Portland Welcomes the PM Industry

The true excitement of PowderMet2022 and AMPM2022 showed on the smiling faces of the delegates, many of whom haven’t seen their industry colleagues in 3 years. Delegates were greeted by The Royal Rosarians, the Official Greeters and Ambassadors of Goodwill for the City of Portland, and The Beat Goes On, an eclectic marching band, at the Opening Reception. From the exhibitors, featuring the latest PM, MIM, and metal AM equipment, powders, products, and services, to the speakers, sharing their most recent research and development activities, there was something for everyone in Portland. Although international delegate registrations were down, primarily due to lingering COVID-19 concerns and inflated airfares, 20 countries were represented by dedicated PM professionals.

At the General Session, MPIF Executive Director/CEO James Adams welcomed delegates and encouraged them to take advantage of everything the conferences had to offer - participate, interact, and start discussions during the over 200 technical presentations. He introduced 46 students that were the recipients of the National Science Foundation and Center for Powder Metallurgy Technology/Axel Madsen Conference Grants. One of the Axel Madsen recipients, Gabrielle Laramée, and her co-authors Simon Gélinas and Carl Blais, from Laval University received the 2022 Outstanding Poster Award for “Metallographic Characterization of Liquid Phase Sintered PM Steels Using Artificial Intelligence.”

MPIF President Rodney Brennen, President of Metco Industries, Inc. presented the State of the North American PM Industry noting “The North American powder metallurgy (PM) industry has not been immune from the unprecedented challenges facing the global supply‐chain. We continue to feel the negative effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic. I don’t think anyone could have imagined this virus would take a million American lives. The semiconductor microchip processor shortages, resulting in orders being pushed out or even worse, cancelled. Most automotive companies, whose vehicles use an estimated 20‐100 processors each, depending on the vehicle’s features, agree that recovery will begin in the second half of 2022, but a normal supply won’t be met until well into 2023.”

Brennen continued “However, many of these major disruptions should be viewed as opportunities. They have forced companies to work smarter, be more efficient, and innovative. New production output levels are being achieved thanks to changes and innovations made because of the pandemic. Many companies report reductions in energy consumption, furnace atmosphere gasses, scrap, and waste that is sent to landfills as a direct result of operating more efficiently.” (Read the full State of the PM Industry in North America-2022)

APMI President Thomas Pelletiers, FAPMI, introduced the 2022 APMI Fellow, Dean Howard, PMT, North American Höganäs Co. Dedicating over 31 years to the PM industry, with the past 29 of those years as an APMI member, Dean is a former president of APMI, MPIF, and the Metal Powder Producers Association.

MPIF now has its sights on PowderMet2023 and AMPM2023, June 18-21, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas! The Call for Papers and Posters is now open. Visit PowderMet2023.org for more details. Watch this video to see what you can expect!