The March 2019 issue of Powder Injection Moulding International (Vol. 13 No. 1) has been released and is now available to read for free online or download in pdf format. This issue features 55 pages of industry news, plus the following articles and technical reviews:
The evolution of Powder Injection Moulding: Past perspectives and future growth
Understanding the evolution of materials and applications for Powder Injection Moulding, along with identifying trends and key technology drivers, can go some way towards helping us understand future opportunities for the industry.
Prof Randall German considers the growth of MIM and CIM from the technology’s early commercialisation to the recent boom in Asia on the back of the consumer electronics market. Opportunities to help sustain technology growth are presented, ranging from new materials to process innovations and applications.
The Metal Injection Moulding of tungsten and its alloys: A review
In this article Jiupeng Song, Wei Wang, Binyou Yan and Xiangcao Jiang review recent developments in the MIM of tungsten (W), oxide dispersion strengthened tungsten (ODS-W), tungsten rhenium (W-Re), tungsten copper (W-Cu) and tungsten heavy alloys (WHAs).
The production methods for MIM-grade powders with good flowability and sinterability are presented and the effects of powder characteristics, sintering and Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) process parameters on density and microstructure for W and ODS-W are summarised.
For liquid phase sintering of W-Cu and WHAs, the powder type and sintering profiles, which are critical for material properties and surface conditions, are also discussed.
Regloplas variothermal temperature controls and hot runners: Expanding the capabilities of PIM technology
When developing its groundbreaking smartphone frame solutions, Arburg GmbH & Co KG turned to technology from Switzerland’s Regloplas AG in order to enable the moulding of large, high-aspect ratio parts that would have been impossible to produce with conventional mould temperature controls.
In this article, Regloplas’ Siegfried Hohlbaum introduces the technologies used in the project and explains how they can be efficiently applied in a MIM production environment.
WORLDPM2018 Beijing: Technical sessions highlight advances in MIM stainless steels
Powder Injection Moulding was one of the key themes at the WORLDPM2018 Congress held in Beijing, China, September 16-20, 2018. The processing of stainless steels, as well as new and novel stainless steel applications, were highlighted in a number of technical presentations. In this special report from Beijing, Bernard Williams, Consulting Editor, reviews a selection of these papers.
Euro PM2018: Research into the characterisation of MIM products and feedstocks
A number of papers presented at the Euro PM2018 conference, organised by the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) and held in Bilbao, Spain, October 14-18, 2018, addressed issues relating to the evaluation of MIM product properties and relevant feedstock characteristics.
Dr David Whittaker reviews three papers on the mechanical characterisation of biocompatible Co-Cr-Mo alloys, the corrosion resistance of MIM 17-4 PH and the characterisation of MIM-like feedstocks for Fused Filament Fabrication.