Fabrication

Made of an austenitic stainless steel (AISI HK30), the part employs a patented technology that uses a removable polymeric insert to form the highly complex internal undercut channel; a feature the fabricator deems “impossible” to achieve using conventional machining.
All internal channels are achieved through MIM, while the threads on top are machined and Micro TIG welding is used to seal the small openings left by the polymeric insert; tip flatness is achieved through a grinding operation. The part has a density of 7.6 g/cm³, ultimate tensile strength >600 MPa (88,000 psi), yield strength of 350 MPa (51,000 psi), and elongation of >10%.

Results

• While possible to create this part without using powder metallurgy, it is estimated that fabricating the nozzle through the welding/brazing of multiple parts would have increased its cost by more than 200%.