Hinge maker SZS diversifies MIM product lines
December 13, 2017
Taiwanese MIM notebook hinge specialist Shin Zu Shing (SZS) is expanding its product lines beyond notebook applications to include MIM components for automotive parts, medical equipment and machine tools, reports Digitimes. The company is understood to be a supplier of hinges for Apple’s MacBook series, among others.
It was stated that MIM-processed components can be used to replace plastics parts, particularly on new cars that feature a large number of data sensors which may require heat dissipation or electromagnetic properties.
At present, SZS operates a total of thirty-four MIM batch furnaces. As it expands its product lines, the company will expand its MIM capacity with two new continuous furnaces in 2018. It was stated that as the capacity of one continuous furnace is equivalent to the combined capacity of six batch furnaces, SZS is expected to see a large boost to its MIM capacity.
In 2017, up to 60-70% of SZS’s MIM hinges were produced for notebooks assembled in Taiwan and China, while the remaining 30-40% were shipped to other countries; a dramatic shift from 2016, when a reported 30% of hinges remained in Taiwan/China and 70% were shipped overseas. This change is believed to be due to Apple having fully incorporated the hinges into new MacBooks.
