The “Hidden Champion” Amid the Lightweighting Wave

The automotive industry is undergoing an unprecedented transformation in a century: the triple pressures of energy conservation, emission reduction and intelligentization converge, making weight reduction the most direct and effective solution. Endowed with inherent advantages such as high specific strength, excellent wear resistance and designable pore structure, powder metallurgy has quietly captured over 70% of the component share in the entire vehicle, earning the reputation of the “No.1 Lightweight Material” in the industry.

Four Core Advantages of Powder Metallurgy

2.1 Cost-Effective: One-Step Compression Molding, 99.5% Material Utilization

Traditional cutting processes require multiple procedures and machine tools, while powder metallurgy presses metal powder into molds in a single step, achieving a material utilization rate of up to 99.5%. Saving materials means saving costs, making it particularly suitable for high-value, small-batch components.

2.2 Precision: Perfect Replication of Contours, Dimensions and Performance

Mold-based production inherently features high consistency. Contours, dimensions, density and hardness can all be preset. Synchronizer cones no longer require costly forging to achieve high precision and wear resistance.

2.3 Corrosion-Resistant: Dual Advantages of Self-Lubrication and Protection

The powder structure features controllable porosity, with 5%–20% of lubricating oil “locked” in the pores to form a self-lubricating film. Meanwhile, the high surface finish allows flexible selection of electroplating, coating and heat treatment, extending the anti-corrosion period from several years to more than a decade.

2.4 Formable: One-Step Molding of Complex Geometries

Special-shaped cavities, thin-walled deep grooves, small-hole deep cavities—these challenging structures for traditional cutting are routine operations for powder metallurgy. With a surface finish of Ra≤0.8 μm, secondary polishing is eliminated entirely.

A Comprehensive Overview of Ten Core Components

3.1 Synchronizer Cone: A Cost-Reduction Revolution from Forged Copper to Powdered Alloys

While aluminum-manganese brass forging offers excellent performance, it suffers from high costs and long production processes. Powder metallurgy mixes copper powder with graphite powder for compression, and the sintered product matches the density of copper forgings, cutting costs by 30% and increasing service life by 20%.

3.2 Timing Gear: Eliminating Heat Treatment and Grinding

The traditional production of crankshaft and camshaft timing gears requires normalizing and gear grinding. In contrast, powder metallurgy pre-alloyed powder is directly sintered to a hardness of HRC40–48 in one step, eliminating two processes and saving 25 CNY per unit.

3.3 Connecting Rod: A “Iron Backbone” Withstanding Ten-Thousand Impacts

Powder forged connecting rods are 30% lower in density and 50% higher in fatigue strength, ideal for high-speed, high-power engines. Although the unit price is higher, the curb weight is reduced by 1.8 kg, cutting fuel consumption by 0.2 L per 100 km.

3.4 Hollow Camshaft: Transforming Iron Blocks into Steel Pipes

The assembled hollow structure reduces camshaft weight by 40% and improves thermal conductivity by 30%. Integrated powder metallurgy sintering combined with subsequent machining creates a hollow structure that is both lightweight and stable.

3.5 Intake & Exhaust Valve Seat: A Wear-Reduction Tool for the Lead-Free Era

Copper or lead-containing powder metallurgy valve seats have pores impregnated with copper/lead to form a lubricating layer, boasting a wear life more than twice that of cast iron. They also meet the requirements of National VI b lead-free gasoline standards.

3.6 Shock Absorber Components: The Ultimate Solution for Complex Small Holes

Pistons, compression valve seats, guide seats—traditional production requires a combination of lathes, grinders and wire cutting, leading to numerous procedures and high scrap rates. Powder metallurgy forms small holes and high-precision outer contours in one step, with dimensional consistency ≤0.05 mm.

From Lab to Automaker: An Ever-Expanding Lightweighting Value Chain

Powder Metallurgy: The Driving Force Behind Auto’s Lightweight Revolution，New materials define the upper limit of vehicle performance. Powder metallurgy is advancing lightweighting from the component level to the architectural level through an integrated approach of material, process and design. 

The “all-steel powder metallurgy component package”, jointly developed by domestic automakers and powder enterprises, has been applied to multiple new energy platforms, reducing the average curb weight by 8% and increasing driving range by 6%–8%.

A Tour of Benchmark Factories: Forging the Miracles of Lightweighting

5.1 MDM Metal Industrial Co.,Ltd.  – A 20-Year Veteran in Component Supply

Powder Metallurgy: Crafting the Next-Gen Lightweight & High-Strength Autos, From small engine gears to transmission synchronizers, the company has supplied components for over 2 million vehicles in total. The full line of compression molding, sintering and post-treatment achieves an automation rate of >90%, with the cycle time per unit shortened to less than 60 seconds. MDM Metal Offering a complete range of copper-based, iron-based and stainless steel oil-impregnated bearings with ISO Grade 3 clearance, the company’s motor bearings have passed an L10 life test exceeding 80,000 hours. It is a long-term strategic supplier for many international power tool brands. Learn more https://mdmmetal.com/about/ 

5.2 Zhejiang Fengli Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. – Winner of the “Oscar of the Gear Industry”

A recipient of Bosch’s Global Supplier Award, the company houses China’s Small Module Spiral Bevel Gear Testing Center. Its powder metallurgy gears reach ISO Grade 6 precision with a backlash ≤3 arc min, and it is listed as a preferred supplier by many new energy vehicle OEMs.

5.3 Porite – A Global Hidden Champion in Transmission Components

Specializing in pulleys, water pump rotors, shock absorber pistons and more, the company has an annual output of over 200 million pieces. Adopting self-developed “low-oxygen sintering + nitrogen quenching” dual processes, it achieves a density uniformity CV value <1% and a batch consistency rate >99%.

5.4 Yangzhou Haichang – A Versatile Player in the New Energy Supply Chain

Providing one-stop supply of gears, bearings and structural components, the company’s self-developed “warm compaction + gradient sintering” technology raises the sprocket tooth surface hardness to HRC62 and doubles the wear resistance life.Multiple processes are used for appearance treatment of gear parts,advanced glossiness measuring instruments are used for appearance inspection of parts, resulting in high product quality accuracy

5.5 Jiangsu Eagle Ball Group – Driven by Soft Magnetic and Structural Components

The company simultaneously focuses on precision oil-impregnated bearings, stainless steel components and metal injection molded parts. Its soft ferrite cores feature a core loss Pc≤1.8 W/kg and are widely used in new energy vehicle motors.

The Future Is Here: A Trio of Lighter, Stronger, Greener

With the implementation of new technologies such as hydrogen energy, hybrid power and skateboard chassis, automobiles are evolving from “steel shells” to “composite energy bodies”. Powder metallurgy, with its dual green attributes of designable pore structure and recyclable metal circulation, will continue to play a core role in the next round of energy conservation competition. It is foreseeable that in the near future, more invisible “iron powder” components will be quietly integrated into vehicle frames, chassis connectors and even battery trays, making every journey lighter, quieter and more environmentally friendly.