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Powdered metal parts rusting after pickling process

TUTORIAL:

New to this ourselves but understanding that porosity is an anticipated characteristic of powder metal parts, and knowing that porosity is a significant problem for pickling or plating, we got a quick intro to infiltration as one method to reduce that porosity from ...

https://www.industrialheating.com/articles/83856-a-description-of-the-copper-infiltration-process-used-in-iron-based-p-m-parts

... and a quick introduction to the numbering system for the composition of powder metal components from ...

http://mpif-extension.org/material-code.html

Q. Good day,

We are having rust issues with a Carrier we assemble.

The material for the Carrier is FC-0208 with a Copper Infiltrate - FX-1008

We send these to a supplier for shot blasting and pickling. However, roughly 2 weeks afterwards we are noticing rust form on these assemblies. Not receiving any help from the supplier, so I wanted to reach out and see if these was any experience on how to troubleshoot this application.

Thank you!

Matt Nogle
- Rochester, Michigan
September 7, 2021

A. Hi Matt. Although I don't know much about powdered metal fabrication, what I do know if that iron rusts even if it's 100% solid -- especially after pickling.

The pickling solution must be rinsed, then neutralized with a dip in a high pH tank. Depending on transport and storage conditions, this may not be enough to last two weeks, and a dip in some sort of rustproofing treatment may be necessary. I think a question for your pickling shop is what happens after pickling.

Luck & Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
September 2021

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