MIM is a technology that mixes base materials metal powder and several types of resin known as binders and processes them into a fluid state, after which they are given a shape with an injection molder and then sintered. This enables near net shape production of metal products with complex 3D shapes, and these products are used for a variety of purposes ranging from hobby-related uses to the automotive and medical fields.
Features
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● Complex 3D Shapes
As the shape of a product is created using injection molding, undercuts and screw shapes are possible in the same way as resin molding. A component that is normally assembled from different elements can be integrated and molded as a single component, and shapes can be created for which mass production is problematic with other fabrication methods. -
● Wide Choice of Materials
MIM can be used with a wide range of materials including ferrous low alloys, stainless steel, magnetic materials, and high hardness anti-wear components. -
● High Density
The metal powder that is the base material uses particles that are 10μm or smaller and are easy to compact, which results in a density of 97% or higher compared to true density. The pores are separate and are an extremely fine several μm in size, meaning the material characteristics rival those of metal products formed by melting. -
● Small Component Production
Mass production is possible for small components that are difficult to mass produce with other fabrication methods.
Ideal If...
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- ➀ Cost Benefits
- ● You have high fabrication costs
- ● You want to unify several components
- ● You have low material yield from high cost material
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- ➁ Increased Precision
- ● You have problems with discrepancies in quality
- ● You want higher precision than forging and lost-wax casting
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- ➂ Specific Materials
- ● Resin, die casting, and sintering do not provide sufficient strength
- ● You want to use a special material or a material for which fabrication is difficult
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- ➃ Other
- ● Difficult to manufacture the required quantity
- ● You want to make your product smaller
- ● You want a shape that is difficult to make with other fabrication techniques