2026 Powder Metallurgy (PM) Design Excellence Awards Announced

The winners in the 2026 Powder Metallurgy (PM) Design Excellence Awards competition, sponsored by the Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF), demonstrate outstanding examples of PM’s diversity and ability to meet critical requirements. From electric vehicles to security locks to portable dance floors, once again, parts fabricators have demonstrated PM’s versatility and unique ability to challenge competing technologies. These award-winning components use PM’s flexibility to push forward new concepts and process controls to demonstrate the inexhaustible range of PM’s capabilities.

Ten Grand Prizes and fourteen Awards of Distinction were given in this year's competition, segmented into 3 categories: Conventional Press and Sinter PM; Metal Injection Molding (MIM); and Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM).

GRAND PRIZE AWARDS

In the Automotive—Engine Category for Conventional PM components, a Grand Prize was awarded to Capstan California for an output gear used in an automotive diesel engine turbocharger. The six-level output gear is made from SS-316 stainless steel to a 6.4 g/cm³ minimum density. The program is a new design for optimal engine performance; significant when many engineers are focused on EV design implementations. The gear must pass a stringent outgassing test to ensure there are no traces of sulfur or chlorine (parts per billion) so that no soldered connections would fail due to outgassing. This necessitated investment in in-house copper-silver coupon testing.

A Grand Prize in the Automotive—Transmission Category for Conventional PM components was awarded to Burgess-Norton MFG. Co., an Amsted Automotive company, for a notch and pocket plate used in a clutch assembly. The selectable one-way clutch utilizes an electronically actuated solenoid to engage and disengage a radial rocker interfacing with a radial cam face, allowing free rotation of torque transfer as required. The assembled clutch components successfully passed OEM dynamometer testing and vehicle life validation. Production of these parts via PM processing results in significantly less machining and material waste compared with alternative metal forming processes.

A Grand Prize in the Military/Firearms Category for MIM components was awarded to INDO-MIM Ltd., for a monolithic housing/chassis for a rifle. The component is made using MIM-17-4 PH stainless steel to a minimum density of 7.5 g/cm³. The complex geometry with undercuts and cavities requires advanced mold design and careful ejection strategies to prevent distortion. The components are sintered on custom designed setters in a batch furnace with a sintering cycle time of 24 hours. The part was originally machined from bar stock. MIM processing is 70% more energy efficient than casting and forging and reduces material waste significantly.

A Grand Prize in the Lawn & Garden Category for Conventional PM components was awarded to NPI, for an inlet flange for a diesel engine exhaust after-treatment system. The flange is welded directly to a fabricated cylindrical housing, taking advantage of the saddled contour of the hub and flange for a seamless weld joint. The inlet flange is designed to function as a coupling for a V-band clamped joint as well as a fastening point for two exhaust gas sensors, integrating multiple features that would otherwise be stand-alone components.

A Grand Prize in the Hand Tools/Recreation Category for MIM components was awarded to INDO-MIM Ltd., for a fall-arrest system pulley. The component is designed to control rope movement and provide automated braking and locking during a fall. When a rapid descent or sudden load occurs, the mechanism engages instantly, stopping the rope and ensuring worker safety in height related tasks in construction, maintenance, and rescue operations. MIM processing leads to higher dimensional accuracy, superior surface finish, lower porosity, and less machining compared with casting. This results in more reliable braking control due to accurate and repeatable geometry, higher durability from improved hardness and wear resistance, reduced variation compared with casting, and lower cost through near-net shape MIM processing and minimal machining.

In the Industrial Motors/Controls Category for MIM Components, a Grand Prize was awarded to INDO-MIM Ltd. for a fork/connector designed for integration within flow meter sensor assemblies. The component features two symmetrical wings, each containing four threaded holes for secure mounting and a central pip to ensure precise alignment during assembly. The tool is widely used in fermentation monitoring instruments that operate continuously in hygienic, corrosive, and temperature-controlled environments such as breweries, biopharma, and food processing plants. The smooth, pore-free surfaces of the component are ideal for repeated sterilization. The part was previously a machined casting. MIM processing produced a near-net shape part, eliminating post-process machining and resulted in reduced material waste.

A Grand Prize in the Hardware/Appliances Category for Conventional PM components was awarded to GKN Sinter Metals SpA, and customer Nuki for a ring gear set used in a smart door-lock system for residential buildings. Three PM components are assembled by the customer into a smart door-lock system that enables fully automated door opening and closing. The system is designed for new installations as well as for retrofitting existing mechanical locks, while allowing remote control and monitoring via electronic interfaces. The PM components, driven by a small electric motor, enable the automated actuation of the locking and unlocking mechanism in a reliable and repeatable manner. The PM gear set converts the motor torque into controlled mechanical motion, ensuring smooth, precise, and quiet operation.

In the Hardware/Appliances Category for Metal AM components, a Grand Prize was awarded to INDO-MIM Ltd. for an acoustic mesh used for high-performance sound attenuation in compact and space-constrained applications. Metal binder jetting (BJT) was selected as the preferred additive manufacturing process due to its suitability for high volume production, and its ability to achieve a comparatively superior as-built surface finish compared with laser powder-bed-fusion (PBF-LB) processing.  Acoustic suppression parts play an important role in fire alarm systems, emergency communication systems, soundproofing fire exits, reducing equipment noise from pumps or exhaust fans, and creating a quieter environment in control rooms where safety operations are managed.

A Grand Prize in the Medical/Dental components Category for MIM components was awarded to INDO-MIM Ltd., for a vessel sealing device designed for laparoscopic and open surgical procedures. It is the world’s first vessel sealing system with 360º articulation. The device consists of several MIM parts: a jaw, an end-tool hub, a pitch hub, a pulley, and an actuator hub. With full 360º articulation, this vessel sealing device provided surgeons with superior access, precision, and control in confined and complex anatomical regions.

A Grand Prize in the Electronic/Electrical Components Category for MIM components was awarded to Hangzhou Sino-MIM Technology Co., Ltd., for a pure copper heat dissipation device for high-power optical modules This product serves three core functions in optical communication transceivers: directional heat dissipation, thermal flow management, and structural support. Previously, parts were made using sheet material and involved CNC machining and wire cutting. The current MIM product incorporates the air duct structure. With localized CNC machining, this approach not only resolves surface finish issues at the air duct orifices but also eliminates the wire cutting process. Several similar structural designs have been developed since the successful application of this product and have achieved stable mass production.

AWARDS OF DISTINCTION

In the Automotive—Engine Category for Conventional PM components, an Award of Distinction was given to NPI for an inner-plate sprocket assembly. The component is installed on both the intake and the exhaust cam phasers of a dual overhead-cam engine. Its key functions include the chain driven torque transfer between the exhaust phaser to the intake phaser, acting as a cover plate, providing an engagement feature for the phaser lock-pin, and providing rotational piloting between the phaser assemblies and the camshaft nose. Machining the part from a forging or casting would result in significantly more waste material. The wrought or cast parts would also be heavier—not a favored solution for an automotive application.

In the Automotive—Engine Category for Conventional PM components, an Award of Distinction was also given to Metalpo Ind e Com. Ltda. for a water-pump pulley. The part would normally require a multi-level compaction press to form the different section thicknesses. An innovative tooling concept was developed using a system of wedges and sliding inserts integrated into the die set. The tooling was designed with controlled fill compensation and optimized cavity geometry to ensure uniform powder distribution and balance green density across all functional regions. Compared with alternative processes such as machining cast or wrought materials, the PM approach eliminates material waste and shortens overall lead time.

In the Automotive—Transmission Category for Conventional PM components, an Award of Distinction was given to NPI for a gerotor set used to pump automatic transmission fluid in on-highway trucks, including demanding applications like construction, refuse, and emergency vehicles.  As automatic transmissions have gained popularity in medium and even heavy-duty truck applications, PM gerotors have become the go-to solution for efficiency and cost, displacing more expensive and less efficient crescent gears. The sheer size of the components and the required dimensional control for the application would necessitate excessive material removal and additional more expensive machining operations to control the gerotor lobe forms if traditional, subtractive manufacturing techniques had been selected.

In the Military/Firearms Category for MIM components, an Award of Distinction was given to Advanced Powder Products, Inc. for an MDP-9 bolt carrier and weights. Complex features needed numerous cut-outs requiring two cams and a core pin to form the part. The bolt carrier is a core component of the roller-delayed system that differs from traditional one-piece bolt and buffer AR-9 systems. The roller-delayed system utilizes a blowback mechanism within an AR-15 compatible upper receiver, resulting in reduced recoil and a smoother, lighter shooting experience. The bolt carrier and weights manage the mechanical timing and recoil through the roller-delayed blowback system.

An Award of Distinction in the Military/Firearms Category for MIM components, was also given to Advanced Powder Products, Inc. for a tip-up barrel for a pistol. While the finished part may appear straightforward, keeping the body straight and free of visual defects presented a challenge to the development team. A complex sintering support needed to be developed to help maintain straightness. Strict requirements for dimensional stability and internal structural integrity limited to the choice of manufacturing techniques to MIM and CNC machining. CNC machining the part from bar stock was deemed ineffective from a cost, volume, and operational time perspective. The demand for speed to market was only possible with MIM processing.

Another Award of Distinction was given, in the Military/Firearms Category for MIM components, to NPI for pistol components – a sear, trigger base, insert, and firing pin block. The parts are tested via functional gauging. The trigger base needs support of cantilevered features as well as interrupted wall segments during de-binding and sintering. A complex four-slide injection molding tool is used for the insert, to allow adjustability and refurbishment. The firing pin block interacts and mates with the insert component. Sourcing all these critical parts with a single MIM supplier allows a more thorough understanding of the assembled form, fit, and function of the parts.

In the Lawn & Garden/Off Highway Category for Conventional PM components, an Award of Distinction was given to FMS Corporation for a shift-arm used in a commercial landscape utility cart transmission. The PM shift-arm connects the shift knob, manipulated by the driver, and the vehicle transmission. The component has five levels that require the use of three lower punches and two upper punches to achieve a uniform density throughout the compacted part. A state-of-the-art servo-electric press is used for compaction and has been found to be approximately 80% more energy-efficient than a hydraulic press of the same size. For production of the shift arm, this translates into keeping 64.2 t of CO₂ from entering our atmosphere—the equivalent of taking 14 cars off the road.

In the Industrial Motors/Controls Category for Conventional PM components, an Award of Distinction was given to Capstan California for a valve handle. This component is an eight-level blank with secondary operations to create the radial and side features. The all-metal design reduces the risk of hose torsion and leaks due to the stability of the design and long-term use. Lot tracing was built into the tooling to eliminate the need for laser etching QR codes into the finished part. The PM part was a conversion from a machined casting. The entire surface of the castings had to be finish ground. The bottom hole was incorporated in the PM part whereas the feature could not be included in the casting.

In the Industrial Motors/Controls Category for Conventional PM components, an Award of Distinction was given to Phoenix Sintered Metals LLC for output and input gears. The gears are used in class 3-5 wreckers and bucket trucks and will drive hydraulic pumps. After extensive engineering collaboration and positive testing, the customer decided to use PM gears for the first time in their power-take-off system (PTO). The gears allow the PTO to engage with the truck’s transmission and transfer mechanical energy to the driven implement (usually a hydraulic pump). This successful implementation will open the door to other gear applications. The PM gears replaced fully machined wrought gears.

In the Hardware/Appliances Category for Conventional PM components, an Award of Distinction was given to FMS Corporation for a floor lock cam. The PM cam is part of an assembly that pulls and locks together two 1.2 m x 1.2 m (4-ft x 4-ft) panel sections of a portable dance floor. When two panels of the dance floor are placed near one another, the cam is rotated using an Allen wrench or hex key. As the cam rotates, the cam profile pulls the two sections together tightly. Once the floor sections are tightened, the 26 teeth on the upper side, and the nine teeth on the lower, create an interference fit with a stamped housing allowing the cam to remain firmly in position.

In the Hardware/Appliances Category for MIM components, an Award of Distinction was given to ARC Group Worldwide for a hinge upper cam. The component fits into a mating curved track for both legs that go into the damping mechanism of the door. The mechanism prevents the door from slamming shut after it is opened. The part is made in a two-cavity mold, and a gate was required on the outer perimeter for proper sub-gate injection.. After sizing, the parts were gaged to ensure the leg position was correct. The MIM part was compared with a cast prototype. The MIM component gave 74,000 cycles compared with 40,000 cycles for the cast part.

An Award of Distinction in the Hardware/Appliances Category for MIM components, was also given to INDO-MIM Ltd. for a print-head hydraulic connector. This hydraulic connector is responsible for supplying and regulating ink flow and pressure to the print-head. Multiple stepped cylindrical ports of different size are integrated for the ink inlet, outlet, and return flow. CNC machining of the connectors would involve multiple steps, significant material waste, higher costs, and longer lead times compared with MIM processing.

An Award of Distinction, in the Medical/Dental Category for Conventional PM components, was given to Metco Industries, Inc. for a manual swivel bracket for seat position adjustment in a stair-lift carriage. The component is an interface between the seat assembly and the stair-lift carriage, acting as a multi-position pivot adjustment for the seat. The final design yielded a three-level component with two detents on the upper side being formed during compaction and a groove added in a secondary operation. The relative depth of the groove to the overall thickness of the flange necessitated the secondary milling operation. The parts are resin impregnated and plated for corrosion protection.

An Award of Distinction in the Electronic/Electrical Components Category for MIM components, was given to Hangzhou Sino-MIM Technology Co. Ltd. for a connector distribution head used in CPU transmission header cable sorting and fastening. The main function of the component is to layer and lock the transmission wire harness in the connector, preventing the harness from winding and causing connector failure.

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Editor's Note: For further details or digital photos contact Stephanie Gibbs at MPIF  sgibbs@mpif.org

About the Metal Powder Industries Federation 

Metal Powder Industries Federation is the North American trade association formed by the powder metallurgy industry to advance the interests of the metal powder producing and consuming industries and provides a single point of reference for all MPIF me