2. Development of powder metallurgy

2.1 Production breakdown

Over the past twenty years, powder metallurgy has undergone continuous expansion in all its aspects and industrial applications. In highly industrialized countries, powder metallurgy has established itself not only as one of the most advanced processes for shaping metals, but also as a powerful means of synthesizing the new materials required by cutting-edge technologies such as electrical engineering and electronics, the nuclear power industry, energy conversion and aerospace. Annual growth in French mechanical parts production, which averaged around 7% until 1980, has since slowed (table 3 ). The current trend is the result of a decline in automotive production, offset by a slight increase in the number...