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newaccount721 t1_j2bxjzn wrote

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but it sounds like these cheap products made this way aren't inherently dangerous - e.. g. containing toxic metals - but just the process used is the cheapest/fastest but not the best. Is that correct?

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Schnoofles t1_j2byi29 wrote

All other things being equal, yes. It's just a (much) cheaper process for when you don't require the highest possible strength in the finished material.

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newaccount721 t1_j2c3ors wrote

Thanks, whenever I get those things and they break easily I am concerned they're not the metal they're claiming to be - but if it's process based it's not great but at least it's not something inherently dangerous

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Schnoofles t1_j2c90ct wrote

Yeah, it's just a simple way to make a part. Instead of fully melting and pouring to a mold you instead dump a powdered form of the metal into it and then use heat and pressure to not fully melt it, but heat it up to where the combined heat and pressure causes the particles to begin fusing. Relatively speaking it's quick, easy, takes less energy and so on. It is quite brittle, however, and not as strong in general since you don't get nice, long grains in the metal.

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