POWDERS FOR METAL INJECTION-MOLDING

Metal injection molding (MIM) uses powders which differ considerable f rom the ceramics powders used for ceramic injection molding. Metal pow ders are hardly available in the sub-micron ranges that are almost sta ndard ill ceramics. The reason for this lies in the ductility and reac tivity of the metals which make it difficult and very expensive to pro duce fine powders. In this paper the specifications for MIM powders ar e discussed with reference to the different materials processed bq MIM and the resulting properties of the materials. Subjects will include stainless steel, tungsten alloys, intermetallics and titanium, The pap er will deal with the activation and characterisation of the powders a s well as with their processing by MIM. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Limi ted. All rights reserved.