<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. 

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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. 

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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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<h2>Complexity Demands Precision</h2><p>When you think of the metal injection molding and powder metallurgy processes, a few key characteristics come to mind. These components are usually high in mechanical strength, highly dense, and perform well in corrosive environments. Because of the nature of the MIM process specifically, MIM components are exceptionally dense across the board.</p><p>But what sets the <a href="/about-us/company-overview" target="_self">OptiMIM process</a> apart from the rest? Far and away, our distinguishing factor is our custom feedstock and enhanced material performance. While many of our competitors import BASF feedstock to mold components, our OptiMIM metallurgists make specialized, made-to-order feedstock with compositions tailored to each project. Since we produce our own feedstock, we have full control of all the ingredients, the recipes, and especially the control of the variables so we can guarantee the precise composition and consistency of each component.</p><h2>Why Does Material Composition Matter?</h2><p>Made-to-order feedstock sounds great on paper. But how does the quality difference translate to part performance?</p><p>With MIM, custom feedstock and precise powder composition contribute to an enhanced grain structure and grain boundary condition. This adds up to reliable and repeatable capabilities, optimal part density, highest ultimate strength, and best elongation of all final MIM components.</p><p>Since we manufacture our own feedstock, we have the freedom to specify the metal particle size distribution and develop the binder composition for each project. This makes OptiMIM’s process fully customizable to deliver the end mechanical performance and properties your application requires rather than having to settle for off-the-shelf properties of wrought metals.  Our technical experts are able to manipulate these elements to deliver on different performance requirements. This, partnered with our ability to optimize furnace recipes, ensures that OptiMIM parts are more structurally sound and consistent, perform more reliably, and are less prone to embrittlement (cracking) than parts produced with BASF feedstock. Since we can guarantee the structure and exact material composition of each part, we can guarantee industry-leading yield strength and other relevant mechanical properties.</p><h2>MIM Metals: A Cut Above the Rest</h2><p>OptiMIM’s precise and uniquely engineered feedstock composition, along with our proprietary grain structure, allows us to deliver both high strength as well as the highest elongation (ductility) performance in the industry. With other processes, design engineers are often forced to decide between optimizing mechanical strength or optimizing elongation—with OptiMIM you can have both.</p><p>For example, with 17-4PH stainless steel, heat treated to H-900, the OptiMIM mechanical properties yield up to 19% better ultimate and yield strength and up to 125% higher elongation than the Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF Std 35) industry standards.</p><h2>What Are My Material Options for Metal Injection Molding?</h2><p>At OptiMIM, we specialize in various ferrous and non-ferrous alloys including several <a href="/materials/stainless-steels" target="_self">stainless steel grades</a>, copper and copper alloys, and <a href="/materials/low-alloy-steels" target="_self">low alloy steel</a> components which make up about 70% of our business. We also have experience processing specialty alloys like Cobalt-Chromium (F-75) and other high alloy materials. But that’s not all we do.</p><p><a href="/materials/metal-selector-tool" target="_self">MIM materials</a> can have their chemistries modified when utilized in the complex metal injection molding process. These materials are customizable and come in a wide variety, and they generally fall into four categories:</p><h4>Ferrous Alloys</h4><p>Steels, stainless steels, tool steels, iron-nickel magnetic alloys, non-magnetic alloys and specialty alloys such as Invar and Kovar make up our ferrous alloy materials. Ferrous alloys are characteristically strong because they have an iron-based composition, and are often used in medical and automotive applications.</p><h4>Tungsten Alloys</h4><p>Our tungsten alloys are characteristically high in tensile strength and are naturally resistant to corrosion. We often work with a tungsten-copper alloy for parts that require a material that is heat-resistant, ablation-resistant, and is highly thermally and electrically conductive.</p><h4>Cemented Carbide Alloys</h4><p>The MIM process is compatible with hard materials such as cemented carbides and cermets. These materials consist of hard and wear resistant carbide and a tough and ductile metal binder, thus delivering a unique combination of hardness and toughness.</p><h4>Special Material Alloys</h4><p><a href="/materials/special-and-custom-materials" target="_self">Specialty materials</a> that we see a lot in the MIM process include, but are not limited to, precious metals, titanium alloys, cobalt-chromium, nickel, nickel-base super alloys, molybdenum, molybdenum-copper, and particulate composites.</p>

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Compare MIM material choices against traditional manufacturing methods to understand trade-offs in strength, durability, and design flexibility.

Material Options - How Does MIM Compare? | OptiMIM Article

OptiMIM's unique, customizable feedstock allows for greater control over material properties in metal injection molding, resulting in components with superior strength, ductility, and consistency compared to those made with standard feedstocks. 

Material Options - How Does MIM Compare?

<p>Molding, the fourth part of this blog series on MIM, focuses on loading compounding pellets into a metal injection molding machine to produce a “green part”. This part is about 20% larger than the final part, but has the same geometry.  The percentage is based on the type of metal used, which is known before mold completion. This allows for the tool to be created correctly, so the final part meets exact specifications.</p><p>When pelletized feedstock is fed into either standard or multi-slide MIM machines, it is heated and injected into a mold cavity. This high-pressure injection creates the “green” part. The part cools quickly and is ejected from the mold. Only the binders melt in the molding phase, and tooling can have multiple cavities for higher production rates. 70% of MIM defects result from tooling and another 15% from molding, making these steps critical to a correct, defect-free final part.</p><h3>Molding Machines</h3><p>The metal powder is mixed with plastic and paraffin binders at a ratio of approximately 40% binder and 60% metal. This percentage can vary based on the powder size and desired tool shrinkage. MIM parts can shrink from their original molded condition (known as the green state) to a finished sintering condition by 16-21%. This ratio is known as powder loading. There are two common methods for mixing <a href="/materials" target="_self">MIM materials</a>: using a planetary mixer or a tubular mixer. These mixers blend the material, which can be done at room temperature or heated. When heated, the material is mixed to a temperature that causes the binders to melt. Mixing continues until the metal powder is uniformly coated with the binders. The mass is then cooled and pelletized. Both mixing processes are batch processes, ensuring the metal powder is uniformly coated with the binders. The resulting pelletized mix, known as feedstock, is then ready for the molding machine.</p><p>The planetary mixer uses a batch process and is slower. It produces inconsistent blends and introduces more variables than other available mixers. The tubular mixer, which is also a batch process, is the preferred method used by OptiMIM. It offers faster throughput and creates consistent blends with fewer variables.</p><h3>Compounding</h3><p>OptiMIM utilizes conventional MIM machines that have a typical cycle time of about two shots per minute. It is ideal for larger parts and for parts that have multi-cavities and are also high-volume production. Conventional MIM machines require complex tooling, long runner systems, and long material residence time in the machine and mold. Some of the tools for conventional MIM machines could have shorter lives depending on the complexity of the part.</p><p>In part five of this series, you’ll learn how the part goes from “green” to “brown”. The next blog will focus on the debinding portion of the MIM process. </p><p><strong>Other articles in the series:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="/resources/article/mim-series-part-1">MIM Series Part 1</a></li><li><a href="/resources/article/mim-series-part-1"></a><a href="/resources/article/mim-series-part-2-feedstock">MIM Series Part 2 – Feedstock</a></li><li><a href="/resources/article/mim-series-part-3-compounding">MIM Series Part 3 – Compounding</a></li><li><a href="/resources/article/mim-series-part-5-debinding" target="_self">MIM Series Part 5 - Debinding</a></li><li><a href="/resources/article/mim-process-series-part-6-sintering">MIM Series Part 6 - Sintering</a></li></ul>

See how precise injection molding of fine powders shapes complex geometries with tight tolerances before MIM parts are sintered.

MIM Series Part 4: Molding | OptiMIM Article

The fourth part of the MIM series focuses on the molding process, where metal powder and binder are injected into a mold to create a "green part" that is slightly larger than the final product. 

MIM Series Part 4: Molding

<h2>Get your free copy of our MIM Design Guide</h2><p>Learn about <a href="/metal-injection-molding/process" target="_self">metal injection molding (MIM)</a>, and discover design freedom from the traditional constraints of trying to mold stainless steel, nickel iron, copper, titanium, and other metals in <a href="/additional-capabilities/engineering" target="_self">part designs</a>.</p><p><strong>Download a free copy of the MIM Design Guide to learn:</strong></p><ul><li>The characteristics of the ideal candidates for MIM</li><li>How complexity and cost stack up vs machined parts</li><li>Which limitations of traditional metalworking can be avoided</li><li>The “clean slate” approach to MIM design</li></ul><p><strong>Fill out the form to get a free copy of the 66-page MIM Design Guide.</strong></p><p><em></em></p>

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Download this design guide to discover best practices for maximizing performance, manufacturability, and material choice in MIM components.

MIM Design Guide | OptiMIM Whitepaper

Download our free 66-page MIM Design Guide to discover the design freedom of metal injection molding and learn how to overcome traditional metalworking limitations with your part designs. 

Medical

Medical Leaders Choose OptiMIM To Help Achieve Key Goals

Precision and Accuracy

FDA Approved

Complex Geometries

Compact Solutions

A Look At
Medical Applications

Industry Leading Certifications

BEYOND THE BASICS

Elevate Your Knowledge About Metal Injection Molding for Healthcare

Article

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Interested in starting your MIM journey?

Medical

Medical Leaders Choose OptiMIM To Help Achieve Key Goals

Precision and Accuracy

FDA Approved

Complex Geometries

Compact Solutions

A Look AtMedical Applications

Industry Leading Certifications

BEYOND THE BASICS

Elevate Your Knowledge About Metal Injection Molding for Healthcare

Article

Article

White Paper

Global Reach, Custom Solutions

Interested in starting your MIM journey?

A Look At
Medical Applications