Factories usually refer to MIM as metal powder injection molding, which is a component manufacturing process used in the production of high-performance metal or ceramic components. Compared to traditional processing methods, MIM can not only effectively utilize materials, but also has higher precision.
Typical MIM processes include raw material mixing, injection molding, sintering, and other processes. The raw material mixing process usually includes powder preparation, powder mixing, and other steps. Factories usually add a suitable amount of plasticizer during metal powder preparation, which can improve the plasticity of the powder. Workers will also mix the metal powder appropriately. The mixed metal powder will then be pressed into the desired shape under a pressure of 15-600 MPa, and the formula ratios used for pressing the metal powder will be checked appropriately.
After the pressing is complete, the metal powder will be sintered in a high-temperature furnace. At the same time, the high-temperature furnace will keep at least one element in the powder in a solid state during sintering. Because MIM has good precision, it is widely used in industries such as medicine, dentistry, and automotive manufacturing.
From automobiles, consumer electronics, aerospace and defense to teeth alignment and medical equipment, the demand for small, lightweight, high-strength, and complexly shaped components is growing in various industries today. At the same time, metal injection molding is a mixed technology that not only integrates the molding ability of plastic injection molding, but also can flexibly choose the material for injection molding. The material selection, part size, volume, and tolerance all play a crucial role in metal injection molding.
Metal injection molding is similar to plastic injection molding, but metal raw materials are used instead. Powdered metal raw materials are processed at high temperature and high pressure to produce precise and high-performance parts efficiently. Due to the flexibility of MIM technology, material compositions can be customized according to specific properties required by customers. For example, low alloy steel, carbon steel, nickel alloy, and tool steel, etc.
Meanwhile, the high-quality mechanical properties and excellent strength, ductility, and magnetic response of metal injection molding enable it to produce complexly shaped parts and small parts with unique geometric shapes. It is important to remember that consistent shrinkage and diffusion of organic binders and surfactants are also crucial. Therefore, metal injection molding is the ideal choice for processing high-precision parts, which can be used in products such as surgical instruments, artificial joints, and pacemakers.
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