Minimizing Contamination in Commercial Mass Production of Metal Injection Molded Pure Titanium

Abstract

Metal injection molding (MIM) has been used in manufacturing highly complex metal parts but has had far less application for titanium which is a reactive metal. The implementation of titanium MIM on a mass production scale still raises many difficulties due to the contamination from processes, especially in case of manufacturing titanium parts on existing steel-based part production lines. The effects of material contamination in commercially-pure (CP) titanium parts have been studied and the trial production of titanium parts on a commercial MIM production line has been carried out. Steel-based feedstocks gathering on titanium green parts diffused into the titanium giving rise to liquid phase sintering, which disfigured the appearance of the titanium products. The trial production of titanium parts on a steel-based mass production line resulted in products with poor mechanical properties compared with those produced under laboratory conditions. The contamination by steel during the process resulted in the formation of a Ti-Fe solid solution phase at localized areas in the parts, decreasing the elongation to below 4%, Methods to reduce contamination in the mass production line have been carefully applied and acceptable properties, e,g,, elongation about 18%, of titanium parts successfully achieved, CP titanium parts can be manufactured via well-controlled production in the steel-based MIM factory, [

A Review on Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing of Metal and How It Compares with Metal Injection Moulding

“…Shibo et al [179] reports that vacuum provides lower O when compared to the Ar flow atmosphere (Figure 11). On the other hand, MIMed Ti alloys can also be successfully debound using the Ar flow atmosphere [180][181][182][183].…”

Research on metallic contamination control of PFA injection molded fittings

“…For these fittings in wet processes, injection molding is the manufacturing procedure as well as the first process of the whole production routine, which is crucial to limit contamination 22 . During the process, materials are sheared and melted by the screw, pushed into the molds, and held to form.…”

“…For these fittings in wet processes, injection molding is the manufacturing procedure as well as the first process of the whole production routine, which is crucial to limit contamination. 22 During the process, materials are sheared and melted by the screw, pushed into the molds, and held to form. Some physical and chemical processes, such as friction, decomposition, and corrosion, are happening between the machine and the materials, which may cause some impurities in manufacturing.…”