Powder Injection Molding for Automobile Components
Major Industry: Automotive industry
Features: Anti-corrosion; Abrasive resistance; Heat resistance
Products: driving lever
1.PIM Technical Concept and Technical Characteristics
Powder Injection Molding Technology combines the advantage of both powder metallurgy and plastic injection technology. It breaks the shape limit of conventional PM compression molding, while absorbs the capability of forming complex shape and realizing mass production with high efficiency of plastic injection technology. As a near net shape technology for high-quality precision components,Metal Powder Injection Molding (MIM/PIM) in china has the advantages which conventional powder metallurgy, precision machining and casting methods would not have. Here shows these advantages as following:◇Capable of production complex shape small metal parts as plastic injection process. Powder injection molding parts typical weigh is 0.1-200g;
◇Capable of forming kinds of complex shapes, such as external cuts, threads, tapered external surface, cross holes & blind holes, slots, ribs&webs, knurling, and so on.
◇Good surface finishes and high precision dimensions(typical in±0.3%～0.5%)
◇Wide range of material optional for MIM process. Parts with high density (typical 95%～99% relative density) and homogeneous structure and excellent performance easy to acquire;
◇ Able to realize high-volume production with stable quality and high efficiency.
Table 1 and 2 show the comparison between MIM and other processes.
Table 1 The comparison between PIM and Precision casting
|
characteristics
|
Precision casting
|
PIM
|
|
Minimum hole diameter
|
2mm
|
0.4mm
|
| Maximum depth of ∮2mm blind hole |
2mm
|
20mm
|
|
Minimum wall thichness
|
2mm
|
<1mm
|
|
Maximum wall thichness
|
No limit
|
10mm
|
|
Tolerance of ∮4mm
|
±0.2mm
|
±0.06mm
|
| Surface roughness(Ra) |
5um
|
1um
|
|
items
|
PIM
|
PM
|
Precision casting
|
machining
|
|
Density
|
98%
|
86%
|
98%
|
100%
|
|
Tensile strength
|
high
|
low
|
high >
|
high
|
|
Roughness
|
high
|
medium
|
medium
|
high
|
|
Miniaturization capability
|
high
|
medium
|
low
|
medium
|
|
Thin wall capability
|
high
|
medium
|
medium
|
low
|
|
Complexity
|
high
|
low
|
medium
|
high
|
|
Design toleration
|
high
|
medium
|
medium
|
medium
|
|
Material range
|
high
|
high
|
medium
|
high
|
PIM is applicable to wide range of materials which includes low alloy steel, stainless steel, tool steel, nickel-based alloys, tungsten alloy, carbide, titanium, magnetic materials, Kovar alloy and fine ceramics, etc.
Table 1 Typical PIM materials and applications:
|
Material System
|
Material composition
|
Typical applications
|
|
Low alloy steel
|
Fe-2Ni, Fe-8Ni
|
Automobile, machinery and other industries ,particularly in structural parts |
|
Stainless steel
|
316L ,17-4PH, 420, 440C
|
Medical equipments, clocks, watches |
|
Carbide
|
WC-Co
|
Various tools, clocks, watches
|
|
Ceramic
|
Al 2O3 , ZrO2 , SiO2 | IT electronics, daily necessities, watches |
|
Heavy Alloys
|
W-Ni-Fe, W-Ni-Cu, W-Cu
|
The arms industry, communications, daily necessities |
|
Titanium
|
Ti,Ti-6Al-4V
|
Medical and military structural parts |
|
Magnetic Materials
|
Fe, NdFeB, SmCo5,Fe-Si | Magnetic properties of the various components |
|
Tool steel
|
CrMo4,M2
|
Tools
|
Table 2 Typical properties of several PIM materials:
|
Materials
|
Density
|
Hardness
|
Tensile strength
|
Elongation
|
|
|
g/cm 3
|
Rockwell
|
MPa
|
%
|
||
|
Fe-based alloys
|
PIM-2200(Sintered)
|
7.65
|
45HRB
|
290
|
40
|
|
PIM-2700(Sintered)
|
7.65
|
69HRB
|
440
|
26
|
|
|
PIM-4605(Sintered)
|
7.62
|
62HRB
|
415
|
15
|
|
| PIM-4605(Quenching and tempering) |
7.62
|
48HRC
|
1655
|
2
|
|
|
Stainless steel
|
PIM- 316L (Sintered)
|
7.92
|
67HB
|
520
|
50
|
|
PIM- 17-4PH (Sintered)
|
7.5
|
27HRC
|
900
|
6
|
|
|
PIM- 17-4PH (Sintered)
|
7.5
|
40HRC
|
1185
|
6
|
|
|
PIM- 430L (Sintered)
|
7.5
|
65HRB
|
415
|
25
|
|
|
Tungsten alloys
|
95%W-Ni-Fe
|
18.1
|
30
|
960
|
25
|
|
97%W-Ni-Fe
|
18.5
|
33
|
940
|
15
|
|
|
Carbide
|
YG8X
|
14.9
|
HRA90
|
Bending Strength 2300
|
|
|
Fine Ceramics
|
Al2O3
|
3.98
|
HRA92
|
Bending Strength 530
|
|
3.Applications
Products in our company cover kinds of applications : communication components, medical equipment components, automobile components, tool components, and so on. And there are more than one hundred parts in our company.
We are devoted to providing parts with complex shape, high precision, small size and large quantity and excellent service to our customers.
