Patent ID: 8153053

Claim:
A method for forming a compact from a powder, comprising the steps of: applying a solution obtained by dissolving a lubricant in a solvent to a forming portion of a mold body; evaporating the solution to form a crystallized layer of the lubricant on a surface of the forming portion; filling the forming portion of the mold body with a raw powder, said raw powder being Fe-based metal powder or Cu-based metal powder; and then fitting upper and lower punches into the forming portion, wherein said lubricant is at least one member selected from the group consisting of dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, disodium hydrogen phosphate, trisodium phosphate, sodium polyphosphate, riboflavin sodium phosphate, potassium sulfate, sodium sulfate, sodium thio sulfate, sodium dodecylsulfate, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, Food Blue No. 1., Food Yellow No. 5., sodium ascorbyl sulfate, sodium tetraborate, sodium silicate, sodium tungstate, sodium acetate, sodium benzoate, sodium ascorbate, sodium hydrogen carbonate, sodium carbonate and potassium nitrate, and wherein said solution has said lubricant completely dissolved in water into a uniform phase in a concentration greater than or equal to one percent by weight, but less than a concentration of a saturated solution.