powder metal-Introduction to Metal Injection Molding

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Metal injection molding is a technique of making metallic parts， which makes use of the process of powder metallurgy。 Though the process uses metals in powdered form， it is unlike the usual powder metal dispensation。 Metal injection molding requires metallic powders to be ten to hundred times smaller in size， compared to powder metal processes。 The final product in case of metal injection molding has a higher density。 The features and benefits of metal injection molding are comparable to that of rubber and plastic molding， but the final product you get is much stronger。 This technique is often used for producing surgical tools， components of firearms， hard disk drives for computers， electrical connectors and automotive locks。

Process of Metal Injection Molding

This process comprises of five steps， which include the mixing， the injection molding， the de-binding， the sintering and the part finishing。 This process is becoming more popular by the day。

The first step involves the mixing of metallic powders， which are known to be strong and have inherent characteristics， like high impact strength， wear resistance， hardness， machine ability and temperature characteristics。 The binding agent is also added at this stage。 The purpose of mixing different metallic powders is to derive a metallic compound that has all the positive characteristics of different metals， while eliminating their respective weaknesses。

As a result of the mixing of powders， we get what is known as feedstock， which is injected into the desired molds， as it is done in the case of rubber or plastic moldings。 The component that we get as a result of molding is called as green part。

The de-binding stage involves the immersion of the green part in water baths to get rid of the binder that has gone in the part matrix。 During cross linking， the de-bounded green component is subjected to ultraviolet light， resulting to asintered metal thermo setting of the binding agents that were used among the metallic powders。