The powder production is one of the key issues to develop the functional devices for various fields. In addition, the design of powder production techniques varies depending on their targets and requires a variety of knowledge and experience. In recent years, including the development of metallurgical technology, functional metal and ceramics powder that are difficult to produce using conventional methods are often required for the development of various high-performance devices. For this reason, research on superior powder production technology has been widely carried out. This Special Interest Seminar (SIS) focuses on metal and ceramics powder production. The seminar includes development of powder and their applications for functional devices.

Recent AM research has focused not only on material properties dependent on AM methods including detailed parameter optimization and scan strategies, but also on unique functions derived from complicated macro- and microstructures calculated with simulation. This Special Interest Seminar (SIS) will discuss the creation of new materials fabrication methods and properties using beam-based additive manufacturing. Novel composite powders, chemically graded or homogenized structures, and functional lattices will be presented. We will also discuss efforts to solve newly identified problems as AM technologies become more widespread.

Recently, the development of additive manufacturing (AM) using metal powder has been rapidly expanding all over the world. In the early stages, efforts were focused on fusion-based AM, but now sinter-based AM is gaining attention as a technology connecting directly to conventional powder metallurgy. Some of the sintering-based AM processes have already been established and can produce metal parts with complex near-net geometries. Furthermore, new processes are being born continuously. This Special Interest Seminar (SIS) reviews the current state of sinter-based AM and related emerging technologies. The advantages and limitations of the processes, including subsequent heat treatment and sintering stages, will be discussed in comparison to other approaches for AM. This overview will also serve as guidelines for selection of AM technologies, looking toward the future.

As the impact of climate change continues to grow year by year, there is an increasing focus on sustainable society and manufacturing processes. Activities aimed at realizing a sustainable society are required. Under such a situation, Metal Injection Molding (MIM) is expected to be one of the environmentally friendly technologies due to its low waste and low energy consumption. In this session, activities related to sustainability in the MIM industry in Europe, the United States, and Japan will be introduced. Additionally, there will be reports on the results of evaluating MIM-related equipment and processes from a sustainability perspective. Furthermore, this session will provide an opportunity to understand the current state of the MIM industry by reporting on market and technology trends in the aforementioned three regions.

PM applications continue to evolve from the automotive industry into a range of new applications such as new mobility systems and biomaterials. This session presents the latest PM technology and challenging applications.

The starting material, the powder particles, is the blueprint for the final PM structure. This session will highlight the promising performance of PM materials achieved through the alloying strategy or composite design of powders.

Sintering is a material processing technology that uses powders as raw materials, molds them, and then solidifies them through heat treatment.

This technology is essential for metal oxides whose melting points are too high to use conventional casting methods. Furthermore, the sintering method also allows metal materials to be formed at low temperatures, and has many advantages, such as the ability to manufacture structural elements with complex shape without post-processing. This seminar will focus on sintering and will lecture on the macro and micro structures obtained through sintering and their related properties. In recent years, new sintering technologies that utilize external fields such as pressure, microwaves, and electromagnetic field have been attracting a lot of attention from academia and industry. Using this new technology, it will be possible to lower the process temperature even further, making it possible to develop a revolutionary energy-saving process.

Among these the latest sintering methods, HIP (hot isostatic pressing) and SPS (park plasma sintering) will be introduced, which are new sintering methods that utilize pressure and electric fields.

Hard materials are tool materials used for cutting and plastic working of metal materials such as steel, and for mining and ground excavation. These are extremely important materials that support the precision machining industry by being supplied to machine tools. Demand for hard materials used in various machining processes and construction projects is expected to continue to increase, and further research and development is required. Since the mechanical properties of hard materials are expressed by their microstructure, it is necessary to understand the relationship between microstructure and properties. In addition, research using simulations has recently become more active. In this SIS session, academic and industrial experts will present the latest research results and trends in the development, structure, properties, and simulation of hard materials.

Soft magnetic materials with high saturation magnetic flux density and low coercivity are required to produce high performance inductors which operate at high operation current as well as with low loss. In addition, recent switching power supplies operate in higher frequency range. To satisfy these high-level requirements, iron-based amorphous or nanocrystalline alloy soft magnetic materials attract a lot of attention for such power electronic devices. One invited and three contributed papers which are related to such materials are presented in this SIS session.

SIS 11 focuses on “Energy Materials” as one of the functional materials, which have attracted considerable attention recently, especially from a point of view of practical applications. This session consists of one keynote lecture, one invited lecture, and five contributed presentations. The keynote lecture is delivered by Prof. Ryoji Kanno, Tokyo Institute of Technology. The title of the lecture is “Materials and Reactions in Solid-State Battery”. The invited speaker is Prof. Kiyoshi Kanamura, Tokyo Metropolitan University, who talks about “Materials for High Energy Density Rechargeable Batteries”. Also, there are contributed presentations concerning positive electrode materials for next-generation lithium-ion batteries, calcium aluminate doped with metals for ion storage applications, core-shell hierarchical porous carbon for supercapacitor, and thermoelectric materials including Mg₂Si/metal multilayer composite and bulk Bi₂Te₃.

Unleash the potential of Powder Metallurgy (PM) for a greener tomorrow! Join us for an insightful session at our upcoming conference, where leading experts explore how PM is revolutionizing manufacturing with its:

• Reduced environmental impact: Lower energy consumption by eliminating fusion, minimal material waste, and versatile shaping through fluidization.
• Unmatched performance: Achieve exceptional properties through metastable phases, ideal for diverse applications.
• Customization freedom: PM facilitates user-specific designs in additive manufacturing, unlike mass production.

Ready to tackle the challenges? We'll dive into key areas for improvement:

• Optimizing energy usage: Focus on sintering, compaction, heat treatment, and machining for maximum efficiency.
• Sustainable material selection: Choose alloys with low energy consumption, carbon neutrality, responsible sourcing, and recyclability in mind.
• Embracing regional differences: Explore alternative energy sources like hydrogen and biogas, adapting to varying availabilities.

Transform the industry and embrace sustainability with Powder Metallurgy (PM)! Our upcoming conference session dives into the world of PM, showcasing its game-changing potential for a circular economy:

• Remanufacture, recycle, and reuse: Reduce waste and conserve resources with innovative PM techniques.
• Multi-powder magic: Craft custom alloys with unique properties, minimizing material consumption.

Conquering challenges together:

• Unlocking hidden potential: Discover new processes that turn by-products into valuable resources.
• Scrap to treasure: Witness how cutting-edge methods like ultrasonic atomization create new powders from waste.
• Taming the titanium titan: Explore the revolutionary HAMR technology that breathes new life into high-oxygen titanium scraps.
• Oxygen's impact decoded: Understand how oxygen content influences part quality for optimal performance.
• Swarf to success: Learn how field-assisted sintering and thermal treatments transform recovered metal into brand-new parts.

Beyond PM's potential:

• Sustainable champion: Discover how PM surpasses alternative technologies in its environmental footprint.
• Collaboration is key: Witness how industry-wide cooperation unlocks the full potential of PM's sustainability benefits.
• Lithium's sustainable future: Explore the exciting possibilities of seawater extraction and battery recycling for a cleaner tomorrow.

Join us and:

• Gain valuable insights into the future of PM and its sustainable impact.
• Network with industry leaders and innovators shaping the circular economy.
• Discover groundbreaking solutions to today's environmental challenges.

Unlock the future of materials science with Materials Informatics (MI), where data and AI join forces to accelerate discovery and development! Immerse yourself in our upcoming conference session where we'll explore:

Two powerful approaches:

• Principle-driven: Leverages existing knowledge like physics models to tackle familiar problems.
• Data-driven: Harnessing the power of data to unlock solutions for complex, uncharted territories.

Witness real-world successes:

• Highly accurate machine learning potentials: Predicting material behavior with unrivaled precision.
• Material discovery made easy: A recommender system uncovering groundbreaking materials you never knew existed.
• Process prediction at your fingertips: Streamline development with AI-powered forecasts for new materials.

But there's more! Our session also features fascinating presentations on:

• Automating the hunt for functional oxide powders: Unleashing the potential of these versatile materials through robotics and informatics.
• Revolutionizing cemented carbide design: Witnessing the digital transformation pushing boundaries in this crucial industry.
• Optimizing heat sinks like never before Machine learning and Voronoi tessellation join forces to create groundbreaking, efficient designs.

Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to:

• Gain cutting-edge insights into the transformative power of MI.
• Learn from leading experts and discover real-world applications.
• Network with fellow innovators and shape the future of materials science.