The winners of the 2026 Powder Metallurgy Design Excellence Awards competition, sponsored by the Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF), were announced at the 2026 Powder Metallurgy World Congress (WorldPM2026), held in Montreal, Canada, June 26-29.

Ten Grand Prizes and fourteen Awards of Distinction were presented in this year’s competition, with entries divided into three categories: Conventional Press and Sinter PM, Metal Injection Molding, and Metal Additive Manufacturing.

The winners once again demonstrate PM’s diversity and ability to meet critical requirements. From electric vehicles to security locks to portable dance floors, parts manufacturers have demonstrated PM’s versatility and unique ability to challenge competing technologies.

The following are prizes presented in the Metal Injection Molding category:

GRAND PRIZE AWARDS

Military/Firearms

A Grand Prize in the Military/Firearms Category for MIM components was awarded to INDO-MIM Ltd, Bengaluru, India, for a monolithic housing/chassis for a rifle. The component is made using MIM-17-4 PH stainless steel to a minimum density of 7.5 g/cm3.

The complex geometry with undercuts and cavities requires advanced mould design and careful ejection strategies to prevent distortion. The components are sintered on custom-designed setters in a batch furnace with a sintering cycle time of 24 hours. The part was originally machined from bar stock. MIM processing is 70% more energy efficient than casting and forging and reduces material waste significantly.

Hand Tools/Recreation

A Grand Prize in the Hand Tools/Recreation Category for MIM components was awarded to INDO-MIM Ltd, for a fall-arrest system pulley. The component is designed to control rope movement and provide automated braking and locking during a fall. When a rapid descent or sudden load occurs, the mechanism engages instantly, stopping the rope and ensuring worker safety in height related tasks in construction, maintenance, and rescue operations.

MIM processing leads to higher dimensional accuracy, superior surface finish, lower porosity, and less machining compared with casting. This results in more reliable braking control due to accurate and repeatable geometry, higher durability from improved hardness and wear resistance, reduced variation compared with casting, and lower cost through near-net shape MIM processing and minimal machining.

Industrial Motors/Controls

In the Industrial Motors/Controls Category for MIM Components, a Grand Prize was awarded to INDO-MIM Ltd for a fork/connector designed for integration within flow meter sensor assemblies. The component features two symmetrical wings, each containing four threaded holes for secure mounting and a central pip to ensure precise alignment during assembly.

The tool is widely used in fermentation monitoring instruments that operate continuously in hygienic, corrosive, and temperature-controlled environments such as breweries, biopharma, and food processing plants. The smooth, pore-free surfaces of the component are ideal for repeated sterilization. The part was previously a machined casting. MIM processing produced a near-net shape part, eliminating post-process machining and resulted in reduced material waste.

Medical/Dental

A Grand Prize in the Medical/Dental components Category for MIM components was awarded to INDO-MIM Ltd for a vessel sealing device designed for laparoscopic and open surgical procedures. It is reported to be the world’s first vessel sealing system with 360º articulation.

The device consists of several MIM parts: a jaw, an end-tool hub, a pitch hub, a pulley, and an actuator hub. With full 360º articulation, this vessel sealing device provided surgeons with superior access, precision, and control in confined and complex anatomical regions.

Electronic/Electrical

A Grand Prize in the Electronic/Electrical Components Category for MIM components was awarded to Hangzhou Sino-MIM Technology Co., Ltd, headquartered in Hangzhou, China, for a pure copper heat dissipation device for high-power optical modules This product serves three core functions in optical communication transceivers: directional heat dissipation, thermal flow management, and structural support.

Previously, parts were made using sheet material and involved CNC machining and wire cutting. The current MIM product incorporates the air duct structure. With localised CNC machining, this approach not only resolves surface finish issues at the air duct orifices but also eliminates the wire cutting process. Several similar structural designs have been developed since the successful application of this product and have achieved stable mass production.

AWARDS OF DISTINCTION

Military/Firearms

In the Military/Firearms Category for MIM components, an Award of Distinction was given to Advanced Powder Products, Inc, Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, USA, for an MDP-9 bolt carrier and weights. Complex features needed numerous cut-outs requiring two cams and a core pin to form the part.

The bolt carrier is a core component of the roller-delayed system that differs from traditional one-piece bolt and buffer AR-9 systems. The roller-delayed system utilises a blowback mechanism within an AR-15 compatible upper receiver, resulting in reduced recoil and a smoother, lighter shooting experience. The bolt carrier and weights manage the mechanical timing and recoil through the roller-delayed blowback system.

An Award of Distinction in the Military/Firearms Category for MIM components, was also given to Advanced Powder Products, Inc for a tip-up barrel for a pistol. While the finished part may appear straightforward, keeping the body straight and free of visual defects presented a challenge to the development team.

A complex sintering support needed to be developed to help maintain straightness. Strict requirements for dimensional stability and internal structural integrity limited to the choice of manufacturing techniques to MIM and CNC machining. CNC machining the part from bar stock was deemed ineffective from a cost, volume, and operational time perspective. The demand for speed to market was only possible with MIM processing.

Another Award of Distinction was given, in the Military/Firearms Category for MIM components, to NPI, based in St Marys Pennsylvannia, USA, for pistol components – a sear, trigger base, insert, and firing pin block. The trigger base needs support of cantilevered features as well as interrupted wall segments during de-binding and sintering. A complex four-slide injection moulding tool is used for the insert, to allow adjustability and refurbishment. The firing pin block interacts and mates with the insert component.

Sourcing all these critical parts with a single MIM supplier allows a more thorough understanding of the assembled form, fit, and function of the parts.

Hardware/Appliances

In the Hardware/Appliances Category for MIM components, an Award of Distinction was given to ARC Group Worldwide, headquartered in Longmount, Colorado, USA, for a hinge upper cam. The component fits into a mating curved track for both legs that go into the damping mechanism of the door. The mechanism prevents the door from slamming shut after it is opened.

The part is made in a two-cavity mould, and a gate was required on the outer perimeter for proper sub-gate injection. After sizing, the parts were gaged to ensure the leg position was correct. The MIM part was compared with a cast prototype. The MIM component gave 74,000 cycles compared with 40,000 cycles for the cast part.

An Award of Distinction in the Hardware/Appliances Category for MIM components was also given to INDO-MIM Ltd for a print-head hydraulic connector. This hydraulic connector is responsible for supplying and regulating ink flow and pressure to the print-head.

Multiple stepped cylindrical ports of different size are integrated for the ink inlet, outlet, and return flow. CNC machining of the connectors would involve multiple steps, significant material waste, higher costs, and longer lead times compared with MIM processing.

Electronic/Electrical

An Award of Distinction in the Electronic/Electrical Components Category for MIM components was given to Hangzhou Sino-MIM Technology Co. Ltd for a connector distribution head used in CPU transmission header cable sorting and fastening. The main function of the component is to layer and lock the transmission wire harness in the connector, preventing the harness from winding and causing connector failure.

www.mpif.org