Optimizing Powder Metallurgy Parameters for Pure Magnesium Using the Taguchi Method and ANOVA

Powder Metallurgy (PM) is a versatile manufacturing technology widely used for producing diverse metal matrix composites. In this study, PM was employed to fabricate pure magnesium (P Mg) samples, optimizing critical properties such as density (ρ), percent porosity (%P), and microhardness (HV). Unlike previous works, this study uniquely applied a combined Taguchi and ANOVA-based optimization framework to systematically evaluate the influence of three key PM factors: Compaction Pressure (CP), Sintering Temperature (ST), and Sintering Time (St). Experimental runs were designed using Taguchi's L9 orthogonal array, with CP (550, 600, and 650 MPa), ST (455, 525, and 585 °C), and St (30, 45, and 60 minutes) tested at three levels each. The findings revealed that CP level 3 (650 MPa), ST level 2 (525 ºC), and St level 1(30 minutes) were the optimal parameters for maximizing response characteristics. These results represent a significant improvement in density and microhardness compared to prior studies, demonstrating the efficacy of this method in reducing porosity and enhancing the mechanical properties of P Mg. Furthermore, the integration of regression analysis and Pareto visualization provided predictive insights and highlighted the dominant influence of CP on material performance. This approach establishes a reliable methodology for optimizing PM parameters, offering valuable benchmarks for future research and industrial applications.