Metal Injection Molding, also called MIM, is a low cost, high volume manufacturing process that produces custom metal parts near to net shape. It combines the way injection molded plastics are formed with powdered metal sintering to create metal or ceramic parts which are stronger, denser and more capable of complex geometric shapes than most forged or die cast metal parts.

Engineers designing sheet-metal enclosures and assemblies often end up redesigning them so they can be manufactured. In fact, research suggests that manufacturers spend 30% to 50% of their time fixing errors and almost 24% of those errors are related to manufacturability. The reason behind these preventable engineering errors is usually the wide gap between how sheet-metal parts are designed in CAD systems and how they are actually fabricated on the shop floor. Many engineers developing 3D models for sheet-metal products are unaware of the fabrication tools used to form the part or product, and instead design models for an “ideal” world.

Engineers designing sheet-metal enclosures and assemblies often end up redesigning them so they can be manufactured. In fact, research suggests that manufacturers spend 30% to 50% of their time fixing errors and almost 24% of those errors are related to manufacturability. The reason behind these preventable engineering errors is usually the wide gap between how sheet-metal parts are designed in CAD systems and how they are actually fabricated on the shop floor. Many engineers developing 3D models for sheet-metal products are unaware of the fabrication tools used to form the part or product, and instead design models for an “ideal” world.

Engineers designing sheet-metal enclosures and assemblies often end up redesigning them so they can be manufactured. In fact, research suggests that manufacturers spend 30% to 50% of their time fixing errors and almost 24% of those errors are related to manufacturability. The reason behind these preventable engineering errors is usually the wide gap between how sheet-metal parts are designed in CAD systems and how they are actually fabricated on the shop floor. Many engineers developing 3D models for sheet-metal products are unaware of the fabrication tools used to form the part or product, and instead design models for an “ideal” world.

Engineers designing sheet-metal enclosures and assemblies often end up redesigning them so they can be manufactured. In fact, research suggests that manufacturers spend 30% to 50% of their time fixing errors and almost 24% of those errors are related to manufacturability. The reason behind these preventable engineering errors is usually the wide gap between how sheet-metal parts are designed in CAD systems and how they are actually fabricated on the shop floor. Many engineers developing 3D models for sheet-metal products are unaware of the fabrication tools used to form the part or product, and instead design models for an “ideal” world.

Representing one of the advanced metal processing techniques, MIM (Metal Injection Molding) was created by fusing traditional plastic injection molding technology with powder metallurgy. Injection molding using metal dies makes it easy to manufacture otherwise hard to machine parts, including micro, precision, intricately shaped, and 3D parts. MIM is also superbly suited for mass production, as demonstrated by our ability to manufacture at rates ranging from 5,000 to 1 million pieces per month. MIM works best for parts that weigh around 0.1 g to 50 g, but it can also mass-produce parts weighing up to approximately 100 g.

Injection molding is a manufacturing process used to produce single parts and products using various materials, most commonly thermosetting and thermoplastic polymers.

There are two categories of finishing operations: those that produce minor dimensional corrections, and surface treatment processes.

One important tenet of Design for Manufacturing / Design for Assembly is the idea that the mechanical engineer and the industrial designer should choose the manufacturing processes that will be used to mass produce custom parts before finalizing the design for that part (and everything that it touches). Here are some common processes that are used to produce plastic and metal parts in consumer electronics and industrial automation applications.

A sintered powder metallurgy (PM) part can be finished or treated just like any other metal part to achieve desired characteristics-corrosion resistance, improve strength ans hardness, surface wear resistance, edge-sharpness relief, porosity sealing, and control of size and surface finish.