The dividing line between MIM and BJT
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but issues were still present; until metal Binder Jetting (BJT) appeared on the horizon, metal Additive Manufacturing was regarded by many as slow and expensive, even for prototype sample development. Binder Jetting isolated the slow sintering process at the build stage, thus enabling significantly higher build speed. Binder Jetting can achieve thirty-to-seventy times higher build speeds compared to PBF-LB. Indo-MIM, a global leader in the Metal Injection Moulding technology, quickly turned its attention to adopting Binder Jetting, beginning in 2019. Currently, the company works predominantly with Desktop Metal and ExOne platforms. The Binder Jetting process utilises MIM grade powders, MIM sintering furnaces and parts will go through similar finishing processes to conventional MIM components. So, will Binder Jetting eventually replace the MIM process, or will it continue to exist side by side with MIM and PM? It is hard to come to a conclusion at the moment, as Binder Jetting is still at its formative stage. But we predict Binder Jetting will only augment the MIM industry for a foreseeable number of years and help product design engineers achieve greater degrees of design freedom. This article discusses the dividing line between the MIM and BJT processes, based on IndoMIM’s experience with both.
Fig. 2 A friction plate produced by BJT from 17-4PH stainless steel, 158 g (Courtesy Indo-MIM)
“The Metal Injection Moulding process has always been competitive on smaller components – typically, below 50 g, or smaller than a golf ball – for reasons both technical and economic.”
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PIM International
March 2022
Size matters The Metal Injection Moulding process has always been competitive on smaller components – typically, below 50 g, or smaller than a golf ball – for reasons both technical and economic. MIM powders are more expensive than conventional materials, including PM powders, wrought steels, etc. Sintering costs are also a significant component of MIM total part costs. Larger parts occupy more space in the sintering furnaces, thus carrying much higher sintering costs. These
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Vol. 16 No. 1