Designing for Metal Injection Molding (MIM)

• Ideal for production quantities of at least 10,000 pieces annually, though often exceeding 20,000 parts per year.

• High-volume applications can reach up to 100 million parts annually, such as in cell phones, computers, and dental brackets.

• Best suited for parts weighing 25 grams or less, though parts up to 100 grams or possibly more.

• Typically, parts are 3 inches or less in any dimension, with thin wall sections up to 0.250 inches (6mm) preferred.

• Uniform wall thickness is critical, with an ideal range of 2-3 mm (0.080 - 0.125 inches).

• Suitable for materials that are difficult to machine, such as tool steels, titanium, ceramics, stainless steel, and nickel-based alloys.

• Popular materials include stainless steels, oxide ceramics (alumina, zirconia), tool steels, nickel alloys, iron-nickel soft magnetic alloys, and specialty alloys like tungsten, titanium, cobalt-chromium, and electronic alloys.

• MIM excels with complex shapes, often handling components with 20 to over 250 engineering specifications.

• Ideal for parts where shape complexity exceeds the capabilities of other manufacturing processes.

• Combining multiple part assemblies into a single MIM component can eliminate the need for screws, adhesive bonding, soldering, and welding.