<PAGE>   1
                                                                   EXHIBIT 24.1
                                                                   ------------


                                POWER OF ATTORNEY


                  KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each of the undersigned
directors and officers of Sinter Metals, Inc., a Delaware corporation, hereby
constitutes and appoints Joseph W. Carreras and Christopher M. Kelly, and each
of them, as the true and lawful attorney or attorneys-in-fact, with full power
of substitution and revocation, for each of the undersigned and in the name,
place and stead of each of the undersigned, to sign on behalf of each of the
undersigned an Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
1996, pursuant to Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and to sign
any and all amendments to such Annual Report, and to file the same, with all
exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, granting to said attorney or
attorneys-in-fact, and each of them, full power and authority to do so and
perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and
about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as the undersigned
might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said
attorney or attorneys-in-fact or any of them or their substitute or substitutes,
may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

                  This Power of Attorney may be executed in multiple
counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original with respect to the
person executing it.

                 Executed as of this 28th day of February 1997.



/s/ Joseph W. Carreras                       /s/ Mary Lynn Putney
-------------------------------------        ----------------------------------
Joseph W. Carreras                           Mary Lynn Putney  
Chairman of the Board and Chief              Director             
Executive Officer (Principal                       
Executive Officer)                                               
                                                
                                                
/s/ Michael T. Kestner                       /s/ William H. Roj
-------------------------------------        ----------------------------------
Michael T. Kestner                           William H. Roj
Vice President, Chief Financial              Director
Officer and Secretary (Principal
Financial Officer and Principal 
Accounting Officer)             


/s/ Donald L. LeVault                                                 
------------------------------------         -----------------------------------
Donald L. LeVault                            Charles E. Volpe          
President and Director                       Director                  
                                              
                                              /s/ David Y. Howe
------------------------------------         ----------------------------------
E. Joseph Hochreiter                         David Y. Howe  
Director                                     Director         
                                                

<PAGE>   2


                                                                   EXHIBIT 24.1
                                                                   ------------


                                POWER OF ATTORNEY


                  KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that Sinter Metals, Inc., a
Delaware corporation (the "Corporation"), hereby constitutes and appoints Joseph
W. Carreras, Christopher M. Kelly, and each of them, as the true and lawful
attorney or attorneys-in-fact, with full power of substitution and revocation,
for the Corporation and in the name, place and stead of the Corporation, to sign
on behalf of the Corporation an Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 1996, pursuant to Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 and to sign any and all amendments to such Annual Report, and to file
the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection
therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting to said
attorney or attorneys-in-fact, and each of them, full power and authority to do
so and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done
in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as the
undersigned might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all
that said attorney or attorneys-in-fact or any of them or their substitute or
substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

                  Executed as of this 28th day of February 1997.




                                                  SINTER METALS, INC.



                                               By:/s/ Joseph W. Carreras
                                               ------------------------------
                                                  Joseph W. Carreras
                                                  Chairman of the Board and
                                                  Chief Executive Officer