the mechanical linkage. Next, both the coating unit 13 and the feed shoe 15 must be retracted to give sufficient clearance before moving the upper punch (not illustrated in Fig 3) downward to effect compaction of the powder. It should be understood that the presence of the coating unit and the feed shoe result in required distances for the units to travel before the required steps can be taken, leading to delays between the steps. Therefore, the number of metal parts produced per minute is also limited by the time period needed to retract and move the delivery units. Referring to Fig 2, systems using two separate units for lubricating and filling (system A) have a cycle time of about 8.5 seconds and a productivity of about 7.06 parts per minute.

Fig 6 illustrates a system that uses only one delivery system for lubricating and feeding the metal powder (referred to in Fig 6 as the "coating unit" 17). Thus, this system can enable the lubrication and filling to be performed as one step, as well as enabling a smaller size such that the delivery system has to travel reduced distances before the upper punch has sufficient clearance to be engaged, therefore further reducing the cycle time and efficiency of the operation. Referring to Fig 2, a system using only one delivery unit for lubricating and filling (system E) has a cycle time of about 6.75 seconds and a productivity of about 8.89 parts per minute.

Implementations of the lubricant and metallurgical powder delivery techniques

Referring now to Fig 8, the lubricant composition 10 and the metallurgical powder mixture 11 may be provided to the die cavity 12 using a delivery system 14. It should be understood that many different variations and other types of delivery system may be used to concurrently deliver lubricant and the powder. The delivery system 14 may include lubricant delivery tubes 16 that transport the lubricant composition 10 from a mixing or holding container (not illustrated). The lubricant composition 10 may be transported aided by a carrier gas. The tubes and the carrier gas may be chosen to facilitate electrostatic charging of the solid particulate lubricant composition 10 during transport. A tribo-charging gun or a corona charging gun can also be inserted in the circuit to enhance charging of the lubricant particles. The delivery system 14 may include a plate member 18 with a sealing member 20. The plate member 18 is configured to move downward such that the sealing member 20 contacts and creates an adequate seal with an upper surface 22 of the die 24.

The delivery system 14 may also have a plug member 26 extending downwardly from the plate member 18 so as to be insertable into the die cavity 12. The plug member 26 may have a variety of constructions to enable delivery of both the lubricant and the metallurgical powder. For example, the plug member 26 may include an inner wall surface 28 defining a central zone 30 for receiving the metallurgical powder 1 1 , and an outer wall surface 32. The outer wall surface 32 and opposing side wall surfaces 34 of the die cavity 12 define there-between a peripheral zone 36. The plug member 26 also has at least one and preferably several lubricant conduits 38 for receiving the lubricant flow and expelling it into the peripheral zone 36 through outlets 40. The lubricant conduits 38 and the plug member 26 may be manufactured as a one-piece structure by a rapid prototyping technique, such as Selective Laser Sintering or Stereolithography, to form complex three dimension shapes. The lubricant conduits are located in between the inner wall surface 28 and the outer wall surface 32. The inner and outer wall surfaces 28, 32 may be part of a plug wall or shell 42 extending from the plate 18 so as to be insertable into the die cavity. The plug wall 42 may be provided so as to substantially conform to the shape of the part to be produced in the die cavity 12. The plug wall 42 is also constructed such that the inner part 44 has a distal end 46 that is sized and configured such that upon insertion, it can rest about the opposed surface of the die cavity 12 which may be part of a lower punch 48. This allows establishing a closed and/or sealed central zone 30 with respect to the peripheral zone 36. The plug wall 42 also has an outer part 50 that has at least some locations that are shorter than the inner part 42, thereby creating a space for outlets 40 to be in fluid communication with the peripheral zone 36.

The plate member 18 also has conduits 52 communication between the tubes 16 and the plug member conduits 38. The configuration and size of the conduits 38, 52 depends on various factors such as the shape of the die cavity 12 and the construction of the plate 18 and plug wall 42.

The peripheral zone 36 in between the outer wall surface 32 of the plug member 26 and wall surfaces 34 of the die cavity 12 allows the lubricant composition 10 to travel and coat the wall surfaces 34. Excess lubricant composition 10 is allowed to exit via outlet channels 54 in fluid communication with the peripheral zone 36. The outlet channels 54 may be provided in the plate member 18 and/or other locations. Some elements of the delivery system and other elements of the illustrated device may be as described in US patent No. 6,299,690, which may be adapted by providing an internal structure to define an adequately sized central zone 30.

When the plug member 26 is fully inserted in the die cavity 12, the metallurgical powder mixture is fed and then contained within the central zone 30 located in the die cavity 12. The lubricant composition 10 is also fed into the peripheral zone so as to form a lubricant coating on the die wall surfaces 34. The metallurgical powder mixture 11 is prevented from contacting the lubricant coating of the wall surfaces 34 of the die cavity by the separating structure of the plug member, which may be as illustrated in Figs 7, 8 and/or 9. Upon retraction of the plug member 26, the distal end 46 of the inner part 44 of the plug wall 42 is disconnected from the opposed surface and the metallurgical powder mixture is then progressively outspread from the central zone 30 toward the die wall surfaces 34. Advantageously, the direction and speed of the release of the metallurgical powder mixture 1 1 is therefore sufficient to contact the lubricant coating with reduced abrasion or displacement thereof. If a part of the lubricant coating is mixed with the metallurgical powder mixture during the retraction of the plug member 26, this part of lubricant will be squeezed out of the powder towards the die walls upon compaction of the metallurgical powder mixture with the upper punch. The modified plug member 26 may perform two applications at the same time: lubricating the die cavity (as a regular plug member) and filling the die cavity (as a feed shoe) with metallurgical powder mixture. This operation of two applications by a single device enables reducing the cycle time by removing one operation step as illustrated in Fig 2 (system E). It should be noted that the lubricant and the metallurgical powder may be fed simultaneously or at slightly different times via the same delivery device 14.

Referring to Figs 8 and 9, the lower punch member 48 is provided and can be actuated for compaction of the metallurgical powder mixture and ejection of the green compact from the die cavity 12.

In some implementations, the techniques include providing or adjusting the volume of metallurgical powder mixture fed to the plug member to the volume of the die cavity. The volume of metallurgical powder mixture fed to the central zone of the plug member may be adjusted such that, upon retraction of the plug member, the metallurgical powder mixture fills the die cavity. A powder overflow may be present near the upper surface of the die cavity which may be raked away with a "powder leveler" 76 (Figs 7 to 10). As better seen in Fig 9, the delivery device 14 may be retracted from the die cavity so as to enable movement of the powder leveler 76 to rake the powder overflow from the open end of the die cavity 12. Thus, the metallurgical powder may be provided with a volume taking into account the volumes of the peripheral zone and the plug wall.

In some implementations, the volume of metallurgical powder fed to the plug member may be adjusted by a plurality of slide gates. Referring to Fig 8, a powder hose 56 is fluidly connected to a top part of the plate member 18 for providing the metallurgical powder mixture 11 through a plate member aperture into the central zone 30 of the die cavity 12. The powder hose includes a gate 60 (e.g. slide gate) spaced apart from the plate member aperture along the hose 56. Optionally, the first gate 58 is cooperable with respect to the plate member aperture for selectively flowing and preventing flow of the metallurgical powder into the central zone 30. The gate 60 is cooperable with an upstream section of the powder hose 56 for selectively flowing and preventing flow of the metallurgical powder into the central zone 30 and section between the gate 60 and the aperture of the plate member. The volume between the gate 60 and the aperture of the plate member may be referred to as a powder space 62. During feeding of the plug member 26 with the metallurgical powder mixture, the gate 60 is in an open position. When the central zone 30 and the powder space 62 of the hose are filled with metallurgical powder mixture, the gate 60 is put in a closed position and the powder within the space 62 is released during retraction of the plug member 26. The volume of the powder space 62 may be provided so as to provide an adequate volume of metallurgical powder mixture for filling the remaining cavity volume upon retraction of the plug member, e.g. the volume of the peripheral zone 36 and the plug wall 42 within the cavity 12. Optionally, a second gate may be located near gate 60 so as to refine the adjustment of the volume of metallurgical powder fed to the die cavity.

Referring to Figs 7 and 10, the metallurgical powder may be supplied to the plug member 26 via a side opening 64 in the plug wall 42. The powder feed line may include a powder hose 56 having a downstream end 66 arranged to communicate with the side opening 64 located at an upper location of the plug wall 42. A predetermined volume of metallurgical powder mixture may be fed to the plug member and may be adjusted to the volume of the die cavity by modifying the configuration of the top part of the plug member 26. The top part may have at least one tapered side surface 68 extending outwardly near a top region of the die cavity 12 such that the top part of the plug member 26 contains an amount of metallurgical powder sufficient to fill the gap between the central area and the wall surfaces of the die cavity 12. It should be understood that the top part of the plug member is not limited to include at least one tapered side surface and may be configured with various geometries and devices for controlling and adjusting the volume of metallurgical powder mixture fed to the plug member. The presence of at least one tapered side surface can advantageously enable providing a supplemental space without increasing a height of the plug member.

Referring to Fig 7, in some implementations, the powder feed line may be constructed such that the downstream end 66 of the powder hose 56 is aligned with the side opening 64 when the plug member 26 is inserted into the die cavity 12, thereby allowing the metallurgical powder to be fed into the die cavity 12. It should be understood that when the plug member is retracted, the opening displaces upward with respect to the downstream end of the powder hose such that the downstream end no longer communicates with the opening and becomes blocked by part of the side wall of the plug member. In this way, the side wall of the plug member can act as a gate to block the feed of metallurgical powder. In such a case, the powder hose can avoid the use of a slide gate for selectively opening and closing the die cavity, since upon retraction of the plug member out of the die cavity, the outer wall of the plug member can slide vertically upward along the die walls for closing off the feeding hose.

In some implementations, referring to Fig 10, a vibrating floor 70 may be placed between the powder hose 56 and the side opening 64 of the plug member 26 so as to define a powder path. The metallurgical powder mixture is poured onto the vibrating floor 70 from the downstream end 66 of the powder hose 56. Upon vibration, the powder is displaced towards the side opening 64 of the plug member 26 to reach the central area in between inner wall of the plug member 26. Alternatively, the vibrating floor 70 may be substituted or combined with an actuated pusher 72 which pushes the poured metallurgical powder towards the side opening 64 of the plug member 26 along the powder path. It should be understood that upon retraction of the plug member, the side opening of the plug member is no longer aligned with the powder path, the latter being closed by the outer wall of the plug member. The feeding operation is stopped until a next operation cycle. The metallurgical powder mixture may keep falling onto the vibrating floor until said vibrating floor and the open downstream end of the powder hose become obstructed with powder. It should be understood that the above described techniques may be used in combination with a plurality of slide gates.

In some implementations, the techniques may include packing the die cavity. Referring to Figs 7 and 10, the plug member 26 may be engaged with a vibrating device 74 inducing vibration of the plug member 26 during filling with the metallurgical powder so as to pack or settle the powder within the cavity 12. These vibrations are intended to replace the back and forth movement of a regular feed shoe that may be used in the industry to help for the packing of the metallurgical powder in the die cavity. It should be understood that the techniques are not limited to the use of a vibrating device to pack the powder and may include any packing device cooperating with the plug member.

In some implementations, the techniques may include leveling of the metallurgical powder mixture in the die cavity. Referring to Figs 7 to 10, the metallurgical powder mixture contained in the die cavity 12 may be leveled with a raking arm 76 (also referred to herein as powder leveler) displaceable across the upper surface of the die to rake away any excessive amount of metallurgical powder mixture that may rise from the die cavity 12. It should be understood that the raking may occur during displacement of the delivery system away from the die cavity to its initial position.

In some implementations, the plug member may be provided with an outer surface that includes irregularities in order to increase the perturbations in the peripheral zone and increase the number of collisions of the lubricant particles with the wall surfaces of the die cavity. Such irregularities may take the form of ribs and/or dimples, having various shapes such as hexagonal or another shape sufficient for causing more impact of the particles with the die walls at the given flow conditions.

In some implementations, the lubricant composition is electrostatically charged prior to being provided into the die cavity. Charging may aid in the initial attraction of the solid particulate lubricant composition toward the wall surfaces and upon contact with the wall surfaces. Alternatively, other methods may be used to aid the initial attraction of the lubricant composition toward the die wall surfaces. For example, increasing gas flow perturbations in the peripheral zone between the outer wall surface of the plug member and the die wall surfaces can promote the contact of the lubricant composition against the wall surfaces. Such flow perturbations may be increased by providing a designed flow entering the die cavity and/or providing surface irregularities on the outer surface of the plug member, for example. It has been found that surface irregularities on the plug member can reduce the ejection force required to eject the green compact by about 10%.

Implementations of the die operation and temperature

The components of the lubricant may include at least one of the following: metal stearates based particles, ethylene bistearamide based particles, polyolefin-based fatty acids based particles, polyethylene-based fatty acids based particles, particulate wax particulate material polyethylene-based based particles, soap based particles, molybdenum disulfide based particles, graphite based particles, manganese sulfide based particles, calcium oxide based particles, boron nitride based particles, polytetrafluoroethylene based particles, or natural or synthetic wax based particles, or a combination thereof.

It should be understood that there may be three or more components in the lubricant composition, which have lubricating properties and which are chosen among the list of components provided above.

When using electrostatic attraction to maintain solid lubricants against the wall surfaces of the die cavity, the force may not always be sufficient in certain applications. With known delivery systems, during filling of the metallurgical powder mixture, it can scrape off part of the lubricant from the wall surfaces. This scrapping effect can be important depending on the shape and size of the cavity and the speed of the metallurgical powder mixture feeding system (feed shoe). The hollow plug member enables providing the metallurgical powder mixture close to the wall surfaces of the die cavity and outspreading the powder gently against the lubricated wall surfaces with reduced displacement of the lubricant.

Additional applications, advantages and implementations

The techniques described herein may be used in the field of powder metallurgy to produce green compact for metal parts that have a high aspect ratio and/or complex geometries. Metal parts having elongated portions may benefit from the enhanced layer of lubrication. For example, some implementations of the techniques described herein may provide advantages for elongate parts with an aspect ratio M/Q (ejection sliding surface on pressing surface) over 5. In addition to give higher average density parts, the decreased level of friction at the die wall during compaction gives decreased density gradient in the parts. In addition, some implementations of the techniques described herein may be used for various types of metal parts, such as valve guides, spark ignition induction coils, helical gears, motor bearing caps, and so on. Some implementations of the techniques described herein of may also be useful in replacing other double densification methods such as Double-Pressing-Double-Sintering (DPDS) or Powder Forging.

In some implementations, the techniques and lubricant composition described herein are used to produce a green compact from a metallurgical powder mixture. It should be noted that some implementations of the techniques and lubricant composition may also be used in compaction molding applications other than powder metallurgy, such as compacted pharmaceutical products or other industries.

In some implementations, the lubricant may be used to coat the wall surfaces of the die cavity generally uniformly, and the coating may be coated in a relatively thicker layer of lubricant in comparison to lubricant layer coated with a separated feed shoe. As abrasion and displacement of the lubricant is reduced with the use of a single delivery system, the improved lubrication can enable ejection of the green compact with a substantially perfect surface finish (substantially no galling or scoring). The improved lubrication may be used for elongated parts and also for other types of parts that may benefit from a thicker die wall lubrication layer. The lubrication techniques may, for example, help to reduce or eliminate admixed lubricant that is mixed with the metallurgical powder mixture, allowing higher density parts to be manufactured.

Facilitating lubricant coverage and adhesion, thickness increase and buildup on the wall surfaces facilitates compaction and ejection of very long parts at very high density with no or a very low amounts of admixed lubricants in the metallurgical powder mixture.

It should be understood that the methods and apparatuses described herein and in the appended claims may be used in relation to powder mixtures including ceramic powder mixtures without departing from the scope of the present invention. The methods and apparatuses are suitable for manufacturing a "green compact" from any powder mixture requiring the use of a lubricant.

EXAMPLES & EXPERIMENTATION

Some feeding techniques were compared to illustrate the increased efficiency of cycle time of the concurrent feeding of lubricant and metal powder. Techniques A, B, C and D use two separate units for feeding the lubricant and metal powder, while technique E uses a combined delivery system. Referring now to Fig 2, a graph of the cycle time for techniques A-E are presented and allow comparing the number of parts produced per minute for each technique. Technique E according to an embodiment of the present invention shows a reduced cycle time (6.75 s) and increased productivity (8.89 parts per minute) compared to all other techniques.

Experimentation was also done to evaluate the beneficial effect on ejection forces and surface finish of the metal parts using some of the techniques described herein. The metallurgical powder mixture was fed in the die cavity by using a sleeve. A regular plug member was inserted in a cylindrical die cavity having a 1 cm diameter and 4.5 cm depth, so as to create the gap between the plug member and the wall surface of the die cavity. A tribostatically charged die wall lubricant was sprayed in the gap through this plug member, the lubricant being released from the plug member by apertures at its lower surface. The die was heated to a temperature of 85 . After retracting the plug member, a sleeve of 8 mm outside diameter, 6 mm inside diameter and 10 cm long, was inserted in a central area of the die cavity for providing the metallurgical powder mixture. The aim of using a sleeve was to prevent the metallurgical powder mixture from contacting the lubricated wall surfaces of the cavity during feeding. The amount of metallurgical powder mixture to be fed was weighed prior to pouring into the sleeve with the help of a funnel. Then, the sleeve was removed from the die cavity so as to release the metallurgical powder from a lower end of the sleeve. The fed metallurgical powder mixture was then pressed and ejected. The ejection force and surface finish of the part was compared to an experiment where the metallurgical powder composition was, after the die wall lubricant injection, simply poured with a regular feed shoe, i.e. a feed shoe formed by a hole in a large plastic block that is displaced back and forth a few times above the die cavity at a speed of 30 cm/s. The use of the sleeve allowed decreasing the ejection force by ten percent (10%), a decrease of 100 pounds-Force on a 1200 pounds-Force of sliding force. This experiment was done with a lubricant including a portion which melts in contact with the wall surfaces of the die cavity to promote adhesion. However, reduction of the ejection forces and improvement of the surface finish could be a lot more important for a lubricant that does not contain a portion that melts when in contact with the die walls and may be generalized to any type of lubricant while using the presently described techniques because they enable reducing abrasion of the lubricant by the metallurgical powder mixture.

Additionally, the presently described techniques enable reducing the cycle time and therefore increasing the productivity as better seen in Table 1 , reporting the results used in the Fig 2. A study of the press movements and the feeding time in a normal operation shows that a plug member that is also a feeder will cut 1.75 seconds to a typical press cycle using a die wall lubrication system fixed in front of a regular feed shoe. Such cycle has a typical duration of less than 9 seconds. It represents a decrease of more than 25% of the press cycle time in comparison to former technique where a die wall lubrication system fixed in front of a regular feed shoe is used. The other intermediate results techniques (B, C and D) refer to die wall lubrication systems where there is no plug member or where the plug member is not fixed in front of the feed shoe but rather controlled by an independent actuator coming from the opposite direction of the feed shoe. The use of a hollow plug member, allows eliminating the time to bring the plug member beyond the die cavity while the feed shoe is positioned above the die cavity; the time to feed the cavity with a regular feed shoe, with or without a shaking movement, and the time to retract the feed shoe and the coating head from the space between the upper punch and the cavity.

Table 1

Coating head

positioning No 0.25 0.25

Spraying No — — — —

Coating head retrival No -0.5 — 0.25 0.25

Feed shoe

positioning No

Die filling Yes 1.5 — — —

Feed shoe retrival yes 1 0.25 — —

Upper punch fall No -0.25 0.5 0.6 0.6

Total 1.75 0.75 1.10 1.30

Maximum Parts per

minutes* 8.89 7.74 8.11 8.33

Gain of productivity

from feed shoe

actuation (%) 25.93 9.68 14.86 18.06

^* calculated from an hypothetical case where compaction, ejection and die rising takes 1 seconds each, die filling 1 .5 seconds, giving a maximum of 9.2 parts per minute for the plug member die wall lubrication system fixed in front of a regular feed shoe actuation.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a green compact in a powder metallurgy operation, the method comprising providing a die wall lubricant for lubricating wall surfaces of a die cavity and metallurgical powder mixture into the die cavity in a single step.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

providing a lubricant composition into a die cavity having die wall surfaces to form a lubrication layer coating the die wall surfaces;

feeding the die cavity with metallurgical powder mixture; and

contacting the lubrication layer with the fed metallurgical powder mixture.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the lubrication and feeding are performed in a generally simultaneous manner to reduce or minimize a cycle time.

4. The method of claim 2 or 3, comprising, after feeding the die cavity with the metallurgical powder mixture and the lubricant, the steps of: compacting the metallurgical powder composition in the die cavity at a compaction pressure sufficient to form the green compact; and ejecting the green compact from the die cavity.

5. A method for manufacturing a green compact in a powder metallurgy operation, the method comprising: a lubrication and filling step including: inserting a lubricant and metallurgical powder delivery device into a die cavity, to define a central zone and a peripheral zone, feeding the lubricant into the peripheral zone to allow formation of a die wall lubrication layer, feeding the metallurgical powder into the central zone, and retracting the delivery device, thereby allowing the metallurgical powder to contact the die wall lubrication layer; compacting the metallurgical powder in the die cavity at a compaction pressure sufficient to form the green compact; and ejecting the green compact from the die cavity.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the lubrication and filling step, the compacting step and the ejecting step are continuously repeated.

7. The method of claim 5 or 6, wherein the lubrication and filling step includes injecting the lubricant composition via a plug member inserted into the die cavity.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the lubrication and filling step comprises feeding the metallurgical powder mixture via the plug member inserted into the die cavity.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the feeding of the metallurgical powder mixture via the plug member inserted into the die cavity is performed through a plug member inlet located near a top or side surface of the plug member.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the inlet is located near the side surface of the plug member.

1 1. The method of any one of claims 5 to 10, wherein the metallurgical powder is fed through a feeding hose connected to the plug member inlet.

12. The method of any one of claims 5 to 1 1 , wherein the step of feeding the lubricant composition into the die cavity comprises guiding a flow of lubricant composition in the die cavity so as to be close to the wall surfaces.

13. The method of any one of claims 5 to 12, comprising adjusting or ensuring a volume or a mass of the metallurgical powder mixture during the feeding step to a volume of the die cavity.

14. The method of any one of claims 5 to 13, comprising vibrating the plug member and/or the feeding hose during the step of feeding.

15. A method for lubricating and filling a die cavity in a powder metallurgy operation, the method comprising:

inserting a plug member into a die cavity, the plug member having an inner wall and an outer wall, such that the inner wall of the plug member defines a closed central zone and the outer wall of the plug member and the die wall surfaces define there-between a peripheral zone;

feeding a lubricant composition into the peripheral zone to form a lubricant layer on the die wall surfaces of the die cavity;

feeding the closed central zone with a metallurgical powder mixture; and removing the plug member from the die cavity to release the metallurgical powder mixture such that the metallurgical powder mixture outspreads and contacts the lubricant layer.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the steps of feeding of the lubricant composition and metallurgical powder are performed fully or at least partly simultaneously to reduce or minimize a cycle time.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the steps of feeding of the lubricant and powder occur a slightly different times through the plug member acting as a delivery device.

18. The method of any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the lubricant is fed downwardly through at least one passage defined between the inner and outer walls of the plug member, and the outer wall is sized and configured to define a passage in between the bottom of the die and the bottom edge of the outer wall, thus allowing the lubricant to flow from the passage into the peripheral zone.

19. An apparatus for manufacturing a green compact for powder metallurgy operation, comprising:

a die comprising a die cavity defined by wall surfaces and provided with an inlet at a top surface; and

a delivery device for delivering a lubricant composition and a metallurgical powder mixture into the die cavity, the delivery system comprising: a plug member insertable in the die cavity and having an inner wall spaced apart from an outer wall, the inner wall and outer wall extending from a top member of the plug member so as to define respective central zone for receiving the metallurgical powder mixture and a peripheral zone defined between the outer wall and some of the die wall surfaces for receiving the lubricant composition.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the inner wall is longer than the outer wall so as to define a closed central zone when the hollow plug member is fully inserted in the die cavity and contacts the bottom surface, such that the lubricant and powder are delivered without contacting each other until the plug member is retracted.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the central zone defined between the inner walls of the plug member communicates with a powder inlet in an upper part beneath the top member, and the inlet is in fluid communication with a container of the metallurgical powder mixture.

22. The apparatus of any one of claim 19 to 21 , wherein the delivery device comprises a feed hose connecting the powder inlet to the container, the feed hose comprising a slide gate slidably cooperating with the powder inlet for selectively closing and opening the inlet.

23. The apparatus of any one of claims 19 to 22, wherein the lubricant composition comprises solid particulates that are electrostatically activated, softenable and/or meltable components.

24. The apparatus of any one of claim 19 to 23, wherein the lubricant composition comprises a component that comprises a polymeric material, such as a fatty acids, ethylene bistearamide based particles, polyolefin-based fatty acids based particles, polyethylene-based fatty acids based particles, soap based particles.

25. The apparatus of any one of claim 19 to 24, wherein the lubricant composition comprises a component that comprises metal stearates based particles, ethylene bistearamide based particles, polyolefin-based fatty acids based particles, polyethylene-based fatty acids based particles, polyethylene based particles, soap based particles, molybdenum disulfide based particles, graphite based particles, manganese sulfide based particles, calcium oxide based particles, boron nitride based particles, polytetrafluoroethylene based particles, or natural or synthetic wax based particles, or a combination thereof.

26. The apparatus of any one of claim 19 to 24, wherein the particulate lubricant composition comprises at least one lubricant additive.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the lubricant additive comprises molybdenum disulfide based particles, graphite based particles, manganese sulfide based particles, calcium oxide based particles, boron nitride based particles, polytetrafluoroethylene based particles, boron nitride based particles, and/or graphite based particles.

28. The apparatus of any one of claims 19 to 27, wherein the metallurgical powder mixture comprising at least about 85 wt% of a metal-based powder.

29. A lubricant and metallurgical powder delivery device comprising: a plug member insertable in a die cavity and having an inner wall spaced apart from an outer wall, wherein: the inner wall has a distal end that is sized or configured to contact an end surface of the die cavity or lower punch upon insertion of the plug member, to define a closed central zone for receiving the metallurgical powder; the outer wall and the inner wall are spaced apart to define there-between a passage for receiving a flow of the lubricant; the outer wall and side surfaces of the die cavity are spaced apart to define a peripheral zone there-between; and the outer wall has a distal end that is sized or configured to be spaced apart from the end surface of the die cavity, to allow the lubricant to flow from the passage into the peripheral zone.

30. A method for manufacturing a green compact, comprising: feeding die wall lubricant and metallurgical powder respectively into a peripheral zone and a central zone of a die cavity, to form a die wall lubricant layer and a load of metallurgical powder in non-contacting relationship; allowing the load of metallurgical powder to displace outwardly from the central zone into the peripheral zone to contact the die wall lubricant layer; compacting the metallurgical powder to form a green compact; and ejecting the green compact.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein feeding the die wall lubricant comprises serially feeding two different lubricant components one after the other, or simultaneously feeding a mixture of two or more components.

32. The method of claim 30 or 31 , wherein the die wall lubricant comprises solid particulate lubricant composition and the method comprising charging the solid particulate lubricant composition, prior to providing the solid particulate lubricant composition into the die cavity, such that the solid particulate lubricant composition is electrostatically attracted to the wall surfaces of the die cavity.

33. The method of claim 32, comprising triboelectrically charging the solid particulate lubricant composition, prior to providing the solid particulate lubricant composition into the die cavity, such that the solid particulate lubricant composition is electrostatically attracted to the wall surfaces of the die cavity.

34. A system for lubricating and filling a die cavity with a compactable powder material (e.g. metallurgical powder), comprising:

a compactable powder material inlet;

a lubricant inlet;

a plug member insertable within a die cavity, the plug member comprising: an inner side wall surface sized and configured to have a distal end for contacting an opposing surface of the die cavity upon insertion of the plug member, to define a central zone in fluid communication with the compactable powder material inlet for receiving compactable powder material;

an outer side wall surface configured to be in spaced relation with the opposing side surfaces of the die cavity upon insertion of the plug member, to define a peripheral zone there-between;

at least one conduit located in between the inner side wall surface and the outer side wall surface, the at least one conduit being in fluid communication with the lubricant inlet and the peripheral zone for providing the lubricant from the lubricant inlet into the peripheral zone.

35. The method, apparatus and/or system of any one of claims 1 to 34, providing a cycle time for production of a green compact of below 7 seconds.

36. The method, apparatus and/or system of any one of claims 1 to 34, providing a cycle time for production of a green compact of at most 6.75 seconds.

37. The method, apparatus and/or system of any one of claims 1 to 34, providing a productivity of at least 8 parts per minute.

38. The method, apparatus and/or system of any one of claims 1 to 34, providing a productivity of at least 8.5 parts per minute.

39. The method, apparatus and/or system of any one of claims 1 to 34, providing a productivity of at least 8.8 parts per minute.

40. A method of increasing productivity of green compact production, comprising providing a die wall lubricant for lubricating wall surfaces of a die cavity and metallurgical powder mixture into the die cavity in a single step to increase the productivity with respect to a process using two separate lubrication and filing steps.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the single step increases the productivity by at least about 20% with respect to the process using two separate lubrication and filing steps.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the single step increases the productivity by at least about 25% with respect to the process using two separate lubrication and filing steps.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein the single step increases the productivity by at least about 1.83 parts per minute with respect to the process using two separate lubrication and filing steps.

44. A method of reducing cycle time for green compact production, comprising providing a die wall lubricant for lubricating wall surfaces of a die cavity and metallurgical powder mixture into the die cavity in a single step to reduce the cycle time with respect to a process using two separate lubrication and filing steps.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the single step reduces the cycle time by at least about 20% with respect to the process using two separate lubrication and filing steps.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein the single step reduces the cycle time by at least about 25% with respect to the process using two separate lubrication and filing steps.

47. The method of claim 44, wherein the single step reduces the cycle time by at least about 1.5 seconds per cycle with respect to the process using two separate lubrication and filing steps.

48. The method of claim 44, wherein the single step reduces the cycle time by at least about 1.75 seconds per cycle with respect to the process using two separate lubrication and filing steps.

49. A method for lubricating and filling a die cavity in a powder operation, the method comprising: inserting a plug member into a die cavity, the plug member having an inner wall and an outer wall, such that the inner wall of the plug member defines a closed central zone and the outer wall of the plug member and the die wall surfaces define there-between a peripheral zone; feeding a lubricant composition into the peripheral zone to form a lubricant layer on the die wall surfaces of the die cavity;

feeding the closed central zone with a powder mixture; and

removing the plug member from the die cavity to release the powder mixture such that the powder mixture outspreads and contacts the lubricant layer.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein the powder mixture comprises metallurgical powder mixtures or ceramic powder mixtures.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein the metallurgical powder mixtures comprise carbide compounds.