Rapid tooling of powdered metal parts

Rapid prototyping and tooling have gained in importance over the past decad e because of advantages uch as sorter lead-times and the accurate reproduct ion of parts thereby reducing the need for secondary processing. The curren t investigation combines the principles of metal injection molding and rapi d tooling in the production of stainless steel parts. Process parameters su ch as binder-to-powder ratio, stirring time, mold design and sintering temp erature were optimized with respect to the physical and mechanical properti es of the parts. The study shows that the desired strength and porosity can be achieved by control of processing parameters such as sprue-specimen ang le, binder ratio and by vibration of the mold.