Revolutionizing Consumer Products with Metal Injection Molding
Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) is an emerging manufacturing technology across the world for the small, complex, precise and net-shaped metal parts. MIM Technology is evolved from Plastic injection moulding and Powder Metallurgy.
Consumer products demand creatively engineered designs married with high-strength materials wrapped in attractive finishes. MIM satisfies this need with the unbeatable design and materials flexibility. The custom-engineered MIM products are widely used for door locks, sporting goods, electronics, tools and hardware applications.
MIM has the following inherent capabilities, because of which it is one of the best-suited manufacturing processes for small and complex metal parts for consumer product applications.
1. Engineered beauty with functional efficiency :
Consumers today are highly sophisticated and look for unique designs that are functional, economical and eye catching. The consumer products demand creatively engineered designs to sustain in the highly competitive market. Typically the consumer products have lower wall thickness and complex three-dimensional geometries. MIM technology has the distinctive ability to produce high complex components with fine details to maximise the cosmetic potential of the design.
MIM has unique design advantages like manufacturability of difficult-to-machine features like holes with hexagonal, square, splined profiles, the textured features, external and internal threads, logo, part number, raised letters and impressions.
MIM has the capability of integrating the multiple parts in the assembly into a single piece design easily – thus MIM can reduce overall manufacturing cost, lead time and can improve the function of the part. Hence MIM is most suitable for manufacturing of parts/ assemblies with complex and compact design.
2. Material for every application   :
Consumer products require the materials with multiple material property requirements like high strength coupled with good corrosion resistance which should be finished to a particular surface finish.
MIM offers a large variety of materials like various grades of steels and stainless steels. Also, any tailor-made chemistry can be formulated by MIM to achieve the desired material properties.
MIM can manufacture the parts with materials of engineered density requirements which are not feasible with standard wrought or cast materials. The application of a specific engineered density material is for the golf parts. MIM also can formulate modified stainless steels which have higher strength and enhanced corrosion resistance.
Hence MIM is most suitable manufacturing process for complex consumer products application parts with unique material properties which is not feasible by wrought or cast route.
3. Rapid product development and quick transition to high volume production :
 Time to market and quick transition to high volume production is the key in consumer products. The low cost single cavity tool can be manufactured quickly for prototype evaluation and low volume development which will reduce the time to market. The manufacturing process will be set during the prototype evaluation and will be readily adapted for high volume production.
The multiple cavity high volume tooling coupled with capability of sintering larger quantities per batch, can quickly adapt the surges in the market demand. This in turn reduces the risk and reduces the inventory. Thus MIM is most suitable manufacturing process for consumer product applications which demand quick response in supply to adapt to fast changing market conditions.
4. Unlimited finishing options :
 Consumer product requires attractive finish on the parts which are aesthetic, unique and functional. MIM can produce the parts with various surface finish and texture in as-MIM condition. MIM parts can also be finished to required surface finish by various surface finishing processes like barrelling, glass bead blasting without extensive surface preparation. Also MIM parts can be passivated, electro polished, plated and coated to achieve the required surface finish, improved corrosion resistance and the aesthetic requirement. The typical surface plating and coating operations done on the MIM parts are blackening, zinc and yellow Passivation, electro-less nickel plating, Nickel – trivalent chrome plating, Nickel-Teflon coating, PVD coating, etc.
MIM materials are amenable to most of the secondary finishing processes unlike cast parts. Thus MIM parts can be finished to the demanding finishing requirements of consumer product applications.
MIM Consumer product solutions:
Following are the few consumer product application areas where the MIM parts are used widely:
