Powder Injection Molding (PIM) – A Pro Guide To Master It!

Introduction

Do you know how powder injection molding (PIM) works? It makes strong parts from tiny metal powders. You will know how to make parts quickly. Save time and materials with PIM, we’ll talk about that. What do you want to know more about?

 

What is Powder Injection Molding (PIM)?

Powder Injection Molding (PIM) uses tiny metal or ceramic powders mixed with special plastic. You put the mix into a mold. The mold shapes the mix. It is cooled and forms the “green part.”

Then, heat pulls the plastic away, revealing a ‘brown part’. Once heated, the part shrinks by 15-20%, and becomes very strong. What you can do is make lots of tiny strong parts.

Car, medical and aeroplane parts are made by PIM. The creation of complicated shapes with ease and speed is possible with PIM.

 

PIM Process: Step-by-Step Breakdown!

  • Feedstock Preparation: First you mix the metal or ceramic powder with what’s called a binder. It allows for soft material to be used for shaping. The powder is frequently tiny, from 0.1 to 20 microns. This helps control strength. 40% binder, mix with 60% powder. The blend needs to be perfect for shaping parts in powder injection molding (PIM).

 

  • Injection Into Mold: Melt your mixture over heat until soften. It’s pushed into the mold at high pressure, about 50 MPa. What’s called the green part is created. It’s ready for more work now. The shape matches the mold. Powder injection molding (PIM) lets you make parts with tight precision.

 

  • Thermal or Solvent Debinding: The binder is taken out with heat or solvent. All you are left with is a porous piece, the ‘brown part.” It runs from 200°C to 600°C. It’s all about being pretty controlled so it doesn’t break the shape. After this step, it’s ready for the next process.

 

  • Sintering At High Temperatures: Then, you heat the brown part until particles attach. The temperature of sintering is for metals till 1400C, and for ceramics 1500C. The added cement makes the piece solid and strong. Particles bond at the high temperature making the final object durable. Finishing tough components is what it’s all about.

 

  • Final Product Shrinkage: The part shrinks by 15 to 20% as it cools. The size is right because of careful planning. It’s also helped by adjusting your feedstock. After sintering, something called shrinkage happens, so you need to account for this step. This result is appropriate for automotive industries.

 

Advantages of Powder Injection Molding (PIM)!

·        Complex Geometries Achievable

You can make parts with tricky shapes using powder injection molding (PIM). Mixing small metal or ceramic powders with a binder and squeezing them into molds. About 20% shrink parts.

The poor nutrient material makes these stones dense and strong. Results from PIM are very exact with ±0.3% precision. Powder injection molding (PIM) helps in creating cool parts like dental implants. We provide MIM-304 and other materials for complex parts at JH MIM.

·        High Material Efficiency

PIM uses materials wisely. Up to 98% of the powder stays in the part. It reduces waste by reducing the feedstock to a mix of powder and binder. It’s more with less. It is more with less in making things like car parts. Even scrap materials can get reused. Powder injection molding (PIM) is a smart way to save materials and costs.

·        Minimal Finishing Required

With PIM you make smooth parts right from the mold. If you are making medical tools etc. you won’t need much extra work. The parts have surfaces so smooth they simply need no fixing.

The leftover bits can all be cleaned off easily. In PIM you have very small surface variations, only 0.1 mm. At JH MIM, our sintering process results in smooth parts with minimum surface variations.

·        Repeatable Precision

With PIM, you get the same results every single time. You can make a lot of parts just alike and it’s great for that. Parts stay the right size by molding pressures from 500 to 1000 bars. For small, exact parts like connectors, PIM has them all in just the right size. And they’re small variations 0.01 mm.

·        High-Volume Cost Savings

Making many parts? PIM saves money. Molds last longer, and it doesn’t need much fixing after as well. PIM can save up to 40% on big projects — like parts for the engine. You spend too much on making parts because you can make thousands of parts. The result is durable molds and low post processing.

 

Machine/Equipment Clamping Force (T) Shot Volume (cm³) Pressure (MPa) Part Size
Micro Injection Machines 15 1.2 50 Small, precise parts
Servo-Hydraulic Systems 25-400 2128 50-120 Large parts, complex shapes
Wear-Resistant Components N/A N/A N/A Prolongs equipment lifespan
Automated Process Controls N/A N/A N/A Consistent part quality
Multi-Cavity Mold Options 50-100 Varies by mold size 80-150 Multiple parts per cycle
Vacuum Pumps (Automation) N/A N/A N/A Smooth, defect-free parts

Table on Machines and Equipment for PIM!

 

Materials Used in PIM and Their Applications!

·        Complex Geometries Achievable

You can make parts with tricky shapes using powder injection molding (PIM). Mixing small metal or ceramic powders with a binder and squeezing them into molds. About 20% shrink parts.

The poor nutrient material makes these stones dense and strong. Results from PIM are very exact with ±0.3% precision. Powder injection molding helps in creating cool parts like dental implants.

·        High Material Efficiency

PIM uses materials wisely. Up to 98% of the powder stays in the part. It reduces waste by reducing the feedstock to a mix of powder and binder. It’s more with less. It is more with less in making things like car parts. Even scrap materials can get reused. Powder injection molding (PIM) is a smart way to save materials and costs.

·        Minimal Finishing Required

With PIM you make smooth parts right from the mold. If you are making medical tools etc. you won’t need much extra work. The parts have surfaces so smooth they simply need no fixing. The leftover bits can all be cleaned off easily. In PIM you have very small surface variations, only 0.1 mm.

·        Repeatable Precision

With PIM, you get the same results every single time. You can make a lot of parts just alike and it’s great for that. Parts stay the right size by molding pressures from 500 to 1000 bars. For small, exact parts like connectors, PIM has them all in just the right size. And they’re small variations 0.01 mm.

·        High-Volume Cost Savings

Making many parts? PIM saves money. Molds last longer, and it doesn’t need much fixing after as well. PIM can save up to 40% on big projects — like parts for the engine. You spend too much on making parts because you can make thousands of parts.

 

Machines and Equipment for PIM!

·        Micro Injection Machines

These are small part making machines. Powders are injected into molds. It produces a 15-ton clamping force. It can be used for medical tools. It gives a shot volume of 1.2 cm³. Tiny parts are made fast. Powder injection molding (PIM) helps reduce waste. Every part is made perfectly with this tool.

·        Servo-Hydraulic Systems

They send materials into molds. Clamping forces vary from 25 to 400 tons. It keeps pressure steady. But this enables the building of parts like car sensors. One 2128 cm³ shot volume is possible. Powder injection molding (PIM) makes big batches quickly.

·        Wear-Resistant Components

Under pressure, these parts stay strong. You simply receive bi metallic barrels and screws. They don’t wear out fast. These parts are needed by machines to mold metal or ceramic pieces. It helps powder move better with a longer barrel nozzle. This way, you save time and materials. It makes making many pieces at once.

·        Automated Process Controls

Using these controls allows machines to work quickly. It works—you press a button. It’s what you see inside on the screen. A vacuum pump keeps air out. That helps make smooth parts. Many parts can be made without mistakes by robots. It checks pressure and speed to ensure that everything is OK.

·        Multi-Cavity Mold Options

You can make more parts at once with these molds. Each mold is filled by the long nozzle fast. It does fairly well with metal powders. It saves time and waste. These car or medical parts are good for these molds. To make production faster, the systems fill each cavity at the same instance.

 

Common Issues in PIM and How to Avoid Them?

·        Mold Filling Defects

When using powder injection molding (PIM), sometimes the mold doesn’t fill right. If the powder hasn’t ‘melted’ properly the powder flow rate slows down and you get short shots.

Powder slows down if its viscosity is high, and cause vents to increase and open bigger. Special gates in PIM allow powdered material to flow smoothly. Observe powder weight and flow for a better-quality product.

·        Debinding Failures

In PIM binders are removed by debinding. Go too fast, and parts crack. Damage is best stopped by keeping heat at 5°C per minute. To make strong parts, pick the right binder. During PIM debinding, slow down to get the binder to come off evenly. The pieces we do create are better when there are right conditions.

·        Sintering Shrinkage

Heated PIM parts shrink. This shrinkage is typically 15 – 20%. Too much change in temperature causes parts to shrink unevenly. Temperature changes should be kept to ±5°C. Control of shrinkage is facilitated by good powder size and shape.

·        Feedstock Inconsistencies

Where there is inconsistent mixing, PIM has bad parts. When you have powder clumps, you get holes in your pieces. Problems are stopped by mixing at 60 RPM for 2 hours. That flows right because of the proper mix of binder and powder. Try to limit the variation in binder ratio to 2-3% vacuum, 1-2% filters, 0-1% standard filter.

·        Control Challenges in Temperature

Key in PIM is controlling heat. Too hot and parts warp. Debinding and sintering temperatures are held ±2˚C. Cracks stop if cooled properly.

 

PIM Applications Across Industries!

·        Aerospace Turbine Components

PIM can make strong turbine blades. It uses metal powder that is as small as 25 micrometers. Jet engines take these blades. Furthermore, they must endure exposure to heat up to 1,000°C. Using high pressure—100 MPa, you shape the parts. Its weight is 5 kg and its length 30 cm. It spins at 10,000 RPM!

·        Automotive Engine Parts

PIM helps make engine valves. For these parts, you use 10 micrometer powder. Car engines get hot, up to 200°C. High pressure is used to shape pistons and valves—50-120 MPa. Half a 100g and 10 cm long valve. Powder injection molding (PIM) creates strong, precise parts for engines.

·        Medical Surgical Tools

Small tools made with PIM are used by doctors. Powders less than 5 micrometers can be shaped. Common is stainless steel; it won’t rust. The scalpels are 15 cm long and weight 100 grams as surgical tools. Powder injection molding (PIM) shapes tools for precise cutting during surgeries, such as tissue removal.

·        Electronics Micro Parts

PIM is used to make tiny parts, such as microchips. The powder size is smaller than 10 micrometers. You mold and shape materials like copper and ceramic. They’re small microchips, about 1 mm in width and less than half a gram. They get inside phones and computers. Tiny, complex shapes for electronic parts are made by PIM.

·        High-Precision Gears

Gears are shaped inside machines by PIM. These gears must be made of steel or titanium, and be exact. It is about 5 micrometers powder size. They are 5 cm in diameter, and weigh 50 grams. To form them you need high pressure—80 to 150 MPa. Gears allow machines to be smooth like cars and clocks.

 

Conclusion

Powder injection molding (PIM) makes strong parts fast. They are easy to learn steps. It saves you time and materials. Take a visit to JHMIM and start utilizing PIM for your projects today!

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