Metal injection molding (MIM) is a manufacturing process used to produce small, intricate metal parts with complex geometries. It combines the design flexibility of plastic injection molding with the strength and durability of metal components.
Metal Injection Molding Overview
- Brief explanation of the MIM process (mixing metal powder with a binder, injection molding, sintering)
- Advantages of MIM (design freedom, high precision, cost-effective for high volumes)
Applications and Industries Using MIM
- Industrial – hydraulic components, gears and housing
- Automotive (engine components, transmission parts, sensors)
- Aerospace (turbine blades, fuel system components, actuators)
- Medical (surgical instruments, implants, orthodontic appliances)
- Consumer electronics (connectors, heat sinks, camera components)
- Firearms (triggers, sights, small parts)
Are there other services that ASG offers that would apply to MIM parts? Like Double Disc Grinding? Yes, MIM parts can also be double disc ground .
Why MIM Parts Require Further Finishing
- Sintering process can cause slight distortion or shrinkage
- Tight tolerances required for certain applications
- Surface finish improvement
Importance of Hyprolapping for MIM Parts
- Hyprolapping is a precision finishing process using abrasive wheels moving in an orbital pattern
- Improves surface finish and dimensional accuracy
- Enables tighter tolerances and better performance in applications like:
- Medical implants (smoother surfaces for biocompatibility)
- Aerospace components (precise dimensions for optimal fit and function)
- Firearms (primarily utilized for competition pistols and military applications)
- Any others that you’d like to call attention to?
- Industrial applications including hydraulic systems, many different types of pump applications and mechanical driveline systems
Why ASG for Hyprolapping?
What makes ASG a suitable partner for MIM part manufacturers?
Speak to experience, service, turnaround – whatever might make someone choose ASG over another vendor.
- Experience with processing many types of materials and geometries
- Produce our tooling and fixturing in house
- Rapid turn-around
By incorporating hyprolapping as a finishing step, MIM parts can achieve the same surface finish, flatness, dimensional tolerances and overall precision as that of a machined part.