The international Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) industry once again accounted for a significant proportion of the winning parts in the Metal Powder Industry Federation’s (MPIF) 2017 Powder Metallurgy Design Excellence Awards competition.

The winners were announced during the POWDERMET2017 International Conference on Powder Metallurgy and Particulate Materials, Las Vegas, USA, June 13-16, 2017.

These parts demonstrate MIM’s ability to deliver complex, high-performance and cost-saving solutions for end-users in a diverse range of end-user sectors, from automotive and aerospace, to medical devices and firearms.

Grand prizes

Grand Prize in the Automotive-Engine: Phillips-Medisize

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The Grand Prize in the Automotive-Engine category went to Phillips-Medisize, Menomonie, Wisconsin, USA, for a four-slot fuel valve seat made for Delphi.

The Metal Injection Moulded part goes into the Multec3.5 compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel injector that satisfies the market’s need for a low-cost, low-pressure port fuel injector.

It is currently used by several small-engine and automotive applications, including aftermarket CNG conversions for trucks and cars, helping contribute to a reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions.

Aerospace/Military: Dynacast Portland

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The Grand Prize in the Aerospace/Military category was won by Dynacast Portland, Wilsonville, Oregon, USA, for a MIM 17-4 PH canard made for UTC Aerospace Systems and Raytheon Company.

The stainless steel part is used on the Talon, an add-on guidance and control package that transforms a legacy 2.75-inch Hydra-70 unguided rocket into a low-cost, precision-guided weapon.

Three canards on each Talon act as the primary flight control surfaces. The Metal Injection Moulded canard underwent a stringent qualification process.

Hardware/Appliance: Indo-MIM Pvt. Ltd

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The Grand Prize in the Hardware/Appliance category was awarded to Indo-MIM Pvt. Ltd, India, for three Metal Injection Moulded parts—upper stop ring, stop ring and stop sleeve—made for Grohe, Germany.

The parts go into the valve of a bath shower temperature controller unit. Made of MIM-316L stainless steel, all three complex parts are fabricated close to net shape and special ceramic setters are employed for enhanced shape retention during sintering.

Medical/Dental: ARC Group Worldwide

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The Grand Prize in the Medical/Dental category went to ARC Group Worldwide, Longmont, Colorado, USA, for a Metal Injection Moulded surgical keel punch made for Paragon Medical.

The part functions as a broach to remove bone during knee surgery. Made from MIM 17-4 PH stainless steel, the part is moulded and sintered to net shape with no additional coining, machining or other post-processing to alter its shape.

Awards of distinction

Automotive-Chassis: Indo-MIM Pvt. Ltd

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The Award of Distinction in the Automotive-Chassis category went to Indo-MIM Pvt. Ltd., India, for a MIM-4605 low-alloy steel top plate and check shim stop made for its customer Multimatic Dynamic Suspensions.

The mating parts go into shock absorbers on the Chevrolet Camaro sports car. The Metal Injection Moulded design provided increased repeatability and accuracy, providing an estimated 25% cost savings.

Aerospace/Military: ARC Group Worldwide

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An Award of Distinction in the Aerospace/Military category was presented to ARC Group Worldwide, Longmont, Colorado, USA, for a MIM-4140 low-alloy steel latch made for Sig Sauer Inc.

The internal latch drives a subassembly for the telescoping feature of the collapsible stock on MCX and MPX rifles. The part was designed for Metal Injection Moulding as it could not be economically made using any other fabrication method.

Hand Tools/Recreation: Indo-MIM Pvt. Ltd

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An Award of Distinction in the Hand Tools/Recreation category went to Indo-MIM Pvt. Ltd., India, for a set of Metal Injection Moulded parts, including a barrel block, gas block, bolt catch, 7.62 NATO mag conversion bar, ejector retainer, and extractor link, that go into an MDR rifle made by Deserttech.

The MIM-designed parts replaced ones that were machined, and reduced the cost by 30% while manufacturing lead-time was cut in half.

www.mpif.org

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