Award: Award of Distinction
Year: 2010
Category: Industrial Motors/Controls & Hydraulics

Description:
The award was given to a PM steel tensioner assembly used in a belt- or chain-drive system. Made to a density range of 6.2 to 6.9 g/cm³, the parts have an ultimate tensile strength of 43,000 psi, a yield strength of 39,000 psi, and a 70 HRB hardness. The application was originally an assembly of weldments of a steel tube and plate requiring sawing and stamping; PM eliminated the material loss associated with these operations. Pressing the protractor into the arm eliminated the labor-intensive operation of roll printing an angle scale on the housing. In all, choosing the PM process provided a cost savings of 26 percent over the previously made version.