Binder system for micropowder injection molding

To exploit the potential of microsystem technology, micropowder injection molding (mu PIM), an economical mass production technology of microparts, is currently being investigated. Present work focused on establishing a suitable binder system for mu PIM. Multicomponent binder systems, comprising of different weight percentages of Paraffin Wax (PW), Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) and High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) were investigated. The findings indicate that 316L stainless steel microparts in dimensions of 100 x 100 x 250 mum can be molded, debound and sintered successfully using a 20 wt.% PW + 40 wt.% EVA + 40 wt.% HDPE binder system. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.