| abstract |
The preparation of suitable powdered metal is important in powder metallurgy technology. To date, powdered metals, in particular refractory metals, have been produced using very time-consuming and, consequently, costly methods for the reduction of metallic compounds, e.g. by reducing solid metallic compounds to powdered metal in fluidized bed ovens or pusher-type furnaces. In the present invention, powdered metallic compounds are reduced by retaining the solid phase as a continuous process by particles passing through a reaction chamber to predetermined orbits. The process lasts on average 0.4 to 60 s, and the level of completeness of the process is at least 90%. |