Effect of powders and binders on material properties and molding parameters in iron and stainless steel powder injection molding process

It is essential to study and optimize multiple objective functions such as binder system design, feedstock, part geometry, mold design, and processing conditions in order to develop a successful powder injection molding process. A powder with different combinations of binder systems and a binder system with different combinations of powder systems were investigated with a combined experimental and simulation study. First, an experimental rheological study was performed to evaluate the influence of the powder/binder combinations on the rheological behavior and thermal stability of carbonyl iron and stainless steel powder injection molding (PIM) feedstocks. Second, based on the characterization of the feedstock, the simulation study revealed that the pressure-related parameters such as wall shear stress, injection pressure, and clamping force were mainly dependent on the binder system and not much on the powder characteristics, in the range of particle attributes studied. Third, to the temperature-related parameters such as melt front temperature difference and cooling time, binder selection is more critical than powder selection. Fourth, for the velocity-related parameter, maximum shear rate, the selection of both powder and binder system is critical in control. It is demonstrated that the simulation study is essential in the development stage for successful PIM.     

Rheological behavior of zirconia feedstock flowing through various channels considering wall-slip

The existence of wall slip for ZrO₂ feedstock flow in micro powder injection molding was investigated based on capillary rheometer experiments using dies of three dimensions. A power law function was derived by data fitting to determine the wall slip velocity based on which numerical simulation was carried out to explore the influence of wall slip on micro injection molding. Experimental results indicate that the feedstock is less sensitive to temperature fluctuation at higher shear rates. Power-law model can provide higher accuracy than the modified Cross model to depict the rheological behavior of the feedstock in capillary flows with different channels. Numerical simulation results show that in case of steady flow higher dynamic viscosity of the feedstock and higher pressure losses of the flow appeared when the wall slip boundary was included as compared to no-slip assumption in micro powder injection molding. This is because that when the wall slip boundary was included the shear rate distribution of the feedstock was lower than that of the feedstock assuming no-slip boundary.     

Influence of injection temperature and pressure on the properties of alumina parts fabricated by low pressure injection molding (LPIM)

The quality of ceramics parts made by powder injection molding (PIM) method is influenced by a range of factors such as powder and binder characteristics, rheological behavior of feedstock, molding parameters and debinding and sintering conditions. In this study, to optimize the molding parameters, the effect of injection temperature and pressure on the properties of alumina ceramics in the LPIM process were thoroughly studied. Experimental tests were conducted on alumina feedstock with 60 vol% powder. Injection molding was carried out at temperatures and pressures of 70–100 °C and 0.1–0.6 MPa respectively. Results showed that increase in injection temperature and pressure and the resulting increase in flow rate leads to the formation of void which impairs the properties of molded parts. The SEM studies showed that injection at temperature of 100 °C results in evaporation of binder components. From the processing point of view, the temperature of 80 °C and pressure of 0.6 MPa seems to be the most suitable condition for injection molding. In addition, the effects of sintering conditions (temperature and time) on the microstructure and mechanical properties are discussed. The best final properties were found using injection molding under the above stated conditions, thermal debinding and sintering at 1700 °C during 3 h.     

Novel fabrication of pressure-less sintering of translucent powder injection molded (PIM) alumina blocks

A new method of fabricating translucent alumina brackets using powder injection molding (PIM) is reported. Alumina powder was mixed with MgO, La₂O₃, and Y₂O₃ to control grain size and porosity. The powders were mixed with a binder consisting of a mixture of paraffin wax and polyethylene in a 1:1 ratio to make feedstock for injection molding. The total amount of binder was limited to 14 wt% to minimize shrinkage and cracking after sintering. After injection molding, debinding was performed using the wicking method and samples were sintered in a vacuum at 1700 °C to achieve high density. Ultimately, translucent corundum was fabricated. The sintering additives resulted in a decrease in porosity and an improvement in translucency by promoting grain growth during pressure-less sintering. After sintering, Vickers hardness, bending strength, density, and transmittance of the fabricated parts were measured to show that those values were comparable to those of the commercially available dental brackets. Therefore, the translucent alumina block was successfully fabricated using PIM method to be potentially used as a dental bracket.     

Development of mechanical and visible transparency properties of spark plasma sintered spinel fabricated by powder injection molding of MgAl2O4 nanoparticles

This research aims to investigate the density, hardness, fracture toughness, and infrared and visible transmittance of spark plasma sintered (SPS) spinel discs fabricated through the powder injection molding (PIM) method. These properties were compared with the sample directly SPSed without the PIM process. For this purpose, initially, a feedstock was prepared with 80 wt% spinel nanopowder and 20 wt% binder. The results revealed that the hardness and fracture toughness of the SPSed spinel disc sintered at 1400 °C were greater than those of the spinel sample without PIM treatment. Also, for the PIMed sample and then SPSed sample, the level of infrared and visible transmittance was ~10% greater than for the SPSed spinel nanopowders.     

粉末注射成型技术及其发展

从塑料加工成型的角度详细讨论了粉末注射成型的工艺过程和技术特点，该技术的关键是配制分散良好的喂料、在尽可能少用黏结剂和获得良好的熔体流动性之间达成平衡，并精确控制注射过程的温度、压力和速度。通过2个粉末注射成型实例进一步说明了粉末注射工艺控制的高要求。对粉末注射成型工艺的最新发展进行的总结表明，粉末注射成型与其他新工艺技术的结合是这一技术进一步发展的趋势。最后分析了我国粉末注射成型的现状，建议我国粉末注射成型的未来发展应该注重加强粉末冶金、高分子材料、塑料加工等多个学科研究人员的密切合作。     

Kneading and molding of ceramic microparts by precision powder injection molding (PIM)

This paper investigates the kneading and formability of microparts made using alumina in micro‐powder injection molding. In this study, quality feedstock with uniform powder dispersion was achieved when optimum kneading process was performed. In addition, the thin microplates were successfully manufactured using a custom‐made injection machine. Shrinkage was significantly reduced in microspecimens when the mold temperature was increased to 70°C. The results of flow visualization were conformed to that of experiments in this study. A very important result for flow visualization and experiment was molten polymer filled the cavity by shortest period producing a least shrinkage in microparts. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 892–899, 2006     

Experimental investigation and numerical simulation of injection molding with micro‐features

Injection molding of thin plates of micro sized features was studied in order to manufacture micro‐fluidic devices for bioMEMS applications. Various types of mold inserts—CNC‐machined steel, epoxy photoresist, and photolithography and electroplating produced nickel molds—were fabricated and tested in injection molding. The feature size covers a range of 5 microns to several hundred microns. Issues such as surface roughness and sidewall draft angle of the mold insert were considered. Two optically clear thermoplastics, PMMA and optical quality polycarbonate, were processed at different mold and melt temperatures, injection speeds, shot sizes, and holding pressures. It was found that the injection speed and mold temperature in injection molding greatly affect the replication accuracy of microstructures on the metal mold inserts. The UV‐LIGA produced nickel mold with positive draft angles enabled successful demolding. Numerical simulation based on the 2D software C‐MOLD was performed on two types of cavity fillings: the radial flow and the undirectional flow. The simulation and experimental data were compared, showing correct qualitative predictions but discrepancies in the flow front profile and filled depth.     

Influence of powder characteristics on the behaviour of PIM feedstock

This work aims to analyse the impact of powders which are not conventionally intended for powder injection moulding (PIM) and how their characteristics influence the behaviour of the feedstock during mixing. Tests were performed with different alumina powders using the same binder system. The results show that mixing has a strong impact on the packing density of powders inside the feedstock, while the deagglomeration of powders makes it possible to achieve high critical powder volume concentrations (CPVCs) equal to or greater than 58 vol%. The CPVC depends on the deagglomeration efficiency. The agglomeration state – especially cohesion of the agglomerates – has an influence on the CPVC. The comparative study of mixing torques shows that the grain size and surface area of powders have a major impact on the mixing behaviour of the feedstock. During the implementation of powders, variabilities in the homogenisation of the powder/binder system and in deagglomeration are achieved as a result of powder agglomeration. It was demonstrated that the powders in this study perfectly satisfy the criteria imposed by the mixing process although they are not intended for PIM.     

A numerical model to predict the powder–binder separation during micro-powder injection molding

The micro-powder injection molding (micro-PIM) process has the potential to bridge the gap between the design and manufacturing of micro-components that are often used in small and handy devices. Numerical modeling helps to analyze and overcome various difficulties of micro-PIM. In the present work, a numerical model is developed to predict the powder–binder separation (a common defect in PIM and especially severe in micro-PIM) during the injection of an alumina feedstock. A powder–binder separation criterion is proposed dealing with applied injection pressure and friction force between the powder and binder. An indirect comparison of feedstock travel time between two locations is used to validate the model. The predicted segregation from the simulated result is supported by a qualitative experimental measurement. The developed model can be used to optimize injection parameters to get a defect-free product.     

Numerical Molding Simulation for Rapid-Prototyped Injection Molds

Abstract:

Injection molding is a very mature technology, but the growth of layer-build, additive, manufacturing technologies (rapid prototyping, RP) has the potential of expanding injection molding into areas not commercially feasible with traditional molds and molding techniques. This integration of injection molding with rapid prototyping has undergone many demonstrations of potential. What is missing is the fundamental understanding of how the modifications to the mold material and RP manufacturing process impact both the mold design and the injection molding process. In addition, numerical simulation techniques have now become helpful tools of mold designers and process engineers for traditional injection molding. But all current simulation packages for conventional injection molding are no longer applicable to this new type of injection molds, mainly because the property of the mold material changes greatly. In this paper, an approach to accomplish numerical simulation of injection molding into rapid-prototyped molds is established and a corresponding simulation system is developed. For verification, an experiment is also been carried out with an RP fabricated SL mold. Stereolithography (SL) is an original and typical rapid-prototyping method, which is chosen as the study object in the paper.     

Powder injection moulding PIM of feedstock based on hydrosoluble binder and submicronic powder to manufacture parts having micro-details

Small and complex-shaped parts can be manufactured with powder injection moulding PIM process at a low cost in comparison to other traditional powder technologies. A variant of PIM process denoted as micropowder injection moulding (μ-PIM) has been recently developed in order to manufacture components having sub-millimeter dimensions or micrometer range structural details. PIM and μ-PIM are used for numerous applications in the field of electronics, defence and aerospace, medical industry. This contribution displays preliminary study on the feasibility to manufacture parts having micro-details by powder injection moulding from partially water soluble self-made feedstock. All process steps are investigated from feedstock preparation to sintering.     

Microstructure, magnetic and mechanical properties of Ni-Zn ferrites prepared by powder injection moulding

Nowadays, the electronic industry demands small and complex parts as a consequence of the miniaturization of electronic devices. Powder injection moulding (PIM) is an emerging technique for the manufacturing of magnetic ceramics. In this paper, we analyze the sintering process, between 900 °C and 1300 °C, of Ni-Zn ferrites prepared by PIM. In particular, the densification behaviour, microstructure and mechanical properties of samples with toroidal and bar geometry were analyzed at different temperatures. Additionally, the magnetic behaviour (complex permeability and magnetic losses factor) of these compacts was compared with that of samples prepared by conventional powder compaction. Finally, the mechanical behaviour (elastic modulus, flexure strength and fracture toughness) was analyzed as a function of the powder loading of feedstock. The final microstructure of prepared samples was correlated with the macroscopic behaviour. A good agreement was established between the densities and population of defects found in the materials depending on the sintering conditions. In general, the final mechanical and magnetic properties of PIM samples were enhanced relative those obtained by uniaxial compaction.     

Injection molding of ceramic cutting tools for wood-based materials

In this study a mutable mold for ceramic cutting tools with inserts of different cutting angles and two different injection positions was designed. Three alumina-based ceramic feedstocks with different types and amount of second phases were developed. A mold filling study was carried out for both sprue positions in order to prove the molding behavior of the feedstock and the functionality of the mold. Debindering and sintering of molded green parts was arranged for each composition, respectively. Mechanical properties, microstructure and achieved cutting edge sharpness of produced tools were investigated. Results show that the mold design and injection molding process play a key role in order to manufacture cutting tools of best possible sharpness enabling a wood machining process. Feedstocks exhibit a good mold filling behavior resulting in comparatively sharp cutting edges of ≈10 μm after sintering. Mechanical properties show high potential for application of wood machining cutting tools.     

一种单腔双色多功能注塑模具设计

介绍了一种特殊的单色、双色集成式家族两板注射模具。模具的布局为1模2腔,其中的一个单色模腔用于塑件的单色注射成型,另一个单腔双色模腔用于塑件的双色注射成型。单腔双色模腔只用一个模腔即能实现塑件的双色注射成型,其功能实现的方式为：在单色模腔的基础上,通过改变型腔镶件的形状及位置、以及第二胶浇口成型件的位置,达到单腔进行双色注射成型的目的。结合浇注系统的改造,模具能实现5种注射成型功能,分别为：单色塑件单腔注射功能、单色塑件双腔注射功能、单腔双色注射功能、单色+双色家族式注射功能,以及单模中注射两种不同颜色的同款塑件。模具结构新颖,简单实用,能有效降低多要求注射成型塑件的模具制造成本,有较好的设计参考价值。     

Microstructure evolution of 316L stainless steel micro components prepared by micro powder injection molding

Fabrication of micro components comprising of functional units of different dimensional order, ?100 μm, ?80 μm and ?60 μm, by micro powder injection molding is described in the paper. The microstructure is characterized for various microsize structures and substructures under different sintering conditions. The micro components are successfully molded, debound and sintered based on an in-house feedstock. Although sintered as an integral component, the microsize structure is at final stage sintering whereas the substructure is at intermediate stage sintering within the temperatures studied. The smallest microsize structures, ?60 μm, have the highest relative density. Higher surface area/volume ratio of the microsize structures is attributed to the advanced sintering. XPS results show that oxides on the debound micro components and consequent reduction products during hydrogen sintering attribute to the formation and progression of the observed dense layers.     

3D study on the effect of process parameters on the cooling of polymer by injection molding

Plastic injection molding (PIM) is well known as a manufacturing process to produce products with various shapes and complex geometry at low cost. Determining optimal settings of process parameters critically influence productivity, quality, and cost of production in the PIM industry. To study the effect of the process parameters on the cooling of the polymer during injection molding, a full three‐dimensional time‐dependent injection molding analysis was carried out. The studied configuration consists of a mold having cuboids‐shaped cavity with two different thicknesses and six cooling channels. A numerical model by finite volume was used for the solution of the physical model. A validation of the numerical model was presented. The effect of different process parameters (inlet coolant temperature, inlet coolant flow rate, injection temperature, and filling time) on the cooling process was considered. The results indicate that the filling time has a great effect on the solidification of the product during the filling stage. They also show that low coolant flow rate increases the heterogeneity of the temperature distribution through the product. The process parameter realizing minimum cooling time not necessary achieves optimum product quality and the complete filling of the cavity by the polymer material. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Fabrication of high-aspect-ratio micro piezoelectric array by powder injection molding

A powder injection molding process to fabricate a high-aspect-ratio piezoelectric microarray was developed. The reverse shaped sacrificial mold insert was developed by X-ray micromachining, and then insert-type injection molding was conducted to fabricate the piezoelectric microarray structure. For the micro-powder injection molding, rheological properties of the powder binder mixture were evaluated and analyzed. The measured flow behavior exponent was 0.44 and the flow activation energy was 83 kJ/mol⁻¹. Based on the analyzed rheological property, injection molding conditions were optimized. The rheological property and the injection molding conditions were crucial to ensure complete filling. Using the optimized conditions, two high-aspect-ratio piezoelectric microarrays were fabricated: (i) 20-μm patterns with 1:5 aspect ratio and (ii) 40-μm patterns with 1:10 aspect ratio.     

Effect of molecular weight and molding conditions on the replication of injection moldings with micro‐scale v‐groove features

Injection molded optical plastic parts require accurate replication of micro‐scale features. The effects of melt viscosity and molding conditions on replication of microscopic v‐groove features in injection molded parts were examined for PC with different molecular weight. The micro‐scale feature size was a continuous v‐groove with 20 μm in depth and 50 μm in width. For injection molding conditions, melt temperature, mold temperature, injection velocity and holding pressure were varied in three levels. As the result, the mold temperature had significantly affected replication for all polymers with different molecular weight. Additionally, the molding conditions that lower melt viscosity led to improved replication. In the case of polymer with high molecular weight, the viscosity decreased with increasing melt temperature. It has been found that high replication of micro‐scale features could be achieved by higher mold temperature and higher melt temperature even with high viscosity PC. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Micro powder injection moulding of alumina micro-channel part

A feedstock consisting of submicron alumina powder and a formulated binder, was developed to fabricate alumina micro-channel part by micro powder injection moulding. During small scale-mixing, the mixing torques of feedstocks with four different powder loadings were used to establish a suitable powder loading. The thermal and rheological properties of the selected feedstock were examined and used to establish conditions for large scale mixing, debinding and injection moulding. The micro-channel parts were pressureless sintered at different temperatures. The results showed that the moulded, debound and sintered micro-channel parts had good shape retention. The dimensions of the micro-channel part changed with the different processing steps. High densification of the micro-channel parts was achieved at sintering temperatures of 1350 °C and above. Above 1350 °C, the grain grew significantly with increasing the sintering temperatures and thus it led to a decrease in the microhardness.