WHAT'S AN AVERAGE TOOLING COST?

The average tooling cost for MIM is similar to that for the production of plastic injection molding tools.

WHAT’S THE PRODUCTION CAPACITY FOR A TOOL?

500,000/parts/year/cavity.

WHY ARE PIECE PRICES HIGH COMPARED TO OTHER TECHNOLOGIES?

Our raw materials are high due to the micron size of the raw material required for our technology. This makes us most competitive on small parts where the material cost becomes less of an issue, and on larger parts where we get enough value through intricate detail to off set material costs. Also, our sintering cycles are long batch processes, done in expensive, high maintenance vacuum furnaces.

WHY IS MIM SO EXPENSIVE IN SMALL VOLUMES?

Development costs for a new part are also very high, so higher volumes reduce unit costs significantly.

HOW LARGE A PART CAN YOU MAKE?

Approximately 100 to 150 grams, due to economic rather than technical constraints.

WHY CAN'T YOU DO PARTS LARGER THAN 5 OZ.?

The process has to allow for the weight/mass of the part. If it is too large it will collapse on itself.

WHAT ARE YOUR BEST MATERIALS USED?

Stainless Steels plus other Ferrous alloys.

WHAT LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIALS CAN BE USED?

The MIM process is not recommended for aluminum and magnesium, but we are currently working with titanium.

WHAT IS THE NORMAL MINIMUM PRODUCTION VOLUME WE WILL BE COMPETITIVE TO QUOTE ON?

High volumes are preferred, but the practical lower limit might be 50,000/year or $ 100,000/job/year. Certain circumstances may permit lower volume. We have had several successful programs at 20,000 - 30,000 parts per year.

WHAT TOLERANCES CAN BE HELD?

.003" to .005" per inch. Part features must be considered and secondaries are often used to decrease tolerance.

WHAT ARE THE THINNEST WALLS MOLDABLE?

.020" where needed, but it is very dependent on part design and required tolerance.

WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM WALL SECTION?

.250" to .360" depending on material.

WHAT ARE WE DOING TO REMOVE COST FROM THE PRODUCT?

Raw material processing (effect of shipping volume, size of granules, etc.) and sintering process investigations (continuous vs. batch).

WHAT IS THE TIME IN PROCESS?

Most of the time is devoted to sintering, which is approximately 20 hours.

WHAT MICRO FINISH CAN BE HELD?

30-32 rms possible. usually better than a 64 rms finish.

WHAT IS THE PART STRENGTH?

Mechanical properties are typically very close to wrought materials—usually stronger than 97 - 99% of theoretical density.

WILL MIM PARTS FRACTURE EASILY?

No, due to their high strength and density.

WHAT IS YOUR PRODUCTION LEAD-TIME?

Usually 14-22 weeks including mold design and build First Article Approval, process development and initial production run. Once the tool is built, lead-time is a normal 4-6 weeks.

CAN SECONDARY OPERATIONS BE PERFORMED ON MIM PARTS?

Yes. Most secondaries can be done to MIM parts (machining, grinding, coining, plating, etc.).

IS THE SHRINKAGE CONSISTENT?

Yes, especially with uniform wall sections. Plus, it is very repeatable. Shrinkage does vary by material.

WILL MIM PARTS FRACTURE EASILY?

No, due to their high strength and density.

DOES ANY PLASTIC REMAIN IN THE PART?

No. The de-binding and sintering processes remove all the binder material.

HAT GEOMETRY AND SHAPE IS MIM WELL-SUITED FOR?

MIM has the design advantages of zinc or aluminum die-casting, plus the physical properties of ferrous materials. In other words, MIM is particularly suited for high-strength, complex geometries.

WHAT CONVENTIONAL PROCESSES ARE WE MORE COST COMPETITIVE?

We do compare well with any part that requires numerous conventional processes and investment casting. We do not compare well with die-castings, conventional P/M, simple machining, stamping, fine blanking or cold heading (provided parts can be used without additional processing).

IS MIM MATERIAL GOOD FOR SOFT MAGNETIC APPLICATIONS?

Our high density slow cooled (annealed) iron, and silicon iron materials have excellent ferromagnetic properties. Ask your sales representative for a B-H curve on the specific alloy.

WHAT IS THE SIZE OF THE PARTING LINE?

Less than .005" generally, but on most parts less than .003".

ARE SINK MARK A PROBLEM AS IN PLASTIC INJECTION MOLDING?

They can be, but proper part design can usually eliminate them.