Exclusive PIM industry news... 

Our 30 page industry news section includes the following extended news reports 

• Potential for powder injection moulded ceramics in UAV engine components
• Hybrid PM-MIM process produces ultra-micro gears
• New atomisation technology produces fine amorphous metal powders
• Fully automatic PIM multi-component tool kit enables the replication and joining of parts without brazing for nuclear fusion power plants
• New method for cost effective classification of ultrafine 316L stainless steel powders
• Formatec promotes innovations in technical ceramics technology to Dutch industry  

 Exclusive reports and articles... 

Powder Injection Moulding: Statistical trends and forward forecasts for the industry

The Powder Injection Moulding (PIM) industry has come a long way since the early 1980s, when sales reports were first published. In this exclusive report for PIM International, Prof Randall German presents a statistical review of industry trends, including both metal and ceramic injection moulding, and considers what the future prospects are for an industry that serves a diverse range of end-user markets and has evolved to have such striking regional variations.

The processing and properties of MIM Superalloys

The production of MIM superalloys is one of the few remaining secretive areas of our technology, with information on applications in the aerospace sector, and the necessary properties achieved, kept confidential in order to protect decades of privately funded research and a competitive advantage. There remains, however, a significant volume of data available on what can be achieved via MIM processing. In this extensive review, Burghardt Klöden, Thomas Weissgärber, Bernd Kieback and Ingolf Langer present a detailed analysis of published work to-date and consider the potential for this area of MIM technology. 

Polymer Technologies Inc. looks to the aerospace industry for new PIM applications

In 2012 Polymer Technologies Inc., based in Clifton, New Jersey, USA, celebrated 25 years as a specialist producer of precision injection moulded components. Since the mid 1990s, when the company expanded from advanced plastics to Metal Injection Moulding, it has successfully targeted niche markets such as aerospace with a focus on high performance materials. PIM International’s Nick Williams reports on recent developments.

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 Technical papers 

Moulding equipment for the processing of coarse powders by Metal Injection Moulding

M Maetzig, H Walcher

Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) is a mature technology for the net shape production of complex metallic components. Typically the MIM process utilises small spherical powders, having particle sizes below 30 μm. Today there are tendencies to use coarser powder particles for MIM processing. There are different reasons for these tendencies: on one hand there is a growing demand for titanium MIM parts, where coarser powder particles are used because of the high reactivity of titanium powder. On the other hand there are economical considerations to use coarser powders also for the production of traditional MIM materials such as steels. The processing of coarser powders generates additional demands on the design of the plasticising unit of injection moulding machines because there is a significantly higher wear compared to the processing of standard powders. This paper presents methods to minimise wear and discusses tests for the processing of low alloyed steel powders with particle sizes < 45 μm and < 63 μm as well as Ti6Al4V powder < 45 μm.

Development of the Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis (USP) process for nanopowder production (Part 1) 

G Matula1, J Bogovic, S Stopic, B Friedrich

Nanostructured materials and their applications have been one of the key research topics for industry in recent decades. Various nanomaterials and numerous applications for them are known today, and much research has been undertaken on the use of nanopowders in the Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) process. However, the industrial application of nanomaterials is still challenged by the limited number of methods suitable for large scale nanomaterials production, especially when it comes to nanomaterials with target morphology and complex composition. This paper reports on the scale-up of the Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis (USP) process. The USP process as a nanoparticle production method is a relatively inexpensive and versatile technology based on an aerosol process to produce fine metallic, oxidic, composite nanoparticles of precisely controlled morphology and defined chemical compositions from water solution using different metal salts and their mixtures [1-4].

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