Methods for the fabrication of metal strain wave gear flexsplines using a specialized metal additive manufacturing technique are provided. The method allows the entire flexspline to be metal printed, including all the components: the output surface with mating features, the thin wall of the cup, and the teeth integral to the flexspline. The flexspline may be used directly upon removal from the building tray.

Novel metallic systems and methods for their fabrication provide an extreme creep-resistant nano-crystalline metallic material. The material comprises a matrix formed of a solvent metal with crystalline grains having diameters of no more than about 500 nm, and a plurality of dispersed metallic particles formed on the basis of a solute metal in the solvent metal matrix and having diameters of no more than about 200 nm. The particle density along the grain boundary of the matrix is as high as about 2 nm.sup.2 of grain boundary area per particle so as to substantially block grain boundary motion and rotation and limit creep at temperatures above 35% of the melting point of the material.

A soft magnetic alloy comprising a main component having a compositional formula of ((Fe.sub.(1(+))X1.sub.X2.sub.).sub.(1(a+b+c))M.sub.aB.sub.bCr.sub.c).sub.1dC.sub.d, and a sub component including P, S and Ti, wherein X1 is selected from the group Co and Ni, X2 is selected from the group Al, Mn, Ag, Zn, Sn, As, Sb, Bi and rare earth elements, M is selected from the group Nb, Hf, Zr, Ta, Mo, W and V, 0.030a0.14, 0.005b0.20, 0<c0.040, 0d0.040, 0, 0, and 0+0.50 are satisfied, when soft magnetic alloy is 100 wt %, P is 0.001 to 0.050 wt %, S is 0.001 to 0.050 wt %, and Ti is 0.001 to 0.080 wt %, and when a value obtained by dividing P by S is P/S, then P/S satisfies 0.10P/S10.

Provided is an iron-based soft magnetic powder that may be used in producing a dust core having a low iron loss. The iron-based soft magnetic powder has a crystallinity of 10% or less, volume-based median circularity (C.sub.50) of 0.85 or more, and when heated to 400? C. at a heating rate of 3? C./min and held at 400? C. for 20 min in a nitrogen atmosphere, then allowed to naturally cool to room temperature, number density of Cu clusters in the powder of 1.00?10.sup.3/?m.sup.3 or more and 1.00?10.sup.6/m.sup.3 or less, and average Cu concentration of the Cu clusters of 30.0 at % or more.

Described herein is a method of producing an alloy. The method includes pouring a stream of molten mixture of component elements of the alloy, separating the stream into discrete pieces, solidifying the discrete pieces by cooling before the discrete pieces contact any liquid or solid. Also described herein is another method of producing an alloy. This method includes pouring and solidifying a stream of molten mixture of component elements of the alloy into a rod or pulling a rod from a molten mixture of component elements of the alloy, before the rod contacts any liquid or solid, separating the rod into discrete pieces. An apparatus suitable for carrying out the methods above can include a container from which the molten stream is poured or the solid rod extends, one or more coil, conductive plates, a laser source, or an electron beam source arranged around the molten stream or the solid rod and configured to separate the molten stream or the solid rod into discrete pieces.

A method for producing a water-atomized metal powder, comprising applying water to a molten metal stream, dividing the molten metal stream into a metal powder, and cooling the metal powder, wherein the metal powder is further subjected to secondary cooling with cooling capacity having a minimum heat flux point (MHF point) higher than the surface temperature of the metal powder in addition to the cooling and the secondary cooling is performed from a temperature range where the temperature of the metal powder after the cooling is not lower than the cooling start temperature necessary for amorphization nor higher than the minimum heat flux point (MHF point).

A soft magnetic powder has a composition represented by Fe.sub.xCu.sub.aNb.sub.b(Si.sub.1-y(B.sub.1-zCr.sub.z).sub.y).sub.100-x-a-b [where a, b, x, y, and z satisfy 0.3a2.0, 2.0b4.0, 75.5x79.5, 0.55y0.91, and 0.015z0.185], and includes an amorphous phase and a crystalline phase, wherein defining a content of Cr determined by OES as X(Cr), and a content of Cr and a content of B in the amorphous phase determined by EDX as Y(Cr) and Y(B), the formulas (1) and (2) are satisfied:

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}X\left(\mathrm{Cr}\right)<Y\left(\mathrm{Cr}\right)X\left(\mathrm{Cr}\right)+1.& \left(1\right)\end{array}$$\begin{array}{cc}3.Y\left(B\right)15..& \left(2\right)\end{array}$

In a metal powder core constructed from soft magnetic material powder and a coil component employing this, a configuration suitable for reduction of a core loss is provided. The metal powder core constructed from soft magnetic material powder is characterized in that Cu is dispersed among the soft magnetic material powder. It is characterized in that, preferably, the soft magnetic material powder is pulverized powder of soft magnetic alloy ribbon and that Cu is dispersed among the pulverized powder of soft magnetic alloy ribbon. Further, it is characterized in that, preferably, the soft magnetic alloy ribbon is a Fe-based nano crystal alloy ribbon or a Fe-based alloy ribbon showing a Fe-based nano crystalline structure and that the pulverized powder has a nano crystalline structure.

In a metal powder core constructed from soft magnetic material powder and a coil component employing this, a configuration suitable for reduction of a core loss is provided. The metal powder core constructed from soft magnetic material powder is characterized in that Cu is dispersed among the soft magnetic material powder. It is characterized in that, preferably, the soft magnetic material powder is pulverized powder of soft magnetic alloy ribbon and that Cu is dispersed among the pulverized powder of soft magnetic alloy ribbon. Further, it is characterized in that, preferably, the soft magnetic alloy ribbon is a Fe-based nano crystal alloy ribbon or a Fe-based alloy ribbon showing a Fe-based nano crystalline structure and that the pulverized powder has a nano crystalline structure.

The invention relates to a method for producing a component from an at least partially amorphous metal alloy, having the steps of: preparing a powder of an at least partially amorphous metal alloy, wherein the powder consists of spherical powder particles and the powder particles have a diameter of less than 125 m; pressing the powder into the desired shape of the component to be generated; compressing and sintering the powder by means of a heat treatment of the powder during pressing or after pressing at a temperature between the transformation temperature and the crystallisation temperature of the amorphous phase of the metal alloy, wherein the duration of the heat treatment is chosen such that the component is sintered after heat treatment and has an amorphous fraction of at least 85 percent. The invention also relates to a component made of a pressed, sintered, spherical, amorphous metal alloy powder, wherein the component has an amorphous fraction of at least 85 percent, and to the use of such a component as gear wheel, abrasive wheel, wear-resistant component, housing, watch casing, part of a gearing or semi-finished product.