Powder Metallurgy vs Casting: Cost and Material Use
Material cost: metal powder (and any blended additives) is the raw material for powder metallurgy, but raw material is only part of total cost and is comparable to electricity cost in typical production.
Labor cost: because PM is still a shaped-forming process, each step — die design and build, tool setup and sintering — requires skilled engineering, so very small batches can carry higher per-part cost.
Material waste: PM is a near-net-shape process with little or no cutting. Material utilization can be as high as around 95 percent, which is a clear advantage over casting-based machining routes.
Time: some complex precision parts take on the order of four hours through the process. The advantage appears at volume: when quantities reach several thousand parts, batch production shortens overall time while holding high precision.
Machine cost: all production processes incur equipment wear, PM included.
Net position: PM reduces material waste, increases utilization and enables efficient volume production of complex parts. For lower volumes, per-part cost can be higher, so the choice of process depends on quantity and geometry.
Source: legacy company publication http://www.cnyhpm.com/jishubaike/76.html
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