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Metal Injection Molding

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS METAL
INJECTION MOLDING?
Metal injection molding (MIM) is
a metalworking process that makes
net-shape, intricate metal parts.
The process begins with a metal
powder suspended in a polymer
binder matrix (a feedstock) that is
injected into a tool in a process
very similar to plastic injection molding resulting in a green part. The
green part becomes a brown part
after it travels through a debinding
process to remove most of the
polymer carrier. The brown part
then enters the sintering process
where it is heated in a furnace to
remove the remaining binder and
form a dense metal part. The resulting part is typically 97% dense.

WHAT SIZES AND TOLERANCES

CAN METAL INJECTION
MOLDING PRODUCE?
Most MIM parts are within 4 x
4 x 4 inches. Final dimensions can
be dependent on the geometry
of the part. Tolerances for welldesigned parts are within 0.5%.

WHAT ARE THE

LIMITATIONS OF METAL
INJECTION MOLDING?
The primary limitation of MIM
is part size. Most MIM parts are
less than 150 g, although the
average MIM part is much smaller.
Like plastic injection molding,
engineers need to pay attention to
the design of the mold to ensure
the metal flows to all corners.
In addition, parts should be
designed to handle the sintering
stage. Proper support needs to be
included during sintering in order
to ensure parts maintain desired
shape. The easiest parts to sinter
have a common co-planar surface
that can rest flat on a ceramic
substrate or setter. If the part is
designed without supports, special
fixturing can be added to minimize
or eliminate distortion of the part.

WHAT ARE SOME TYPICAL

APPLICATIONS FOR MIM?
MIM works in industries that
need intricate metal parts in higher
quantities. For example, MIM works
for small medical device components
and industrial valve components and
fittings. Other applications include
consumer electronic parts like keys,
buttons and power cord components
for cell phones. The automotive
industry uses MIM to make cams,
pinions and other engine components. Its common for contract
MIM manufacturers to require
30,000 to 50,000 part minimums.

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WHAT KINDS OF METALS

CAN BE INJECTED?
Various grades of stainless steels
are the most common types of
injected metal. They account for just
under half of MIM applications. The
second largest group of materials
used in MIM are carbon steel alloys.
The remaining materials used include
iron-nickel alloys and specialty
metals like titanium and tungsten.

WHAT TYPES OF MATERIALS

MAKE THE MOLDS?
For prototyping and lower
volumes, aluminum molds are used
to reduce initial investment costs.
Higher volume, mass production

tools are typically made from

tool steel to extend tool life.
HOW ARE THE MOLDS MADE?
AND, WHAT ARE SOME
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS?
Like a standard aluminum tool for
plastic injection molding, a MIM tool
is fabricated using a combination
of CNC milling and selective CNC
electrical-discharge machining (EDM).
After milling, the tool is polished
to customer specifications. Design
considerations for metal injection
molding are similar to those of standard injection-molded parts, including
designing parts with proper draft
and uniform wall thickness. There
are a few notable exceptions specific
to MIM. Molds for MIM need to be
oversized to account for the 15 to
20% part shrinkage that occurs during
sintering. MIM parts also require relatively large gates compared to plastic
injection-molded parts due to the high
metal content of the feedstock. Molds
for MIM parts are typically polished to
help release the parts during ejection.
DO MIM PARTS REQUIRE
POST PROCESSING?
Depending on part geometry and
material selection, post processing
is not normally required. In some
cases, secondary coining is needed
to meet part-specific dimensional
requirements. MIM parts will have
a matte finish after sintering. So,
an additional tumbling or polishing
step can be performed to make a
smoother, shinier surface finish.
Stainless steel parts typically do not
require the addition of a protective
material layer on the surface.

WHAT OTHER PROCESSES

COMPETE WITH MIM?
CNC machining is an alternative
to MIM for very low part quantities.
Often MIM can produce more
complex parts at less cost than
machining. Investment casting and
direct metal laser sintering (DMLS)
are two additional processes that
play in the same field as MIM.
Companies interested in MIM typically produce prototypes and parts
for testing via machining, investment
casting, or DMLS. However, if mass
production of parts will be made
with MIM, prototyping with MIM
will provide valuable insights regarding design for manufacturability. It
is also the only way to ensure the
functional properties of the parts
will meet production requirements.
This helps product designers and
engineers confirm manufacturability much earlier in the design
process, reduce risk and ultimately
accelerate their time to market.

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WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MIM

OVER INVESTMENT CASTING?
Unlike investment casting, MIM
can make very complex and detailed
parts with excellent surface finish
thereby eliminating secondary
machining. Also, investment casting
is a labor-intensive process that is
better suited for producing smaller
quantities of parts. In contrast, MIM
can be more cost effective because
the process can produce larger
quantities of parts in a shorter time
frame. Some MIM manufacturers
can injection mold 5,000 or more
parts in less than three weeks.
HOW DOES DIRECT METAL
LASER SINTERING (DMLS)
COMPETE WITH MIM?
DMLS can produce functional
metal parts. However, there are key
differences in final physical part and
surface characteristics. DMLS parts
require secondary machining per
part to remove support structures,
and heat treating to remove thermal
stresses in parts. DMLS also tends to
be better suited for production of
a few prototype parts. On the contrary, MIM is a cost-effective choice
for higher volumes of metal parts.

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Proto Labs, Inc. 2014

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