Sintering of Magnesium

Abstract Sintering of magnesium powder is strongly inhibited by a stable oxide layer that is formed immediately after exposure to air. In contrast to e.g. titanium, no solubility of oxygen in solid magnesium is reported; therefore, the oxide layer is not dissolved during sintering. In this study, different methods are investigated in order to overcome this problem. It is shown that magnesium can be sintered if the sintered parts are surrounded by magnesium getter material. Calcium additions improve sinterability. The optimum calcium content lies in the range of 0.6 wt%.