In 1990, aluminum molds were first used for metal injection molding processes in the United States.
Plastic injection molding is popular because it can create a large amount of product in a very time efficient manner. Additionally, there is minimal scrap loss with plastic injection molding, making it environmentally friendly and cost efficient. During the process of plastic injection molding, glass reinforced resins are used to increase durability. However, the longer the melted plastic sits in the barrel of an injection molding machine, it becomes degraded and as such, makes it harder to create molded products.
Metal injection molding processes are the systems where a fine metal powder is mixed with a binding material to make up a material that can be used by plastic processing injection systems. Metal injection molding processes let complex parts to be created using only a single operation, which in turn creates a high volume output.
The products created by metal injection molding processes are used in different applications and industries. The advantage of metal injection molding processes includes the ability to create complex parts at high volumes. These parts and products are used in industries such as medical, firearms, aerospace, dental, and automotive.
There are many other benefits of metal injection molding processes. This process provides a higher level of freedom in design. Complex parts that have to be produced using other processes and secondary machining can be made in one step with the metal injection molding processes.
Higher level of details can be achieved through the metal injection molding processes. These features include undercuts, threads, curved surfaces, and other such details can be easily produced using metal injection molding processes. These processes can also create complex injection molded components without a lot of assembly.
Like plastic injection, there is very little waste with metal injection molding processes because there is no additional machining required. Parts created through this process also have high strength factors, do not corrode as easily, and also have better magnetic properties.
These injection molding processes provide a higher level of manufacturing quality than that provided by die cast or plastic injection molding. This means that metal injection molding processes can be more cost effective, as they are not as labor intensive.