New trends powder injection moulding

Powder injection moulding (PIM) is a rapidly growing technology for produci ng complex geometry, net shaped components from ceramics, metals, hard meta ls, and intermetallics. The shaping of ceramic powders using injection moul ding has a highly creative aspect with regard to the complexity of the stru ctural parts. This permits the most near-net shaping possible. Therefore, c ostly finishing of the sintered components can be reduced to a minimum or t otally eliminated. This potential for ceramic injection moulding (CIM) has led in the recent past to intensified international research and developmen t activities A number of new binder systems have been developed, i.e., poly acetate based, PEG-polymer based, acrylic-polymer based, agarose-based, etc . The development in the area of new binder composition was in parallel ass isted by a significant improvement in debinding processes. New debinding sy stems have been developed, i.e., computer assisted thermal debinding, extra ction debinding, catalytic debinding, or even freeze drying or microwave as sisted drying, which significantly shortened the debinding time from days t o hours and lowered the emission of undesirable volatile organic by-product s to a minimum. The formation of defects during the debinding process was a lso practically eliminated.