Chicago Powdered Metal Products Co

Automotive Design & Production, August, 2004

Imagine: a 30% cost savings. That's what's been achieved for a truck transmission output shaft hub that is being produced for the Ford Motor Powertrain Operations in Livonia, MI, by Chicago Powdered Metal Products Co. (www.chipm.com; Schiller Park, IL). The part had previously been a forging. As the name of the producer implies, it's now a powdered metal part produced by warm compaction in a 1,650-ton press. The hub has a minimum density of 7.2 g/cm3 and a minimum ultimate tensile strength of 155,000 psi. Because the external helical teeth and straight involute splines are molded in, the secondary operations required are deburring and minor machining.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]