Powder production at Jingye Lide
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Jingye Lide: The story of an ambitious journey to become the world's largest MIM-grade metal powder manufacturer The dramatic growth of China's Metal Injection Moulding industry over the past decade has not only seen MIM producers thrive, but it has driven major investments in metal powder production capabilities. One of the biggest success stories is that of Jingye Lide Additive Manufacturing Co., Ltd., a company whose production has grown from 50 tons of atomised powder in 2009 to 4,000 tons in 2020. It is planning to increase capacity to 40,000 in the near future. Dr Chiou Yau Hung (Dr Q) reports on a recent visit to the company for PIM International.
The camera lens protectors on some of the newest models of Apple’s iPhones used over the past three years led a wave of new technology development in the 3C industry (Fig. 1). Produced from CoCrMo alloy (ASTM F75) powder manufactured by Jingye Lide Additive Manufacturing Co., Ltd and formed using Metal Injection Moulding, this material offers high strength and no magnetic interference, making it the ideal alloy for a variety of applications in smartphones, including parts that improve data transmission, offer higher quality images, and unparalleled component design freedom. Parts made from Jingye Lide’s F75 powder accounted for more than 80% of the total shipments of this component in the past three years and more than 300 million people are using this MIM part on a daily basis. The predecessor to Jingye Lide Additive Manufacturing Co., Ltd. was Shijiazhuang Lide Powder Materials Co., Ltd., established in 1996. Here, the early technical support in the field of metal powder production came from China Iron and Steel
Vol. 15 No. 3 © 2021 Inovar Communications Ltd
Research Institute Group (CISRI). In 2009, Lide began manufacturing MIM-grade 304L stainless steel powder, having started with atomised copper powder, selling only about 50 tons in that year. At that time, Lide was determined to focus on the research and production of stainless steel powders for MIM. In the same year, it cooperated
with Pony Testing International Group Co., Ltd. to ensure that all products were manufactured in accordance with the requirements of the European Union’s environmental protection directives. Samples were sent to Pony for analysis and the preparation of data for Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and REACH, and Material Safety Data Sheets.
Fig. 1 The camera lens protector in the latest Apple iPhones is made by MIM in CoCrMo alloy (ASTM F75) at Jingye Lide Additive Manufacturing Co., Ltd (Courtesy Apple)
September 2021 PIM International
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