Papers by Keyword: Powder Injection Molding

Abstract: Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) offer improved mechanical properties, especially higher toughness, preferably at elevated temperatures. Fields of application are, for example, highly hot stressed components of aero engines.Processing of Ceramic Matrix Composites by powder injection molding offers attractive economic benefits, however, it represents a considerable challenge. Development of a process chain for the ceramic injection molding of Al₂O₃ short fiber CMC had started by feedstock preparation and characterization. Fiber content varied between 10 to 50 vol.% whereas for binder a well-examined system from KIT was chosen. The fiber content showed a minor effect on the rheological properties but fiber orientation depended strongly on the apparent shear profile. The sintering behavior was affected as well, i.e. higher densities were achieved.

Abstract: In this work, powder injection molding (PIM) of Ti-6Al-4V alloy powder has been studied. Defect-free high performance Ti-6Al-4V parts with low carbon/oxygen contents have been successfully prepared by PIM. A pre-alloyed Ti-6Al-4V alloy powder and wax-polymer binder system have been mixed together to prepare the feedstock. In mixing stage, the solid loading percentage and mixing conditions have been optimized. Rheological and thermal debinding behaviors of prepared feedstock have been characterized and numerically expressed based on rheometry and thermal gravity experimental results. In addition, the injection molding process of Ti-6Al-4V parts has been numerically analyzed to optimize the injection molding conditions. Consequently, the defect-free Ti-6Al-4V parts with low carbon and oxygen contents have been successfully fabricated by PIM, which exhibits excellent physical and mechanical properties.

Abstract: Sliding electrical contacts are traditionally produced by conventional compacting technologies. Employing the powder injection moulding process (PIM) as a new manufacturing method can offer several advantages such as the fabrication of complex net-shaped parts, cost-effectiveness and high volume productions. The PIM process route consists of the following steps: powder processing, compounding, injection molding, debinding and sintering. A two-stage process consisting of solvent debinding and thermal debinding is often used to remove the moulding binder. In the present paper, the suitability of the powder metallurgical processes: mechanical alloying and powder mixing for the preparation of bronze-graphite powder mixtures for the compounding and injection moulding of sliding contacts is discussed. The use of a suitable binder is of central importance for the preparation of injection-moldable feedstocks. For this purpose, two commercial ready-to-use binder systems were utilized and evaluated. The essential challenge of the process route is to optimize all parameters of the subprocesses to achieve a damage-free debinding and sintering of the injection-moulded parts. First results on the influence of the graphite content, the binder fraction, the debinding and sintering parameters are presented and discussed.

Abstract: The aim of this work is to propose the application of statistical methods (linear regression and statistical hypothesis test) to analyze the effect of parameters used in powder injection molding including sintering temperature and the feedstock composition on the flexural strength, the porosity and the density of the sintered specimens of mullite prepared by powder injection molding (PIM) and using the composite binder consisting of 80 wt% polyethylene glycol (PEG) and 20 wt% polyvinyl butyral (PVB) for molding. The lab-scale plunger type PIM machine was used to prepare the specimens. The feedstock compositions were 50 to 54 vol% mullite, and the sintering temperatures were 1300 and 1400 °C. At level of significance 0.05 for statistical analysis, feedstock composition did not affect flexural strength, porosity, and density of the sintered specimens. For sintering temperature, the specimens sintered at 1400 °C have the greater density and the lower porosity. However, the flexural strength of the specimens sintered at 1300 °C and 1400 °C are statistically similar.

Abstract: The purpose of this work is to use the statistical methods including linear regression and statistical hypothesis test to study the dissolution behavior of polyethylene glycol (PEG), a water-soluble binder, during debinding step of the green specimens of mullite formed by powder injection molding (PIM). Two systems of composite binders were investigated including (A) 80 wt% polyethylene glycol (PEG) and 20 wt% polyvinyl butyral (PVB) and (B) 78 wt% PEG, 20 wt% PVB, and 2 wt% steric acid (SA)The lab-scale plunger type PIM machine was used to prepare the green specimens consisting of mullite powder and the composite binder. The possible solid loadings of the green specimens that could be prepared by this machine were 50, 52, and 54 vol% mullite (50, 48, and 46 vol% binder). The debinding was done by soaking the green specimens in the warm water at 40 or 60 oC to remove PEG. At level of significance 0.05 for statistical analysis, the dissolution behavior of PEG can be fitted with Avarami equation. In addition, from the Avarami equation obtained from each experimental condition, the dissolution rate of PEG was independent of the parameters used in this study including solid loading in the green specimens, water temperatures for debinding, and composite binder systems.

Abstract: Powder injection molding (PIM) process is suitable for both metal and ceramic materials to produce parts with high volume and accuracy at low cost. In this research work, 90wt. % of Ti6Al4V was dry mixed with 10wt. % of Hydroxyapatite (HA). The resultant mixture was further mixed with different space holders in weight ratio 8:2. The feedstock was prepared by mixing the final mixed powder with PEG and PW based binder systems. The dumbbell shape parts were produced using DSM Xplore injection molding machine. The molded samples were debound into two stages i.e solvent extraction followed by thermal debinding. The debinding parameters were optimized for different binder with space holders. The major binders’ paraffin wax (PW) extracted in haptane and PEG in water immersion at temperatures of 60 °C and 50 °C for 5 hrs respectively. The thermal de-binding was performed successfully at 500 °C by varying the heating rate from 3 °C/min-5 °C/min with holding time 1hr in argon atmosphere followed by the sintering in vacuum. During molding short shot defects and cracks were observed while during debinding, collection of binder, swelling and holes were noted. These types of defects may be due to space holder, improper binder, heating rate, temperature and dwell time at each processing step. The sintered test specimens were analyzed for porosity and microstructure. The results showed that the PEG based binder system with NaCl space holder is more effective to produce porous Ti/HA composite through PIM. Porous Ti/HA composite showed interconnected pores with average size of 90µm.

Abstract: In this work, the statistical analysis methods, including least square method and statistical hypothesis testing, were used to study the flexural strength and density of the specimens formed from mullite powder by powder injection molding (PIM). The feedstock for PIM consist of mullite powder and the composite binder consisting of 78 wt% polyethylene glycol (PEG), 20 wt% polyvinyl butyral (PVB), and 2 wt% stearic acid (SA). The PIM machine used in this work was the lab-scale plunger type. The compositions of the feedstock that could be injection molded by this machine were 50, 52, and 54vol% mullite. After molding, PEG in the green specimens was removed prior to sintering by soaking the specimens in the water at 60 °C for 24 hours while PVB and SA were removed during sintering. The sintering temperatures were 1300 to 1450°C. At significance level of 0.05, the least square method and the statistical hypothesis test showed that both feedstock compositions and sintering temperatures used in this work affected the densities of sintered specimens. However, the increasing of the flexural strength of sintered specimens was mainly by the increasing of the sintering temperature.

Abstract: The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of Zr, Nb and Ti additions on microstructural, mechanical and electrochemical properties of injection molded 316L stainless steel. The amount of additive powder plays a role in determining the sintered microstructure and all properties. In this study, 316L stainless steel powders used with the elemental Zr, Nb and Ti powders. The binders were completely removed from molded components by solvent and thermal debinding. The debinded samples were sintered at different temperature for 60 min. at different temperatures. Mechanical property, microstructural characterization and electrochemical property of the sintered samples were performed using tensile testing, hardness, optical, scanning electron microscopy and electrochemical experiments. Results of study showed that sintered 316L and 316L with additive powder samples exhibited high mechanical and corrosion properties in a physiological environment.

Abstract: This paper deals with the mechanical properties of test specimens of commercially available PIM feedstocks based on a stainless steel powder. After injection molding, a part of the polymer binder has been removed in water. This process was followed by thermal removal of residual binder and sintering at 1360 °C in hydrogen atmosphere. For production of the mechanical test bars fresh and recycled feedstocks were employed. The aim is to determine the changes in mechanical performance resulting from injection molding processing stage, especially possible separation of feedstock components – the stainless steel powder and the polymer binder

Abstract: As part of our technology development program we started to prepare for introducing ceramic injection molding technology. The technology consists of the following steps: 1. feedstock preparation (mixing the ceramic powder with binding agent), 2. injection molding (green body production), 3. thermal or solvent debinding (brown body production), 4. sintering of the brown body. To make alumina ceramic parts essential to know the properties of all raw materials which are used during the PIM process. That is why this article is focused on the thermogravimetric studies of potential raw materials. These thermogravimetric studies helped to optimize the debinding experiments at specimens with high alumina content. First of all the measured curves of the feedstock were compared with calculated curves from the single raw materials. This comparison helped us to understand the processes in the feedstock during the sintering. Then thermogravimetric experiments in air atmosphere were made to optimize the sintering process. These experiments resulted good structural properties at the sintered parts.