<p>Advanced MIM technology is setting new benchmarks for the healthcare industry, enabling the creation of complex, patient-safe medical devices with unparalleled precision.</p>

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MIM enables the production of highly precise and accurate metal components, which is critical for medical devices that require strict tolerances and dimensional accuracy. 

Precision and Accuracy

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MIM can be used with a wide range of metal powders that are biocompatible, ensuring that medical devices produced using MIM are safe and approved for use in the human body.

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MIM allows for the production of intricate and complex shapes that would be difficult or impossible to achieve using traditional metalworking techniques. 

Complex Geometries

MIM is well-suited for producing small and lightweight components, which are often necessary for medical devices that need to be compact, portable, and minimally invasive.

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<h1>Shaping the Future: Part Consolidation with MIM</h1><p>The key to streamlining a supply chain is eliminating risk and minimizing the number of suppliers needed to manufacture a product. Ideally, assembly costs are also reduced. Utilizing the metal injection molding process to single source complex components achieves both.</p><p>The metal injection molding process lends itself to complex components and part consolidation that cannot be achieved by any other single process. Sign up for</p><p>the next webinar and discover how customers develop custom materials and solutions by understanding their pain points, as well as:  </p><ul><li>Methods of part consolidation</li><li>How to eliminate secondary assemblies</li><li>Risk mitigation</li><li>Complex component case studies</li></ul><h2>Fill out the form to access the recording.</h2>

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Explore how MIM allows multiple parts to be consolidated into a single component, improving product performance while reducing manufacturing steps.

Part Consolidation with MIM | OptiMIM Webinar

Metal injection molding (MIM) streamlines your supply chain by consolidating complex parts, reducing suppliers, and eliminating secondary assemblies. 

Shaping the Future: Part Consolidation with MIM

<h1>Securing Scalability: Utilizing MIM to manufacture at scale</h1><h2>Streamline regulatory design validation and manufacture at scale with metal injection molding</h2><p>When a component first goes into production, the top priority is manufacturing a sound, high-performing part—many processes can achieve that. But over the life of a project, effectively scaling the production process at the lowest total cost becomes increasingly critical. For manufacturing small, complex components at scale, metal injection molding (MIM) is the most efficient process.</p><p>OptiMIM has experts in taking projects all the way from the drawing board into mass production. Not only does the metal injection molding process lend itself to scalability with automation, large batch capacity, and relatively low up-front investment, but</p><p>engineers are experts in streamlining supply chains and validation processes.  </p><p>Sign up for a free on-demand webinar and learn how to take advantage of the MIM process to efficiently manufacture components from the prototyping stage all the way through mass production. The webinar covers:</p><ul><li>Streamlining regulatory validations, like FDA approval</li><li>Manufacturing with MIM at a lower total cost to scale</li><li>Shortening your supply chain with automation and part consolidation</li><li>MIM case studies</li></ul><h3>Fill out the form to sign up for our free on-demand webinar:</h3><p></p><p>Don’t just take our word for it. This year, OptiMIM was recognized by the Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) at the 2020 Powder Metallurgy Design Excellence Awards for the design and production of one of two jaws of a surgical device for the Medical/Dental Category. This part ran at approximately 10,000 parts per year, and was recognized for excellence in precision and durability.</p><p><strong>With OptiMIM, producing high-performing parts at scale is standard.</strong></p>

See how MIM helps scale production of intricate parts, maintaining precision, repeatability, and cost control from prototype to mass volume.

Securing Scalability: Utilizing MIM to manufacture at scale

Learn how to scale production of small, complex components efficiently and affordably using metal injection molding (MIM) in this free on-demand webinar. 

<h1>MIM Series Part 2: Feedstock</h1><p>A previous blog post –&nbsp;MIM 101&nbsp;– provided a high-level overview of the MIM process. As promised, this post in the series focuses on feedstock. The MIM process involves four steps: compounding, molding, debinding, and sintering. Feedstock, the end result of compounding, is essential to the entire MIM process. Selecting the right powder mixture ensures the best possible part is manufactured.</p><p>To learn more about the MIM process, keep reading or&nbsp;contact our team of engineers.</p><h2>What Is Feedstock?</h2><p>Metal Injection Molding utilizes a blend of metal powders combined with a plastic and wax binder. This mixture, known as feedstock, forms the foundation of the final part. OptiMIM takes pride in mixing its own feedstock, allowing for a diverse selection of metals for customer use.</p><p>Customers can choose from a variety of metal mixtures. Some common feedstocks include NiFe, 316SS, 420SS, 17-4SS, 4140, titanium, and copper. OptiMIM also offers custom powder blends to achieve specific mechanical properties, high-temperature resistance, and weight requirements.</p><h3>Manufacturing the MIM powder</h3><p>Metal powder is typically manufactured in two ways: water atomization and gas atomization. Water atomization involves pouring molten metal through a nozzle and spraying it with water jets to create metal droplets. These droplets are then quenched with water and collected at the bottom of a tank. The rapid cooling results in rough and irregularly shaped particles with better "brown part" strength and consistency during sintering, but also leads to higher oxidization and oxygen levels.</p><p>Gas atomization is similar, but uses an inert gas instead of water to atomize the molten metal into fine droplets. These droplets cool as they fall in an atomizing tower, resulting in spherical particles with a high level of cleanliness, better powder distribution, and superior oxygen and carbon control. However, this process can lead to poor "brown part" strength and sintering issues like sag and drag.</p><p>After atomization, the particles are separated and classified by size, typically ranging from 4 to 25 microns for MIM applications. Screening and air classification are two common methods. Screening utilizes various sized screens to separate particles, while air separators use a rising column of air to sort heavier, denser particles from finer ones. Smaller particles generally cost more, though some manufacturers have refined their processes to produce them at higher yields.  To ensure accurate particle size distribution, a particle size analyzer is used for quality checks.</p><p>Mix sheets guide the combination of metal powders, wax, and plastic binders in specific ratios to achieve proper shrinkage. These ingredients are mixed, blended, and processed through a twin-screw extruder to create feedstock pellets.</p><p>Part Three of this series will focus on&nbsp;compounding.&nbsp;Any questions regarding feedstock? Anything that needs further explanation?&nbsp;Contact a team of engineers for more information.</p>

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Examine how carefully engineered feedstock determines the flowability, molding success, and ultimate strength of finished MIM components.

MIM Series Part 2: Feedstock | OptiMIM Article

Metal injection molding (MIM) uses a feedstock of metal powder mixed with a binder, which is crucial for producing quality parts and can be created through water or gas atomization. 

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