Powder injection molding (PIM) of titanium alloys - Ripe for expansion

Titanium alloys are amongst the most important of the advanced materials wh ich are key to enhanced behavior in aerospace and terrestrial applications because of their excellent combinations of specific mechanical properties ( properties normalized by density) and outstanding corrosion behavior [1-6]. However, a major concern with titanium alloys is their high cost compared to competing materials, which has led to investigation of various potential ly lower cost processes, including powder metallurgy (P/M) techniques (7,8) . In this article, the status of one attractive emerging titanium P/M appro ach, powder injection molding (PIM) (9) will be reviewed. The current marke t for titanium was recently reviewed by this author in MT/APM.