When talking about pure metal used in manufacturing processes, most people think about slabs or pieces of metal that will be worked and manufactured into end products. Yet several pure metals come in the form of powder. Iron powder is produced in a multitude of grades as each different powder product is classified based on purity, density, grain and production method. So you will find high purity water atomized iron powder for use when manufacturing machine parts that require strong components, or fine green strength powder for magnetic paints or printing inks.

Uses of Iron Powder

There are numerous uses for iron powder based on its ultimate application. Some types of applications include, but are not limited to, the following:

Friction Materials and Products: Certain products, such as vehicles, trains and aircraft, use friction to slow down. Iron powder is commonly placed into brake pads, drum brake lining and other applications to create the necessary amount of friction. The iron powder used as a filler can help increase the performance and durability of these products by dissipating the generated heat.

Sintered Parts: Iron powder can be placed into the main materials to create sintered parts, products and components. A sintered part is where the main material consists of powdered metals that are tailor-made as the powders go through immense pressure and heat to form a solid product. You will find many sintered components in large electrical machinery, automotive components and in power tools.

Soft Magnetic Composites: Iron powder can also be used in the composition of soft magnetic composites. These composites are heat-treated and compressed until they become isotropic components that are in complex shapes while possessing 3-dimensional magnetic properties. These soft magnetic composites are often then used in electromagnetic applications.

Brazing and Welding: When joining parts together through brazing techniques, iron powder is used to create a tight seal between components. Due to its high temperature tolerance, the iron powder melts into a liquid flux and fills the space between the other two parts that are to be joined together. For welding applications, iron powder can be found in cored wires or as part of a coating material added on coated welded electrodes.

Thermal Surface Coating: Due to the thermal properties of iron, iron powder is sought after as a surface coating for parts that will experience high temperatures. This coating can improve the longevity and endurance of components that experience corrosion and high wear-and-tear during operation. The thermal surface coating can enhance the performance of the part or assembly.

Printing: Iron powder is also found in printing applications such as copying machines, color printers and black-and-white printers where toner cartridges are used. Carrier cores possess iron powders as these cores are used to transport the toner by charging it, before moving the toner to the photoreceptor. Once there, the toner detaches during this electrophotography process.

Other uses: In addition to the uses mentioned above, iron powder can also be placed into other products such as dyes, paints, oil filtration, chemical applications, and metal clays used by jewelers.

Belmont Metals has been in operation since 1986 as we provide a range of base metals, alloys and powdered metals for use. We currently offer iron powder as #100 hydrogen reduced iron powder, #150 cast iron powder, and #325 hydrogen reduced iron powder. If you need powdered metals for your applications, or are curious about how iron powder can be used in your processes, contact our team today. We can provide you with a list of our services as well as provide technical information.