Fabrication

Made using a proprietary low-alloy steel, the three parts are warm compacted to achieve high green density, then vacuum sintered at high temperature, gas-pressure quenched, and tempered. They’re produced very close to net shape, with only precision machining of some surfaces performed to improve the micro-finish and dimensional accuracy. They achieve a typical density of 7.1 g/cm³, 1,300 MPa (190,000 psi) ultimate tensile strength, 1,010 MPa (147,000 psi) yield strength, and an elongation of 1.7%.

Results

• A first of its kind for the trucking industry, this 10-speed automatic transmission enables even inexperienced drivers to achieve 5% fuel savings over typical manual transmissions, thus contributing to a significant lowering of CO₂ emissions.
• While these washers were an original PM design, they’re estimated to save 30% over the cost of comparable forged/machined components.