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Watch cases and bracelet parts: PIM moves upmarket
Feature article: PIM International, Vol.2 No. 2 June 2008, pages 31-32, 1026 words
Introduction
Powder injection moulding has made great strides in establishing itself as a cost-efficient manufacturing technology for innovative watch designs ranging from the everyday stainless steel watches to luxury, diamond-clad timepieces. Consulting Editor, Bernard Williams, takes a look at some recent trends.
Powder injection moulding has made great strides in establishing itself as a cost-efficient manufacturing technology for innovative watch designs ranging from the everyday stainless steel watches to luxury, diamond-clad timepieces. Consulting Editor, Bernard Williams, takes a look at some recent trends.
The MIM and CIM producers in Hong Kong (China), Taiwan, and South Korea were not slow in adopting powder injection moulding technology for watch parts. Hong Kong has long been a global leader in the export of watches, clocks and related parts, and it is estimated that 75% of its timepiece exports is on an OEM basis with customers in the USA, the EU and Japan. Its manufacturers have continued to invest in modern production technologies to enhance quality and productivity, and MIM has been found to be especially suitable for production of sophisticated design of stainless steel cases, bands and buckles of complex shapes. Hong Kong based Lap Keung Precision Co Ltd is a leading manufacturer of stainless steel MIM watch parts which are produced at its plant in Pinghu Town, Shenzhen. Lap Keung added the manufacture of ceramic injection moulded watch cases and bracelets in 2007. A number of other Chinese watch producers have followed suit both for MIM (stainless steel, tungsten steel, and hardmetal) and CIM (zirconia) watch parts, as have Taiwan producers such as Coho Technology, based in Shang Tayaong, which produces both MIM and CIM watch cases for the ......
Figures and Tables:Fig. 1 Selection of watch components and tungsten balance weights (for automatic watches). Courtesy Citizen Watch Co., Japan, 'International PM Directory' 13th Edition Fig. 2 PIM zirconia watch parts produced by Chaozhou Three-Circle Group Co ltd, China Fig. 3 Example of one of wide range of zirconia watches produced by ECCO in South Korea Fig. 4 Carbide case from Ceratizit for the Swiss watch manufacturer Rado: injection moulded parts before sintering Fig. 5 Rado’s all-ceramic ‘Ceramica’ watch |
__________________________________ Also available from PIM International: The potential of PIM for the manufacture of precious metal jewellery (PDF Store) Applications for metal injection moulded products (Free feature) Metal and ceramic injection moulding: A guide for designers and end-users (Free feature) ______________________________________ |
