Better durability and more efficiency: PLANSEE molybdenum components for MIM

In MIM sintering furnaces materials face extreme thermal and mechanical loading in a harsh environment. With its special properties molybdenum is the ideal material for these demanding conditions.

Molybdenum permits operation temperatures up to 1800 °C / 3272°F and is suitable for vacuum, nitrogen, hydrogen, argon or mixtures of these atmospheres. Compared to ceramics, molybdenum has a very low heat capacity and thermal expansion. As a result the material can be heated and cooled very fast with low energy demand and without cracking or distortion due to thermal shock. Carbon contamination from graphite components is avoided..... View full feature

Small but effective - Metal Injection Moulded micro gear wheels

The miniaturisation of components is gaining in importance in many sectors such as medical technology, biotechnology and drive technology, with an increasing demand for so-called micro components.

A research partnership involving a university and industrial companies in Germany has resulted in the successful production of micro gear wheels using metal injection moulding (MIM). ARBURG'S ALLROUNDER injection moulding technology has played its part in this partnership. View full feature

Catamold®: Powder Injection Moulding made by BASF

BASF has an unique background in plastic technology, metal powder production and new materials research. Thanks to this experience, BASF has become a solution provider for powder injection molding (PIM), making a substantial contribution to the performance improvement of this innovative manufacturing technology.

PIM allows molding metals with same ease and design freedom as for plastics. It has found application in the automotive field for turbocharger, valve train, gearbox, seat-adjustment, fuel injection and sensor systems parts.

BASF’s revolutionary catalytic debinding technology can be implemented as a fully continuous process. This provides the link between the highly automated molding machines as used in plastic and the large throughput continuous sintering furnaces as known in powder metallurgy. For this reason BASF powder injection-molding technology is naturally suitable for the mass production requirements of automotive applications. View full feature