Upcoming Event:
Welcome to our new website! Discover our latest features and improved design. Same precision. Enhanced experience.
Robotic machine moving parts into trays
Home / Resources / Article / Mim Series Part 1
ARTICLE

MIM Series Part 1

2 mins

MIM Series Part 1

Let's explore MIM. MIM offers a unique combination of metal strength and durability with the design flexibility of injection molding. At OptiMIM, two different types of MIM are available – standard and multi-slide. Both offer similar advantages, such as creating complex geometries, combining multiple parts, enhancing features, dramatically reducing cycle times, and obtaining greater precision and consistency. More details about each type will be shared in a future blog post. For now, let’s discuss the steps in the MIM process.

For more information on the  MIM process, contact our engineering team  today!

MIM Process

The MIM process involves four steps: compounding, molding, debinding, and sintering. These four steps, along with feedstock, will be the focus of the next five parts of this blog series. Here is a brief overview of each process.

Feedstock/Compounding

MIM utilizes metal powders combined with a plastic and wax binder, known as feedstock, as the foundation for creating parts. By mixing feedstock in-house, a wide range of metals can be offered, including NiFe, 316SS, 420SS, 17-4SS, titanium, and copper. Pre-alloyed metal powders are also available. Once mixed, the feedstock is processed through a twin-screw extruder and pelletized.

Molding

The pellets are loaded into either a standard MIM machine or a proprietary multi-slide MIM machine. At this point, the component is called a “green part”. The final part will have the same geometry as the green part but will be about 20% smaller. 

Debinding

In this step, some of the binder from the feedstock is removed. Heat, chemicals, or a combination of both are used to remove the binders and prepare the part for sintering. Once the binder is removed, the part is referred to as a “brown part”.

Sintering

The brown part is placed into a continuous or batch vacuum furnace and subjected to temperatures near the material’s melting point. This removes the remaining binder and densifies the part, resulting in the 20% shrinkage mentioned earlier. Sintering takes approximately 15-20 hours.

Part Two of this series will focus exclusively on the feedstock aspect of the MIM process. To answer any questions or for further discussion, contact our engineering team today!

Related Articles
MIM Series Part 2: Feedstock
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.
Read the Article
Food Grade Stainless Steel
Food-grade stainless steel is a popular choice for food processing equipment due to its strength, corrosion resistance, and easy sanitation. Metal injection molding (MIM) offers a cost-effective and efficient way to produce complex stainless steel parts for this industry.
Read the Article
How Large Can You Create a MIM Component?
The size of a MIM component is generally limited to under 160 grams, but part complexity and design can influence this. Larger, more complex parts may still be suitable for MIM if they can be optimized for the process through design for manufacturing techniques.
Read the Article
Interested in starting your MIM journey?

Our engineers are here to answer your questions and show you how innovative investment casting technologies can revolutionize your next project and beyond.

Contact Us
©2024 Optimim. All rights reserved
Optimim is part of a larger family of metal manufacturing companies:
Brand markBrand markBrand mark