Among the 150 global industry experts present at this year's PowderMet2012, the Ipsen team had the opportunity to present the new Titan DS furnace, making great strides in easing product maintenance and ensuring repeatability and precision.

Although Ipsen has already been in the sintering business for some time, the company recently partnered with an MIM manufacturer to bring about the innovative changes that set the Titan DS apart. It provides technical features optimized for MIM and PM applications with a suitable price-to-volume-ratio. And since it is based on Ipsen's Titan platform, it comes with many of the same benefits. The furnace operates 50/60 Hz, any voltage and in more than 20 languages. True to the Titan experience, the Titan DS fits into one standard global shipping container and ships within 10 weeks of the order with one-day installation.

The furnace's sintering process benefits also include the ability to handle very high binder content in MIM applications and its batch processing is now competitive with continuous processing. By means of the Titan DS's automated protection system, binder build-up in pumps and piping is virtually eliminated. This allows for a reduced door-to-door cycle time with easier maintenance and care. The accurate control of the gas flow carries evaporated binder out of the hot zone and eliminates cross contamination. Furthermore, the optimized hot zone design with additional front and rear heating elements provides for improved cleanliness and temperature uniformity for flawless part quality. While the Titan DS maximizes on these benefits, it does not sacrifice its energy efficiency, which is still 30 percent more efficient than comparable models.

The PowderMet trade exposition hosted 100 booths showcasing more than 80 suppliers for the metal powder industry. The trade exposition was part of the 2012 International Conference on Powder Metallurgy & Particulate Materials which also incorporated a technical program, a management-focused program and other special conference events including special guest speakers, luncheons, dinners and a Grand Ole Opry show. The conference was held in the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville and sponsored by the Metal Powder Industries Federation and APMI International.