Joining during shaping: Two-component MIM provides new possibilities

Two-component Metal Injection Molding allows manufacturing bi-material MIM parts. The joining of the materials happens within the shaping process. It generates completely new design opportunities for MIM products of functional materials. Additional assembling operations are not required. Recent case studies with new material combinations demonstrate the potential for bi-material MIM parts. Processing more than one material by injection molding is an established manufacturing process for plastic parts. It is an economical process that reduces handling and assembling operations. Multi-color or multi-functional plastic parts are produced for technical parts and consumer products as e.g. multi-color car rear lights, hard-soft combinations for elastic seals in tough housings or moveable connections for air flaps of automobile air conditioning systems [1] and [2]. Two-component Metal Injection Molding (2C-MIM) provides new design opportunities for engineers and designers also for metal parts with high functionality. To obtain successful co-sintering for two-component parts of high quality several constraints have to be taken into account.