PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING GRANULATION POWDER OF RARE EARTH ALLOY AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING SINTERED OBJECT OF RARE EARTH ALLOY

摘要

A method for making a granulated powder according to the present invention includes the steps of: preparing a rare-earth alloy powder with remanent magnetization; feeding the powder onto a track 22, which is defined by a side surface 22a and a lower surface 22b that is sloped so as to decrease its height toward the side surface; and setting up vibrations on the track to give the powder kinetic energy, thereby transporting the powder along the length of the track and granulating the powder under a substantially zero magnetic field by utilizing an agglomeration force produced by the remanent magnetization of the powder and a tumbling action produced by the kinetic energy. As a result, a rare-earth alloy granulated powder, which has good flowability and good compactibility and which makes it possible to produce a magnet with excellent magnetic properties, can be obtained.