Influence of the Injection Process on Two-Phase Separation in Stainless-Steel Metal Powder Injection Molding

Abstract

A common issue encountered in metal powder injection molding is the separation of the powder and binder during the injection process, which can give rise to a number of defects. In order to investigate the phenomenon of phase separation in stainless-steel injected flat parts, a numerical simulation methodology was employed by using the Moldex3D R14.0 finite element software to simulate the injection process. Then, the impact of injection parameters on separation was analyzed by comparing key performance indicators such as powder volumetric concentration and density. Furthermore, the extent of the separation was minimized by the optimization of process parameters. The simulation results indicate that the separation of binder and powder is most severe near the gate, where the binder percentage is the highest. The application of elevated mold temperatures, augmented injection rates and reduced injection temperatures can effectively mitigate the two-phase separation phenomenon and enhance the uniformity of powder distribution. This provides a crucial theoretical foundation and technical support for the enhancement of the quality and performance of metal powder injection products.

Keywords

• metal powder injection molding
• two-phase separation
• numerical simulation
• process optimization