While many complex parts are great MIM candidates, the process is especially suited to small and micro-scale parts. As parts become smaller, they become rapidly more difficult to machine, requiring specialized equipment with very high spindle speeds, expensive cutting tools, and complicated fixturing. Small parts also present unusual inspection challenges.
MIM has advantages for small and micro-scale parts for many reasons. From a technical perspective, injection molding provides a very consistent and repeatable process, allowing for less inspection due to the high process capabilities possible with injection molding. Competing machining processes require much more labor to provide similar repeatability because of tool wear, different operators, and repeatability challenges in set-up and fixturing.
From a business perspective, smaller parts more easily present great business cases. This is because the two main cost drivers for MIM processing are raw material cost and furnace processing. Small parts minimize the raw material cost and maximize the parts in a furnace run.
The last and most important advantage of MIM over machining for small parts is the complexity that can be achieved at a micro scale. Injection molding has completely different design-for-manufacturability consideration than machining, and the flexibility introduced by molding allows for geometries that would be very difficult or even impossible via conventional machining.
Furthermore, once the molds have been manufactured, the process is quickly scalable, and can respond to changes in demand while still providing substantial cost savings.
The most common titanium alloys used in this process are Ti-6Al-4V and commercially pure grade, but more exotic or custom alloys can also be used. The workhorse of the titanium industry is the Ti-6Al- 4V alloy (ASTM Grade 5, which is resistant to corrosion and provides a high strength-to-mass ratio. The high strength-to-mass ratio makes it a good choice for aerospace components, where shaving weight from a product is a priority. It is also biocompatible, not reacting with the human body, making it a top choice for medical device components. TiMIM is used heavily in the medical device, firearms, consumer electronics, and other niche industries.
This eBook will demonstrate how the TiMIM process works, highlight the advantages and challenges of TiMIM, and help you determine whether TiMIM is right for your next design project.
The Praxis Advantage
Praxis Technology is the world leader in TiMIM, with a team of powder metallurgy engineers ready to transform designs into reality. We have over a decade of experience manufacturing safe, implantable medical devices, and are ISO-13845 and AS9100D registered. Outside of the medical devices industry, our team has developed parts for the defense, aerospace, consumer electronics, and sporting goods industries, just to name a few.
Why choose Praxis? Besides our vast experience in designing precision molds and cost-efficient processes, we specialize in titanium powder metallurgy and bring a unique focus on this challenging material. Titanium is notoriously sensitive to contamination and to help limit the sources of contamination, we only process titanium materials in our facilities. All feedstocks are produced in-house, reducing supply chain delays and minimizing cross-contamination that can occur in plants that source their feedstocks externally or process many types of metal powder.
Ultimately, Praxis stands for quality and traceability in TiMIM manufacturing. In terms of certifications, we are an FDA-registered medical device manufacturer and follow:
ISO-13845: Medical Quality management system standard
AS9100D: Aerospace Quality management system standard
AMS-2750: Pyrometry standard
ASTM F2885: Standard specification for MIM Ti-6Al-4V components for surgical implant applications
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