Modern manufacturing industries use metal injection molding (MIM) and advanced metal forming technologies like powder metallurgy (PM) to design parts with intricate shapes in higher volumes. When these two technologies are combined, you get more efficient and reliable products at affordable prices. How? These manufacturing processes help achieve near-net shapes, reducing dependency on secondary operations that push the production cost due to using more resources. Hence, it can be worth understanding the benefits associated with the use of powder metallurgy in metal injection molding.
The combination of MIM and PM
As hinted, the use of these two technologies can lead to cost-effectiveness. PM methods are known for optimizing the application of raw materials by using more readily available metal powders. These cost less than solid metal. Plus, a powder metallurgy manufacturer focuses on reducing waste by recycling the extra material. Due to the use of powder metallurgy in MIM, the manufacturer also gets higher control over the distribution of powder particles within the mold, creating uniform and almost perfect products. Since it leads to creating uniform parts with complex designs, secondary machining operations are not required. You still get an excellent surface finish, accurate dimensions, and other benefits that increase the product quality.
However, these advantages are achieved only through attention to detail during product manufacturing. It starts with the selection of metal powder. Two factors play a critical role here – particle size profile and composition. Powder composition can tremendously influence the product’s hardness, strength, corrosion resistance, etc. The distribution of the particle size can affect the uniformity and density of the product during the molding process. At the same time, MIM’s preparation stage, including particle size reduction, mixing, and drying, must be carefully navigated. Once these are handled, manufacturers can increase the density and resistance of the product through sintering. When the powder is exposed to suitable temperatures, the particles align and bind well, forming a solid object. And these objects witness massive demand in sectors like automobile, aerospace, electronics, healthcare, power tools, hardware, etc. Why do these sectors prefer MIM parts?
The reason behind the popularity of MIM parts
Metal injection molding parts stand out for their varied shapes and forms, making them desirable across several applications. Because MIM is a molding process, it doesn’t affect the cost when aiming for better product features. MIM products are celebrated for their precision, but you must not be rigid about tolerances as they can eventually increase manufacturing costs. Since these parts are lightweight, modern cars and equipment can easily rely on them. Whether you need something made of nickel, cobalt, titanium, or other materials, you don't have to look beyond this technology. For an experience, you can check MIM components for car door lock, gearbox, and engine. Some can also be included in laptop hinges, camera frames, charging slots, etc. They can be combined in electric hammers and more.
Powder metallurgy and MIM technologies are constantly evolving, introducing new manufacturing trends. These versatile processes have made product choices broader and more efficient by utilizing new raw materials with unique properties that cannot be tested with older metal-forming manufacturing styles. Due to their amalgamation, you can quickly meet your sustainability goal and not worry about quality or cost.
