POWDER FEEDING APPARATUS, MORE PARTICULARLY A FEEDING APPARATUS FOR POWDER METALLURGICAL POWDER, A FILLING SHOE FOR SUCH POWDER FEEDING APPARATUS AND A METHOD FOR FEEDING THE OPENING OF A DIE WITH POWDER

Powder feeding apparatus, more particularly feeding apparatus for powder metallurgical powder, filling shoe for such a powder feeding apparatus and method for filling the opening of a die with powder The invention relates to a method for feeding of a die, wherein a filling shoe (7) cyclically is driven into a feeding position above a die opening (2) embedded in the die (1) and into a non-feeding position situated away from the die opening (2) above the die's upper side (6) and wherein during the feeding position the pulverized or granulated powder (11) is being filled from the filling shoe (7) into a hollow space, which is built in the die opening (2) above of at least one punch (3 - 5) being moveable within it in an upward and in a downward direction. In order to prevent mixing of old powder with the new powder when the opening of the die is moved over again being already partly fed with powder it is suggested to put a mask (12) with at least one mask opening (13, 13a) above the mask opening (2) before or during the moving of the filling shoe (7) over the die opening (2). The method particularly can be carried out in an appropriately equipped powder feeding apparatus and with an appropriately equipped filling shoe (7) destined for such a powder feeding apparatus.