General criteria


Comparison with other technologies
PROCESS: Investment Casting
application limitations advantages of MIM
  1. Military
  2. Medical
  3. Automotive
  4. Mechanical
  1. Slow
  2. Hard to control tolerances
  3. Requires many secondary machining processes
  4. Costly
  5. Rough surface finish
  1. Lower per part cost
  2. Shorter production cycle
  3. High repeatability
  4. Excellent surface finish
  5. Minimal secondary machining, generally not required
PROCESS: Die Casting
application limitations advantages of MIM
  1. Military
  2. Assembled equipment
  3. Parts of equipment
  1. Low mechanical specifications
  2. Difficult use with stainless steel
  3. Rough surface finish
  1. Excellent mechanical specifications
  2. Wide range
  3. High repeatability
  4. Excellent surface finish
PROCESS: Machining
application limitations advantages of MIM
  1. All parts designed for production with traditional technologies
  1. Large quantity of machining waste
  2. High tooling costs
  3. Limited range of forms
  4. Not suited to complex shapes
  1. Outstanding savings of raw materials
  2. Short production cycle
  3. High repeatability
  4. Excellent for complex shapes
PROCESS: Traditional MDP (press-forming and sintering)
application limitations advantages of MIM
  1. Gears, cams, etc.
  1. Very low density
  2. Limited complexity of shapes
  3. Numerous secondary processes
  1. Excellent for complex shapes
  2. High density


Tolerances
Borings
Threads
Uniform cross-sections
Injection
Surface finish
Assembly of green parts
Materials
Mechanical characteristics