The automation project for microMIM begun in Germany last year has taken major steps towards completion with the development of a production line almost entirely overseen by machines.

The project was stimulated by the growing demand for components for micro system technologies (MST), also known as micro-electrical-mechanical systems (MEMS).

MSTs are becoming more and more common, perhaps most obviously in the automotive industry where tiny motors are increasingly used to power features of vehicles that are becoming standard fittings.

However, tiny by definition, the parts do not stand up well to being handled, especially in the green state. Full-scale manufacturing deals in mass production running into millions of parts, and without a high degree of mechanisation the rejection rate would be extremely high. The system that is emerging cuts human intervention to a minimum.

Injection mould machine builder Arburg recognised the need to find a solution and formed links with the Institute of Machine Tools and Production Science, specialist mould maker Kugele and the University of Karlsruhe to first demonstrate the feasibility of injection moulding MST parts before moving on to develop other parts of a robust, automated production system.

In the event they showed the potential of microMIM for reliably making 10-tooth cogs with a sintered diameter of only 1.2mm with a thickness of just 0.2mm. The machine used was an Arburg Allrounder 320C using a very fine gas atomised and rust-free 17-4PH steel powder from Osprey, compounded by Arburg with Licomont binder and additives.

The work done on the second phase was reported at PIM2004, held in Florida in April. The micro-injection moulding machine used was an Arburg Allrounder 270C 300 - 100 fitted with tooling that allows the green part to be removed from the mould pneumatically and transported to a furnace-proof tray into which a bar code is engraved. Once the tray is full it is moved by belt for optical inspection by a computer-controlled camera. Parts are checked dimensions, completeness and moulding errors and the tray bar code is recoded by a bar code scanner as it moves down the line.

The full trays are stored in a multi-stacking system until required for debinding and sintering. When needed, the automated system feeds the trays back into the production line. Once sintered, the finished parts are left to cool before shipping to customers.

Arburg's Marko Maetzig told the seminar that while the system had been shown to work, further refinement studies were still being carried out to remove the glitches common to complex systems and to thoroughly optimise the system.

The story of European chemicals policy rolls on while the metals industry is ignored...

It's not often that serious business presentations start with a joke, and a passably good one at that (see box). However, that was the extent of the humour in the update presentation on the drastic changes proposed by the European Commission to chemicals legislation that are gathered together under the REACH Regulation.

The new rules are aimed at organic chemicals, but in the drive to control some undoubtedly damaging environmental effects, they have the unfortunate effect of being an all-embracing, one-size-fits-all piece of lawmaking that affects the innocent as well as those who may well not be.

Last month's European Powder Metallurgy Association management seminar heard that an agreement has been reached between the Directors General of the EC's Environment and Enterprise Directorates and UNICE, a Brussels-based industry organisation, for further jointly funded business impact studies on:

• Business throughout the supply chain;
• Innovation; and
• Impact on new member states.

However, the European Commission had set its face firmly against sectoral studies of the kind that may well have revealed the logical dissonance that seems to affect so much of its thinking. As it is, the metals industry does not appear to figure in its considerations and the powder metal business even less so. Changes to REACH suggested by the industry have been ignored.

Reports from the German industry body the BDI have consistently highlighted the gap between their on-the-ground impact estimates and the thinking of the Brussels bureaucracy. Among their points are the costs of the obligation to preregister which, they say, dramatically exceed the benefits and the burden of superfluous bureaucracy. The overall effect, says the BDI, will be that the EU suffers an enormous economic disadvantage compared to other regions.

In the European Parliament, meanwhile, the Environment, Legal Affairs and Employment and Social Affairs Committees continue with hearings on REACH. One opening statement from the rapporteur for Legal Affairs said: "The current Commission proposal, despite its many revisions, is too expensive and poses a threat to the competitiveness of the European Chemical Industry."

And as the profile of the legislation rises, MEPs are starting to ask searching questions of the Commission, prompted in part by lobbying activities by organisations like the EPMA.

The timescale for implementation of REACH has slipped again, and now looks set for 2006.

Success continued for the Swedish powder metal giant as the year turned...

The year began for Swedish powder manufacturer Höganäs pretty much as 2003 ended - strongly. Turnover increased by 6 per cent to a shade over SEK 1 billion. Volumes grew by a total of 10 per cent, but currency effects resulting from a stronger Krona acted as a drag on the results with what the company estimates to have been an 8 per cent negative impact.

Demand in Asia was very robust and turnover there increased by 18 per cent, with highest demand coming from China and India. But volumes also grew in the North American market, reflecting increased market share.

In the balance sheet these advances show as an SEK 22 million increase to SEK 162 million in consolidated operating income, while income before tax was also up SEK 22 million to SEK 153 million from last year's SEK 131 million.

The iron powder business area's net sales increased by 4 per cent in the first quarter to SEK 698 million. Although net sales were influenced adversely by a stronger Krona, the demand for press powder remained firm with volume growth of some 13 per cent. However, demand for other powder was largely unchanged.

The cost of materials continued to increase through the quarter exerting a negative effect that was not fully offset by the surcharges imposed. Volume progress was strongest towards the end of the quarter, probably due to some customers bringing forward deliveries to partly offset the effect of increased price surcharges that became effective at the start of the second quarter.

Net sales of high-alloy metal powder increased by 9 per cent to SEK 352 million, up SEK 30 million on 2003. The company said that the turnover gains are primarily explained by price compensation for higher cost materials.

Glancing at the prospects for the rest of the year, President Claes Lindqvist said that the company anticipates prevailing market conditions sustaining for the rest of 2004, with healthy demand in Asia and unchanged demand in Europe and America.

And although high, and potentially increasing, material costs are exerting a negative profit impact, Höganäs expects 2004 profits to be as good, or better, than 2003.