Indo-MIM feature in Industrial Business Mart Magazine (January 2011)

8/7/2019 Indo-MIM feature in Industrial Business Mart Magazine (January 2011)

1/4

Volume 7 Issue 7 January 2011 ` 100

An EmergingManufacturing Technology!

Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) is one

of the emerging technologies being

exploited across the globe. Indo-MIM

has taken an initiative to begin a

reader's column from this issue.

ShowcasingInnovations & Technologies

ShowcasingInnovations & TechnologiesIMTEX is the largest exhibition of metal-cutting machine tools

and manufacturing solutions in South and South-East Asia.

The 15th Indian Metal-cutting Machine Tool Exhibition with

international Participation is scheduled from 20 to 26 January

2011 at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) in

Bangalore, India.

Tete A Tete

Jagadish Panchal

Managing Director

Jekson Machinery Pvt Ltd

Feature Article

Milling developments

for High Speed Machining


2/4

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY

www.industrialbusinessmart.com 45January 2011

Indo-MIM has taken an initiative to begin a

reader's column, where technocrats could

get their advise (suggestion) with respect to

migrating existing parts or sub-assemblies to

the innovative MIM technology.

Readers could also have a look at the website

www.indo-mim.com & then give feedback.

Introduction Metal Injection Moulding

(MIM)

Metal injection Moulding (MIM) is an

emerging manufacturing technology across

Indo-MIM is World's largest MIM Company. It

is based in Bangalore, & is engaged in

manufacturing complex shaped steel,

stainless steel, & ceramic parts as per

customer drawings using this innovative

technology MIM.

The company has been successful in

developing 1300 varieties of different

products since inception in 1997. The

company today has the largest set-up of MIM

in the world & has customer base spread

across 32 countries.

the world for the small, complex, precise &

net shape metal parts.

The need of manufacturing technology forsmall, precise, complex shaped parts in large

volumes with short lead times and at

competitive price has triggered the MIM

technology .MIM Technology evolved from

Plastic injection molding & powder

metallurgy, for manufacturing the complex

shaped precise metal parts.

The MIM process is very similar to plastic

injection molding and high-pressure die

Metal Injection Moulding (MIM)An Emerging Manufacturing Technology

MIM or Metal Injection Molding technology is one of the emerging

technologies being exploited across the globe. This technology is a near-net

shape metal forming technology which allows three dimensional shaped steel

& stainless steel components to be made with great ease, in large quantities.

The main forte of this technology is its consistency & repeatability.Sachin Malgave


3/4

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY

46 www.industrialbusinessmart.com January 2011

casting, and it can produce much the same

shapes and configuration features.

However, it is limited to relatively small,

highly complex metal parts that otherwise

would require extensive finish machining or

assembly operations if made by any other

conventional metal forming process. The

advantages of the metal injection molding

process lie in its capability to produce

mechanical properties nearly equivalent to

wrought materials, while being a net-shape

process technology with good dimensional

tolerance control.

Metal injection molded parts offer a nearly

unlimited shape and geometric-feature

capability, with high production rates

through the use of multi-cavity tooling. The

limitation MIM is subject to is one of overall

part size, with most components generally

not exceeding 250 g.

It consists of process steps such as

MIM Process Flow

Compounding, Injection molding, debinding

& sintering. The process involves combining

fine metal powders with plastic binders

which allow the resulting metal powder and

plastic mix referred as ' feedstock' to be

injected as a liquid into a hollow mold usingequipment similar to standard plastic

Fig 1 MIM Process Flow diagram

LOGOS brand Rotogravure Printing Machine Lamination CoatingPlant & Sliting/ Rewinding Machine

LOGOS brand Rotogravure Printing Machine Lamination CoatingPlant & Sliting/ Rewinding Machine

26/A,Sakariba Estate,Nr.Parishit Plastic,G.I.D.C.Phase IV,Vatva,Ahmedabad-382445.Gujarat,INDIA Phone : 079-25840238 Mobile : +91-94263 00527,9725030527 Telefax: +91-79-22164987

Email : [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]: http://www.aashishindustries.com

Metal Injection Molded (MIM) parts


4/4

www.industrialbusinessmart.com 47January 2011

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY

injection molding machines. After the part is

cooled and de-molded, but before the plastic

binding matrix is removed, the part is

referred to as a 'green part'. The next step is

to remove the plastic binders from between

the metal particles with the application of

solvents and/or thermal processes.

The resulting slightly porous metal partreferred to as a 'brown part' is sintered at

temperatures great enough to bind the

surfaces of the particles to one another, but

not enough to melt the metal outright.

Sintered parts normally attain the densities

of 96-98% of that of theoretical density.

Raw Material

Fine metal powder & polymer binders. The

raw material in the form of fine metal powder

transforms into complex metal part.

Compounding

The process involves combining fine metal

powders with polymer binders which allow

the resulting metal powder and polymer mix

referred as 'feedstock'.

Molding

Feedstock is heated to form viscous slurry

and injection molded in to a hollow mould

using equipment similar to standard plastic

injection molding machines to form green

part.

After the part is cooled and de-molded, but

before the plastic binding matrix is removed,

the part is referred to as a 'green part'.

Debinding

In this step is the plastic binders are removed

from between the metal particles with the

application of solvents and/or thermal

processes. The resulting slightly porous

metal part referred to as a 'brown part'

Sintering

In this step 'brown part' is sintered at

temperatures great enough to bind the

surfaces of the particles to one another, but

not enough to melt the metal outright.

Sintered parts normally attain the densities

of 96-98% of that of theoretical density.

The author Sachin Malgave is with Research

& Development Group of

Indo-US MIM Tec Pvt Ltd,

#45 (P), KIADB Industrial

Area, Hoskote, Bangalore

-562114, India. He can be

contacted at sachin.m@

indo-mim.com

MIM Parts with curves, profiles, irregular shapes

Documents

Indo-MIM feature in Industrial Business Mart Magazine (January 2011)