Metal Injection Moulding (MiM's) from Trushape UK

MiM's: Small but perfectly formed engineering for Steel and Titanium components

Metal injection moulding (MIM) is a process to produce small, complex metal parts in high volumes combining plastic injection moulding with powder metallurgy technology .
Metal powder is mixed with a binder to form a feedstock. This is injected into a mould to create the required shape. The binder is then removed through a rebinding process, and the part is heated in a controlled furnace during sintering. This fuses the metal particles together, producing a dense component. The part shrinks during sintering, but the shape is retained in the process.
The main benefit of MIM is its ability to make detailed metal parts that would be difficult or expensive to machine. It is suitable for parts with thin walls, small holes, fine or complex geometries. It also reduces material waste because parts are made close to their final shape often needing little or no machining.
MIM has good repeatability, high production efficiency and strong mechanical properties. It can be used with materials such as stainless, low alloy & tool steel, titanium, copper and magnetic alloys.
It is most cost-effective for medium to high production volumes, especially where parts are small, intricate and require consistent quality

Benefits

For complex shapes: MIM can produce features that would be difficult machine, such as thin walls, small holes, undercuts, and fine detail

Production efficiency: Once tooling is made, large quantities of parts can be produced consistently

Reduced machining: Parts can often be made close to final shape, reducing waste, labour, and machining time
Wide material choice: Stainless steels, low-alloy steels, tool steels, titanium, copper, and magnetic alloys

Consistent repeatability: The moulding process gives good dimensional repeatability across production batches

Cost-effective for small complex parts. MIM is attractive where parts are too complex for basic pressing or costly to machine