Over the past decades the global powder metallurgy has witnessed stable development. Nowadays, output of iron powders equals to 750,000 tonnes per year. World sales of P/M products reached USD 5 billion in the year of 1998.

POWDER METALLURGY OF UKRAINE: LAGGING BEHIND THE WORLD

Anatoly GAIDUCHENKO, Elena EOSTINA, the Institute of Material Science under the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Over the past decades the global powder metallurgy has witnessed stable development. Nowadays, output of iron powders equals to 750,000 tonnes per year. World sales of P/M products reached USD 5 billion in the year of 1998.

What is the Ukraine’s place in this industry? It is worth pointing out that the Ukrainian industry accounted for 35% of the total output of iron-based powders and for 36% of the total output of articles made of metal powders in the former USSR. One of the largest powder metallurgic plants in Europe, namely Brovary Powder Metallurgic Plant (BPMP), is located in Ukraine. Besides, Zaporozhye-based DneproSpetsStal plant had a powerful workshop manufacturing high-speed steel powders, Zaporozhye Titanium and Magnesium Works and Zakarpatye Metallurgical Works succeeded in production of titanium powders and titanium articles, whereas Kirovsk Industrial Plant, Kirovsk town of Lugansk region, and the workshop of Pobeda Truda mill continuously expanded their powder-making capacities.

At the beginning of the nineties more than 50 mills of Ukraine manufactured metal powders and related products (see table 1). Industrial mills with productive capacity lower than 100 tonnes per year were not considered in table 1. These were AzovMash association, Mariupol city; Motor-Sich, Zaporozhye; Skif, Makeyevka; Dneprovsk Aluminum Smelter; AvtoZAZ association, Zaporozhye; Fiolent, Simferopol; NADIR firm and Pishmash association, Kirovograd, and some others.

For more than 30 years and from the very dawn of mass production the Institute of Material Science under the Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences has been a parent institution in this field in the former USSR and has backed the development of powder metallurgy with its scientific, technical, and to a considerable extent organizational guidance. The Institute trained scientists and engineers in all republics of the former USSR, developed proposals as to functioning and operations of this novel industrial sector, provided scientific and technical assistance to accumulation of the sector’s resources and supervised all the national scientific and sectoral programs. A number of scientific research institutes of Ukraine have also contributed a lot to progress of selected applications of powder metallurgy and of practical material science. The list of these institutions embraces Kiev Institute of Superhard Materials under the Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences, Kharkov Physical and Technical Institute, Dnepropetrovsk Metallurgical Institute, Zaporozhye Titanium Institute, UkrNIISpetsStal and some others.

Table 1. The range of P/M articles manufactured in Ukraine before 1990 (productive capacity are shown in brackets)

In the year 1990 the overall output of P/M products in Ukraine not only equaled the sale volumes, but also reached its record-high for the whole Soviet period (see table 2).

Though back then the existing productive capacities for iron-based metal powders were fully utilized, there were no projects for further development of facilities at all. Russia supplied all the required nonferrous powders (save for titanium) applied in manufacturing of P/M articles. As it was outlined above, more than 50 industrial plants, specialized workshops and departments produced articles made of metal powder. Their total productive capacity came to some 25,000 tonnes per year.

Today, powder metallurgy of Ukraine has moved into a recession. Depression of the whole industry and especially of mechanical engineering slashed the demands for P/M component parts of various machinery, as well as caused a disastrous reduction in demands for development of new materials and technological methods that normally ensure high quality and high technical and financial performance of Ukrainian-made industrial commodities. As a result, the Ukrainian powder metallurgical mills manufacture only some 10 to 15% of what they can potentially produce. A number of specialized workshops and production departments were completely closed down.

Since 1992 Ukraine has been witnessing a sharp drop in machinery manufacturing and, correspondingly, in output of P/M products. In 1998 the overall output of metal powders lowered to 3-4% of the previous figures, while production of certain P/M articles was ceased. From 1992 till 1998 there were no purchases and installations of new industrial equipment, while the operating facilities endured considerable wear and became obsolete. The actual capacity utilization ratio almost halved as compared to the 1990 figure.

Throughout this period, lack of financial resources has suspended development and introduction of new equipment and innovative manufacturing methods, discontinued improvement of technical documentation and put an end to elaboration of quality control standards and methods. Moreover, lowered demand for metal powders and P/M products, financial insolvency of the few remaining clients, customs restrictions imposed on deliveries of metal powders and P/M products within the CIS, increase in overheads and a considerable mark-up of fuel & power prices have all led to the uncontrolled increase in production costs.

The previous business contacts that formerly allowed supplying the necessary raw materials and feedstock have been broken, thus compelling manufacturers to seek for alternatives, which frequently means neglect of products quality issues. In consequence, competitiveness of domestic commodities has suffered a drastic decrease, while the prices with the high VAT charged are considerably higher than the current global prices.

It is a paradox but it’s true: Molodecha Powder Metallurgic Plant, Belarus, that once used to be a permanent large-scale buyer of metal powders produced at the Brovary mill has commenced purchasing iron powders from Sweden’s Hoeganes company. It has proved to be more profitable this way.

There is nothing but a hope left that the Ukrainian scientific research institutes and R&D establishments will manage to retain their vast experience in creation and implementation of new unique materials, technologies and specialized equipment in mass production. This experience is priceless for it has been accumulated in the course of decades. Besides, some time ago the National Academy of Sciences, together with the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry for Machine Building, Military-Industrial Complex and Conversion, made a decision to work out a concept and a national development program for production of worthwhile materials based on metal powders, oxides, carbides, nitrides and some other compounds and components till 2010.

This development program was notable for its specific proposals and developments mentioned. If the leading scientific institutions and R&D establishments take part in execution of the program, all the costs (amounting to UAH 280-300 million) would be repaid within some 2.5 years.

Nevertheless, due to the pending industrial downswing, this program has neither been approved, nor authorized for execution. Considering the rapid development of hi-tech projects in the field of material science, waste of a single year will leave Ukraine at the least 5 years behind the rest of the world. It is clear that in this case it will be much harder to make up for the time lost.

Table 2. Production of metal powders and P/M articles in Ukraine (‘000 tonnes)

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