In 2010 GKN Sinter Metals was awarded the Grand Prize in the Automotive Transmission category of the Powder Metallurgy Design Excellence Awards Competition. Building upon this success it was announced during the May 2011 Powder Metallurgy Conference that GKN Sinter Metals had won two awards in the competition.
The annual design competition provides recognition to powder metal components produced world wide and is sponsored by the Metal Powder Industry Federation (MPIF). According to the MPIF “Design innovation, superior engineering properties, high end-market visibility and sustainability distinguish the winners of the 2011 Design Excellence awards.”
GKN Sinter Metals once again was awarded the Grand Prize - the highest award honoured - for both of its entries; the 6R140 planetary carrier assembly produced at the GKN Sinter Metals plant in St Thomas, Canada and the GMT900 differential bearing adjuster produced at GKN Sinter Metals Germantown in Pennsylvania, US.
Below is an extract from the MPIF press release:
“GKN earned the grand prize in the automotive transmission category for a carrier and one-way rocker clutch assembly made for Ford Motor Company. Used in the new Ford Super Duty TorqShift six-speed automatic transmission, the hybrid assembly contains five PM steel parts weighing a total of 17 pounds. The sinter-brazed subassembly consists of four multi-level PM parts, of which three parts (cage, spider, and carrier plate) are made to a density of 6.8 g/cm3. The rocker plate is sinter-hardened during the sinter-brazing phase and has a density of 7.0 g/cm3. The assembly also has a doubled-pressed and double-sintered cam plate made to 7.3 g/cm3 density with an ultimate tensile strength of 170,000 psi and a mean tempered hardness exceeding 40 HRC. To form the parts and maintain precision tolerances, innovative tooling was developed and used in conjunction with unconventional press motions. Ford subjected the assembly to stringent durability testing—ultimate torsional torque loading at a minimum of 8,000 foot-pounds and fatigue testing at a minimum of 299,000 cycles at 1,730 foot-pounds. The application provided an estimated 20% cost savings over competitive processes, and represents a new era in the scope and size of PM parts. “Designed for PM,” the assembly uses fewer components compared to alternate designs and manufacturing methods, reducing the mass of the assembly, thus improving fuel efficiency without sacrificing function or performance.
“GKN won another grand prize in the automotive chassis category for a differential bearing adjuster made for its customer American Axle & Manufacturing and used in the GMT 900 rear differential on GM Tahoe and Yukon models. The diffusion-alloyed PM steel part preloads the bearing and is locked in place through the side holes. Formed to a density of 6.8 g/cm3, it has a 155,000 psi transverse rupture strength, 79,000 psi tensile strength, yield strength of 63,000 psi, and a 90 HRB apparent hardness. A special die and dual-upper-punch design form the cross-holes during compaction. Selecting PM saved the customer $320,000 annually by replacing a casting that required extensive machining.”
These awards clearly demonstrate the value of GKN Sinter Metals’ strategy of “Design for Powder Metallurgy”. In each case close collaboration occurred between GKN Sinter Metals and its customers; the creative application of materials, design, tooling and process technologies resulted in substantial advantages in the final product. Significant savings in size, weight, complexity, performance and material utilisation are the objectives that “Design for Powder Metallurgy” delivers which are not possible from competing metal working processes.
| Differential Adjuster Bearing |
Integrated OWC Carrier |
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