The March issue of Powder Injection Moulding International includes the following special features.

Feature articles

Back to Basics: Injection moulding is no problem!
In this specially commissioned feature, Dr. Georg Schlieper presents an overview of the injection moulding process, and the basics of mould design for PIM. Special emphasis is given to the specific characteristics of feedstocks used in the manufacture of PIM parts and innovations that may bring future benefits are highlighted.

JPMA: Providing an unrivalled insight into Japan’s MIM industry
The Japan Powder Metallurgy Association (JPMA) was founded in 1956 as a trade association for the then fledgling powder metallurgy (PM) industry. We report on our recent visit to the offices of the JPMA as part of our series of features on companies involved in the Japanese PIM industry.

Epson Atmix: Japan’s unique MIM powder and parts producer prepares for industry growth
Epson Atmix Corporation is unique in the global MIM industry, being both a major international MIM powder supplier as well as Japan’s largest producer of MIM parts. We visited the company’s headquarters and production facilities during a recent tour of Japanese MIM producers.

Micro powder injection moulding – challenges and opportunities
In this specially commissioned feature, Dr Frank Petzoldt takes a closer look at micro-PIM technology. Potential markets and applications are assessed in this exciting sector of the PIM industry

Divergences in global powder injection moulding
This past year was a high-water mark for powder injection moulding, with global sales nudging past $1 billion for the first time. Professor Randall M. German reviews the international PIM industry’s global performance.

Technical papers

Tube type X-COOLER for microprocessors produced by MIM technology
B. S. Zlatkov and R. Hubmann

Demand for better CPU coolers is rising continuously in parallel to the speed and reliability of microprocessors, following the motto “faster, better, cheaper”. Microprocessor dissipation heat increases, lowering the thermal conductance of metal coolers and cooling power and thus increasing the failure rate, breakdown and burning of the device......

Developments in multi-component powder injection moulding of steel-ceramic compounds using green tapes for inmould label process
A. Baumann, M. Brieseck, S. Höhn, T. Moritz and R. Lenk

Multi-component powder injection moulding is a new field of advanced research in structural and functional ceramic engineering since it offers the possibility to combine at least two different powder materials, e.g. ceramic and steel, in one component by having just one co-shaping step [1,2,3]. The near net shape characteristics, the possibility of large scale production and the high level of automation make this technology so attractive.......

Powder injection moulding of NiTi shape memory materials
J.-E. Bidaux, A. Jochem and E. Carreño-Morelli

NiTi parts have been produced by a new powder injection moulding route using a feedstock consisting of elemental TiH2 and Ni powder blended with an organic binder. The microstructure has been characterised by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. The sintered parts are porous except a dense surface layer......