For twenty-five years, INMATEC Technologies GmbH has been producing market-leading feedstocks for both Ceramic Injection Moulding (CIM) and Metal Injection Moulding (MIM). Dr Georg Schlieper recently visited the company for PIM International and, in this article, reports on its history, current activities and expectations for the future of engineered ceramics. What is clear is that following strategic investments from luxury goods house Chanel, which now owns a majority stake in the business, the future for CIM and ceramic Additive Manufacturing looks brighter than ever.
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As we start 2024, Greater China’s Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) industry is recovering from a perfect storm of challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t only impact operations at MIM plants, but key markets were adversely affected, reducing production volumes. Furthermore, after more than a decade, Apple – China’s biggest MIM parts consumer – replaced its Lightning connector, a component which required the production of billions of MIM parts. Dr Q (Y H Chiou) reports for PIM International on the changes that are now underway in this, the world’s largest MIM producing region.
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Despite the success of Ceramic Injection Moulding (CIM) in multiple end-user sectors, from luxury watches to automotive interiors and industrial engineering, there remains considerable scope for process optimisation to advance part quality, productivity and overall process capability. As part of the ‘CIM++’ research project, Ceramaret, Primaform and the iRAP institute investigated the potential of a variotherm control system for the CIM process and, as the results presented here demonstrate, significant improvements were achieved.
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Additive Manufacturing’s high geometric flexibility, when combined with the optimised properties of multi-material components, opens up new possibilities for designers and manufacturers. Recently, innovations in the design of the interfaces between different materials presents further opportunities with regard to the functionalisation and miniaturisation of components. In this article, Uwe Scheithauer, Fraunhofer IKTS, and Robert Johne, AMAREA Technology GmbH, explore the potential in the area of ceramic-based components produced using Multi Material Jetting (MMJ) technology.
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Since the earliest days of Metal Injection Moulding’s commercialisation in Europe, in the early 1990s, Swiss company Parmaco Metal Injection Molding AG has been instrumental in perfecting the process for the most advanced applications. As well as a focus on ‘Swiss precision’, producing MIM parts to the highest dimensional accuracy, the company is also renowned for the production of complex microMIM® components. Dr Georg Schlieper reports on a recent visit to the company for PIM International.
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CMG Technologies Ltd, the UK’s only producer of components by Metal Injection Moulding (MIM), has had a busy few years. Most recently, the company hit the headlines when it was acquired by Indo-MIM, widely considered to be the world’s largest MIM producer with significant operations in India and the US. Prior to this, CMG had been expanding its presence in the metal Additive Manufacturing arena, developing its own range of filaments and providing toll debinding and sintering services to users of BASF’s Ultrafuse products. Dr Martin McMahon visited the company and reports on developments.
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The 4th Workshop on Sinter-based Additive Manufacturing, organised by Fraunhofer IFAM, in Bremen, Germany, took place from September 13-14 2023. It convened global experts to discuss advancements and challenges in the field. The workshop explored the maturation and potential applications of sinter-based AM technologies and highlighted the latest technical advances. Sonja Böske da Costa reports on the workshop’s presentations and discussions.
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Metal Injection Moulding has been the technology of choice for the micro robotics industry for many years, delivering micro-sized precision metal components in medium to high volumes. As the complexity and number of applications increases, there is an opportunity for accelerated product development and more flexible manufacturing through the combination of sinter-based Additive Manufacturing and Computational Engineering. Here, Dr Gerald Mitteramskogler, Josefine Lissner and Dr Stefan Bindl consider how these technologies can be combined for the best possible results.
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The potential of sinter-based Additive Manufacturing for industrial production, along with the diversity of the processes that are being developed, continues to surprise. Switzerland’s Exentis Group AG has taken its own path to commercial success with what it terms ‘Additive Screen Printing’, and its speed and precision is delivering growth and opening up opportunities around the world. Dr Georg Schlieper reports on a recent visit to the company for PIM International.
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Titanium has long been recognised as a material with huge potential. Lightweight with excellent mechanical properties, it is also corrosion resistant and biocompatible. However, the challenge has always been cost – in part because of difficulties in machining. The Metal Injection Moulding of titanium – and more recently Binder Jetting – now present major opportunities to expand the material’s use. TriTech Titanium Parts, LLC is seizing this opportunity – whilst simultaneously maximising the scope of what it can manufacture by offering Investment Casting. Bernard North visited the company for PIM International.
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