
Metal injection molding (MIM) and ceramic injection molding (CIM) are the technologies used for manufacturing parts with superior strength, complex shapes and excellent surface finish. These technologies also provide high volume manufacturing capability. Metal and ceramic injection molding are a part of powder injection molding (PIM), which combines material flexibility of powder metallurgy and design flexibility of plastic molding. These manufacturing processes are used to produce net-shape metal and ceramic components through injection molding technologies. The process entails mixing of ceramic or metal powders with polymer binders to exhibit properties similar to plastics. These mixtures form feedstock, which constitutes 60% of metal or ceramic, and the remaining as the binder, in terms of volume. Then, it is molded in the machine according to industry requirements. Various types of materials are used in the molding process such as titanium alloys, soft magnetic alloys, low-alloy steels and stainless steels. Stainless steel is used widely in the MIM industry and accounts for approximately half of the production of MIM globally. Components produced by either MIM or CIM technology range from 0.002g to over 100g. Some PIM processers obtain raw materials and manufacture feedstock in their own production units, while some processors procure ready feedstock. For instance, BASF SE's Catamold and PolyMIM products are sources of ready feedstock. Based on the type of application, metal injection molded components and ceramic injection molded components are used in a wide range of industries such as automotive, electronics, medical, industrial machinery and firearms.