MINNEAPOLIS – FMS Corporation received the Award of Distinction in the hand tools/recreation category announced at PowderMet2013, the International Conference on Powder Metallurgy and Particulate Materials. The award recognized a star shifter made by FMS for Polaris Industries and used in its Victory motorcycle transmission.

The awards competition is sponsored by the Metal Powder Industries Federation, an international association for the metal powder producing and consuming industries. The parts recognized in the competition are outstanding examples of PM’s precision, performance, complexity, economy, innovation and sustainability.

“We are pleased to again be recognized by the Metal Powder Industries Federation,” says John Sweet, president, FMS Corporation.  “In cooperation with Polaris Industries, FMS has created a star shifter worthy of the Victory motorcycle. As a result, Polaris estimates they will see a 45 percent cost savings over the previously forged part.”

The first powder metallurgy (PM) component in this six-speed transmission, the star shifter functions as the cam interface in a mechanism that enables the engagement and shifting among all the gear combinations. This six-level part is made of sinter-hardened steel, molded in a CNC-servo-controlled, multi-action hydraulic press to a typical density of 6.65 g/cm³. Other properties include 75,000 psi ultimate tensile strength, 135,000 psi transverse rupture strength, and 20 HRC min. apparent hardness and 52 HRC min. particle hardness.

For information about FMS Corporation and custom powder metal components, please call +1 952-888-7976 or email info@fmscorporation.com.

Powder metallurgy is an automated metalworking process that forms metal powder into precision components for use in engines and transmissions, business machines, hardware, biomedical and other products.  Powdered metal typically uses more than 97 percent of the starting raw material in the finished part, producing very little scrap metal; therefore is environmentally friendly compared to other processing methods.  More than 800 million pounds of powder metallurgy parts are made annually in North America.

FMS Corporation
Minneapolis-based FMS Corporation has been family-owned and operated since 1946.  The company’s Powder Metal Division provides customized powder metal manufacturing services, from parts design and alloy development, through production and assembly and custom prototyping.  FMS works with materials including low-alloy steels, stainless steels, brass, bronze, soft-magnetic materials and exotic alloys.  The company specializes in low- to medium-volume parts that would be difficult to produce using traditional metal-forming methods.  Irregularly shaped parts, such as gears, cams and those requiring keyways, can be manufactured economically and consistently with powder metal processes.

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FMS Corporation
Powder Metal Division
8635 Harriet Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN
55420-2786
+1 952-888-7976
info@fmscorporation.com