摘要：Substitution of powder metallurgy (P/M) components for steel began in North America during the
1980s. At that time, process advances in P/M technology permitted the manufacture of certain complex
automotive components that could meet the strength requirements found in steel, but meet them at a
fraction of the cost, because of the superior near-net-shape properties of the P/M production process and
the elimination of certain machining stages.
The largest consumer of P/M components both worldwide and in North America is the
automotive industry, which accounts for 60 percent of total North American consumption and 70 percent
of North American ferrous consumption.2 Major P/M automotive applications include engines (e.g.,
connecting rods, main bearing caps, and camshafts) and transmissions. The amount of P/M components
in automobiles has more than doubled during the past 20 years, from an average of 17.0 pounds in 1980
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