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FloMet: A North American MIM pioneer continues to expand the possibilities of MIM technology
Feature article: PIM International, Vol.5 No.2 June 2011, pages 35-41, 2436 words
FloMet has for more than twenty years been a leading member of North America’s MIM community. Its bright and spacious production facility in DeLand, Florida, has evolved over time into a state-of-the-art centre for MIM manufacturing. The company has continued to push the capabilities of the process and today manufactures a diverse range of innovative and complex MIM components. Nick Williams, Editor of Powder Injection Moulding International, reports on a recent visit.
The history of FloMet
The story of metal injection moulding (MIM) at FloMet can be traced back to the earliest days of the technology in the United States. In 1980, Raymond Wiech began licensing the MIM process through the company Witec California, and it was in 1982 that Brunswick Technetics, a business division of the Brunswick Corporation, purchased the rights to Witec and relocated operations to DeLand, Florida.
The Brunswick Corp. was primarily a manufacturer of recreational and sporting goods, but by the 1970’s it had diversified into sectors that included medical and marine products as well as niche high-tech manufacturing. By 1977 the corporation’s sales had passed $1 billion for the first time.
Following the relocation to DeLand, Brunswick Corporation invested significant resources understanding and improving the MIM process technology that it had acquired from Witec. Over a period of eight years the initial process was refined into a reliable and predictable manufacturing process and much work was put into the development of the feedstock system, as well as enhancements to the binder removal and sintering steps.
During the late 1980’s, however, Brunswick went through a period of significant restructuring that saw it refocus on its core business of recreational goods and marine manufacturing. In 1990 it sold all of its technical businesses. Out of this sale FloMet Inc. was established as a division of US powder metallurgy parts producer Metal Powder Products Inc. (MPP), headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana........
Further sections of this article include:
- Injection moulding and tooling
- FloMet’s feedstock
- Debinding and sintering
- Materials processed
- Finishing operations
- Quality and production management
- Markets
- MIM as a green process
- Conclusions
- Contact
Figures and Tables:
Fig. 1 FloMet’s 42,000 ft2 MIM facility in DeLand, Florida
Fig. 2 A view of FloMet’s injection moulding facility
Fig. 3 Components awaiting debinding and sintering
Fig. 4 Sintering furnaces at FloMet
Fig. 5 Orthodontic brackets, slide and hook produced by FloMet, and winner of a 2007 MPIF award. (Photo courtesy Metal Powder Industries Federation)
Fig. 6 Finishing and quality inspections at FloMet
Figs. 7,8 FloMet’s in-house laboratory is used for quality management and product development
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