As metal Binder Jetting (BJT) transitions from a technology for the future to a technology for now – and one that is increasingly being installed at Metal Injection Moulding producers around the world – one of the basics of the process that we can no longer avoid getting to grips with is saturation. In this article, longtime metal Binder Jetting expert Dan Brunermer, from technology consultancy B-jetting LLC, explains saturation and how to measure it, considers voxels and DPI, and finally presents control options and how choices in controls affect saturation.
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Arburg GmbH + Co KG, Lossburg, Germany, has been working intensively
on sustainability and resource efficiency for a very long time. As the supplier
of the widely used Allrounder line of injection moulding machines, the
company is increasingly active in evaluating climate protection activities
along the entire value chain for its customers. On the basis of ISO TS
14067:2018 – a standard that defines a product’s greenhouse gas emissions
or Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) – Bertram Stern, Sustainability Manager
at Arburg, reports on how the PCF and specific energy requirements of
Arburg injection moulding machines can be calculated.
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Newcomers to Metal Injection Moulding never cease to be amazed when
they see that green parts uniformly shrink during debinding and sintering
into a finished part. This calculated shrinkage, which is what enables
products to conform to an engineer’s blueprints, can appear pretty magical.
It is, of course, simply a matter of mathematical calculation. In this article,
Dr Chiou Yau Hung (Dr Q) and James Chao, from You neeD Technology
Office, Taiwan, encourage you not be scared off by the mathematics and
discover the calculations at the heart of MIM
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Metal Injection Moulding is a technology that, in addition to its industrial application, is widely used for the manufacture of luxury goods, from watch cases to the decorative logos for exclusive handbags. For many such applications, the value of technologies for counterfeit prevention, quality control or identification for recycling purposes is very high. Here, Erik Dietrich, Applied Research Engineer at Demcon Metal Injection Moulding, Enschede, the Netherlands, reports on an innovative solution developed with Germany’s Tailorlux GmbH that enables the integration of unique optical fingerprint technology into MIM feedstocks.
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The combination of generative and algorithmic design with Additive Manufacturing is opening up a new world of opportunity for ceramics. Whilst Ceramic Injection Moulding has, until now, been the manufacturing process that offered the greatest level of design freedom for industrial production, ceramic AM now brings a level of freedom to produce complex structures that go far beyond what can be moulded. Prof Alberto Ortona, from the Hybrid Materials Laboratory at University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), explores ceramic Binder Jetting, the opportunities that it presents, and its current limitations.
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The ability of Metal Injection Molding to efficiently manufacture complex stainless steel components to net shape has enabled it to become a go-to technology for sectors such as watchmaking, luxury goods and medical devices. However, the challenge of meeting the growing demand for nickel-free stainless steels presents a number of challenges for MIM producers. In this article, Pierre Girin and Jean-Claude Bihr, from France’s Alliance MIM, review these challenges and share insight into the processing of a material class that holds great promise for the industry.
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A Special Interest Seminar in the programme of the virtual Euro PM2021 conference, organised by the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) and held October 18-22, 2021, focused on developments aimed at enhancing the sustainability of production by Metal Injection Moulding. This seminar comprised three presentations from representatives of different points in the MIM process chain.
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In recent years there has been a surge in interest in sinter-based metal Additive Manufacturing, with many of these technologies adapting the materials used in Metal Injection Moulding. Whilst Binder Jetting (BJT) and Material Extrusion (MEX) processes lead the field in terms of market penetration, sometimes something radically different comes along. This is certainly the case with Germany’s Headmade Materials, whose Cold Metal Fusion (CMF) AM process takes a completely new approach. Dr Georg Schlieper visited the company and reports for PIM International on the company and its technology.
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A technical session, comprising three papers, at the Euro PM2021 Virtual Congress, organised by the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) and held from October 18–22, 2021, assessed various aspects of the formulation and preparation of feedstocks for Metal Injection Moulding. Dr David Whittaker reports on three papers that addressed solvent debinding efficiency, strategies for enhancing the debinding of polyacetal (POM) feedstocks, and, lastly, an analytical method for enhancing the understanding of the homogeneity of MIM feedstocks and green parts.
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Type 420 martensitic stainless steel covers a wide carbon range of 0.15% to 0.45%. Demand for this material from the 3C, automotive, biomedical and aerospace industries has been increasing thanks to its combination of moderate corrosion resistance, high hardness, and good tensile properties. In this study, Shu-Hsu Hsieh, Dr Chung-Huei Chueh, and I-Shiuan Chen, from Chenming Electronic Technology Corp. (UNEEC), Taiwan, investigated Nb-alloyed 420 produced using BASF SE’s Catamold 420 W feedstock. Decarburisation was examined in samples processed in both a graphite furnace and a molybdenum lined furnace. Microstructure, phase and hardness variations from the sintered state to each specific stage in heat treatment were also explored. Additionally, the influence of niobium on the formation of intergranular compounds, carbides, and carbonitrides was also assessed in each heat treatment stage for comparison.
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