Progress in Titanium Metal Powder Injection Molding
Metal powder injection molding is a shaping technology that has achieved solid
scientific underpinnings. It is from this science base that recent progress has occurred in
titanium powder injection molding. Much of the progress awaited development of the
required particles with specific characteristics of particle size, particle shape, and purity.
The production of titanium components by injection molding is stabilized by a good
understanding of how each process variable impacts density and impurity level. As
summarized here, recent research has isolated the four critical success factors in titanium
metal powder injection molding (Ti-MIM) that must be simultaneously satisfied—density,
purity, alloying, and microstructure. The critical role of density and impurities, and the
inability to remove impurities with sintering, compels attention to starting Ti-MIM with
high quality alloy powders. This article addresses the four critical success factors to
rationalize Ti-MIM processing conditions to the requirements for demanding applications
in aerospace and medical fields. Based on extensive research, a baseline process is
identified and reported here with attention to linking mechanical properties to the four
critical success factors