Volume 7 Issue 7 January 2011 ` 100

Tete A Tete

Jagadish Panchal
Managing Director
Jekson Machinery Pvt Ltd

Feature Article

Milling developments
for High Speed Machining

Showcasing
Innovations & Technologies
IMTEX is the largest exhibition of metal-cutting machine tools
and manufacturing solutions in South and South-East Asia.
The 15th Indian Metal-cutting Machine Tool Exhibition with
international Participation is scheduled from 20 to 26 January
2011 at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) in
Bangalore, India.

An Emerging
Manufacturing Technology!
Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) is one
of the emerging technologies being
exploited across the globe. Indo-MIM
has taken an initiative to begin a
reader's column from this issue.
 EMERGING TECHNOLOGY

Metal Injection Moulding (MIM)

An Emerging Manufacturing Technology
MIM or Metal Injection Molding technology is one of the emerging
technologies being exploited across the globe. This technology is a near-net
shape metal forming technology which allows three dimensional shaped steel
& stainless steel components to be made with great ease, in large quantities.
The main forte of this technology is its consistency & repeatability. Sachin Malgave

Indo-MIM is World's largest MIM Company. It
is based in Bangalore, & is engaged in
manufacturing complex shaped steel,
stainless steel, & ceramic parts as per
customer drawings using this innovative
technology MIM.
The company has been successful in
developing 1300 varieties of different
products since inception in 1997. The
company today has the largest set-up of MIM
in the world & has customer base spread
across 32 countries.
Indo-MIM has taken an initiative to begin a the world for the small, complex, precise &
reader's column, where technocrats could net shape metal parts.
get their advise (suggestion) with respect to
The need of manufacturing technology for
migrating existing parts or sub-assemblies to
small, precise, complex shaped parts in large
the innovative MIM technology.
volumes with short lead times and at
competitive price has triggered the MIM
Readers could also have a look at the website
technology .MIM Technology evolved from
www.indo-mim.com & then give feedback.
Plastic injection molding & powder
Introduction Metal Injection Moulding
metallurgy, for manufacturing the complex
(MIM)
shaped precise metal parts.
Metal injection Moulding (MIM) is an
The MIM process is very similar to plastic
emerging manufacturing technology across
injection molding and high-pressure die

January 2011 www.industrialbusinessmart.com 45

 EMERGING TECHNOLOGY Metal Injection Molded (MIM) parts

casting, and it can produce much the same

shapes and configuration features.

However, it is limited to relatively small,

highly complex metal parts that otherwise
would require extensive finish machining or
assembly operations if made by any other
conventional metal forming process. The
advantages of the metal injection molding
process lie in its capability to produce
mechanical properties nearly equivalent to
wrought materials, while being a net-shape through the use of multi-cavity tooling. The Compounding, Injection molding, debinding
process technology with good dimensional limitation MIM is subject to is one of overall & sintering. The process involves combining
tolerance control. part size, with most components generally fine metal powders with plastic binders
not exceeding 250 g. which allow the resulting metal powder and
Metal injection molded parts offer a nearly
plastic mix referred as ' feedstock' to be
unlimited shape and geometric-feature MIM Process Flow
injected as a liquid into a hollow mold using
capability, with high production rates
It consists of process steps such as equipment similar to standard plastic

Fig 1 MIM Process Flow diagram

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46 www.industrialbusinessmart.com January 2011

MIM Parts with curves, profiles, irregular shapes
injection molding machines. After the part is
cooled and de-molded, but before the plastic
binding matrix is removed, the part is
referred to as a 'green part'. The next step is
to remove the plastic binders from between
the metal particles with the application of
solvents and/or thermal processes.
The resulting slightly porous metal part
referred to as a 'brown part' is sintered at
temperatures great enough to bind the
surfaces of the particles to one another, but
not enough to melt the metal outright.
Sintered parts normally attain the densities
of 96-98% of that of theoretical density.
Raw Material
Fine metal powder & polymer binders. The
January 2011
raw material in the form of fine metal powder
transforms into complex metal part.
Compounding
The process involves combining fine metal
powders with polymer binders which allow
the resulting metal powder and polymer mix
referred as 'feedstock'.
Molding
Feedstock is heated to form viscous slurry
and injection molded in to a hollow mould
using equipment similar to standard plastic
injection molding machines to form “green”
part.
After the part is cooled and de-molded, but
before the plastic binding matrix is removed,
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY
the part is referred to as a 'green part'.
Debinding
In this step is the plastic binders are removed
from between the metal particles with the
application of solvents and/or thermal
processes. The resulting slightly porous
metal part referred to as a 'brown part'
Sintering
In this step 'brown part' is sintered at
temperatures great enough to bind the
surfaces of the particles to one another, but
not enough to melt the metal outright.
Sintered parts normally attain the densities
of 96-98% of that of theoretical density.
The author Sachin Malgave is with Research
& Development Group of
Indo-US MIM Tec Pvt Ltd,
#45 (P), KIADB Industrial
Area, Hoskote, Bangalore
-562114, India. He can be
contacted at sachin.m@
indo-mim.com
www.industrialbusinessmart.com 47