INDO-MIM and HP showcase M2 tool steel for Additive Manufacturing of injection molding inserts
In a recent webinar hosted by Metal AM magazine, Metal Injection Molding company INDO-MIM, Bengaluru, India, discussed in detail the use of its new M2 tool steel for the Additive Manufacturing of mold inserts. The company is now using Binder Jetting (BJT) from HP to produce a wide range of tooling.
During the presentation, Harish Irrinki, Sr Applications Engineer and Strategic Account Manager at HP, also provided detailed information on HP’s Metal Jet S100 Binder Jetting solution. The Metal Jet S100 has an effective build volume of 430 x 309 x 140 mm and meets MPIF standards for stainless steel with HP Metal Jet SS 316L and HP Metal Jet SS 17-4PH materials. The HP Metal Jet workflow includes a powder management station, the Metal Jet S100 AM machine, a curing station and a powder removal station. Sintering equipment is provided by a third party, giving users the choice of either investing in a furnace or using a toll service for this stage of the process.
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INDO-MIM is the world’s largest MIM company, with over 3,000 employees producing over 150 million parts annually. Jag Holla, Sr. VP-Marketing at INDO-MIM Ltd, discussed the company’s use of Additive Manufacturing to produce mold inserts.
In addition to the design capabilities of AM, such as the inclusion of conformal cooling channels, a key advantage of AM is the speed at which the process can produce the tooling. This can save many weeks, or months, in getting a product to the customer.
Holla talked about how the company began with Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) AM machines but then moved to using Binder Jetting as the preferred production method. This was, in part, due to the speed advantage over PBF-LB, but also enabled the company to use its M2 tool steel powder for the production of mold inserts.
Over the last eighteen months, INDO-MIM has produced around 1,800 M2 steel inserts for production use, stated Holla.
Not only is BJT quicker for producing the tooling, it also offers improved properties compared to wrought material. INDO-MIM’s M2 shows superior wear and machineability performance, compared to wrought, explained Holla. This can result in a 30-50% tool life improvement, it was stated.
The full webinar can be viewed here.
