Factors affecting the replication quality of micro metal gears produced by μ-PIM

μ-PIM is a promising technology for micro-manufacture, by which complex structured micro components can be produced economically. In this paper, iron micro gear arrays with different diameters were produced by μ-PIM. The influence of die temperature (T _m), the injection pressure (P _i) and the injection speed (V _i) on the replication quality has been studied. The results showed that the replication quality was mainly affected by the T _m. Micro gears with best shape retention were obtained when T _m was set to be 80°C, P _i for 100 MPa and V _i for 60 cm³/s. The green compacts were debinded and subsequently sintered. Micro gears with good shape retention and 0.0053 wt. % residual carbon were obtained after debinding and sintering process. The micro hardness turned out 8 GPa measured by a nano-mechanical test instrument.