Research Overview

MIM is very cost-effective for manufacturing high volume complex parts. The technology allows varied industries to produce components with very minimal metal (material) wastage. MIM reduces assembly part count and the number of bond joints in a component. This reduces the requirement of an assembly process (machinery, equipment) and associated manpower. Due to the technology's ability to produce high volumes of precision components to net-shape, metal injection molding (MIM) has become a very important manufacturing technology. The combination of higher volume cost reduction pressure and increasing design complexity is pushing industries to adopt MIM technology.MIM of titanium components is currently limited to high-performance applications or luxury consumer products where titanium adds exclusivity and marketability. Advancements in using superalloys and materials for MIM has been the main area of R&D. Supplier evaluation is very critical in the automotive industry. Automakers follow extremely sophisticated supplier sourcing strategies.