Did you know that many electronic products contain metal injection molding (MIM) components? For instance, MIM is used in mobile phone camera brackets, metal frames, and hinges for folding phones.
Some MIM parts weigh less than 1 gram, which is so amazing.
How do metal injection molding machines make such tiny, high-precision products?
Today, let us unveil the veil of MIM machines:
You may have heard of plastic injection molding, which is widely used in our daily life, like flower pots, packaging containers, and plastic cutlery. It is the origin of MIM.
Let’s look together.
As early as 1872, the Hyatt brothers invented the first injection molding machine. It adopted a plunger injection method, which could only generate low pressure during molding. As a result, it can only inject ceramics and carbides. It wasn’t until 1979 that MIM equipment was invented.
Here’s a look at the main components of a metal injection molding machine.
Injection Unit
The injection unit has three types: plunger, screw, and screw pre-plastic plunger injection. The most widely applied one is the screw type.
An injection unit usually has these parts:
The function of the clamping unit are to open and close the mold and eject the unfinished product.
During injection process, the clamping system needs to give the mold enough clamping force to resist the cavity pressure generated when the molten metal enters the mold cavity. If not, the mold opening will cause product defects.
It has these accessories:
Hydraulic unit provides the required power for the injection molding process. Its power source comes from the oil pump and the electric motor.
The computer system controls the pressure, temperature, speed and time of the injection molding process.
MIM machines are available in three types based on the drive:
They possess the advantages of fast mold changes and the ability to manufacture larger products. Besides, these machines offer excellent clamping force. However, hydraulic injection molding machines are less energy efficient.
Electric machines have a short production cycle and consume less energy. However, they are more expensive compared to hydraulic machines
Hybrid injection molding machine combines the advantages of hydraulic and electric machines, with energy saving and high controllability.
According to the different machine structures, it can be divided into the following types:
Double-template injection machine plasticizing and injection system are separated, and plasticizing is stabilized by the extruder.
The tie-bar-less greatly simplifies the clamping system of the injection machine. This allows for the use of larger tools because it takes up space on the platen.
Among all injection machines, the plunger injection machine is more favored by industry insiders in actual production. Because it has high stability and accurate measurement.
Here is the approximate price of a Chinese metal powder injection molding machine.
Model | DRV4-55T | DRV3-2R-10T~650T |
Weight | 3 tons | 1.6 tons |
Injection volume | 115cm3 | 110 cm3 |
Motor power | 7.5kw | 7.5kw |
Screw speed | 10-300 rpm | 10-300 rpm |
Clamping force | 55kN | 55kN |
Max shot weight | 120g | 99g |
Price | $28,000 | $20,000 |
ARBURG
ARBURG is a famous German company specializing in the manufacturing of high-quality injection molding machines.
Founded in 1923, ARBURG offers a wide range of products and solutions for various applications, including automotive, electronics, medical, and consumer goods.
Bole Machinery
Bole Machinery is a Chinese company located in Ningbo. It was founded in 1998 and is a manufacturer specializing in the production of metal injection molding equipment.
Bole has introduced advanced German technology to manufacture high-precision machines in China.
Multiplas
Based in Taiwan and founded in 1988, Multiplas manufactures a wide range of injection molding machines. They offer both vertical and horizontal injection molding machines that could process raw materials such as plastics, rubber, ceramics, and metals.
Thanks to advanced metal injection molding machines, we can produce tiny and high-precision components. These machines are renowned for their capabilities:
MIM machines manufacture very small parts, generally weighing less than 100 g. On the other hand, plastic injection machines can make large parts, even several kgs.
Their injection units are very different. The screw and barrel of MIM machines need to be hardened to resist wear from the injected metal.
Ceramic and plastic injection molding require lower clamping forces compared to MIM.
Some metals are very difficult to cast and forge, such as tungsten alloys, titanium alloys, and superalloys. Luckily, Metal injection molding (MIM) has the ability
Powder metallurgy (PM) is a great way to produce small and complex parts. However, PM struggles to make miniature parts with fine features, such as
As the population ages, the health of the elderly deserves more attention. This is inseparable from advanced medical technology and equipment. It goes without saying
BLUE focuses on providing standard powder metallurgy parts without paying mold fees, manufactured in China and serving customers worldwide.
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