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Selected articles for design engineers, purchasing managers and managing directors. Written by engineers, edited by buyers. We forgo gated content — if our knowledge is useful to you, we are findable for you.
MIM vs. investment casting vs. machining
Decision matrix for series sizes between 10k and 2 M parts — with a concrete break-even calculation for two example geometries.
Design for MIM: 12 design rules
Wall thicknesses, undercuts, sintering shrinkage — the most common sources of error in 3D models and how to detect them before tool release.
Material selection in practice
FN02, FN08, 17-4 PH, 316L, Ti-6Al-4V — properties, cost and availability in direct comparison as an interactive matrix.
Surface without rework
Which Ra values are achievable as-sintered — and where which finishing step is worthwhile. With a cost comparison for three typical components.
Calculating tooling cost realistically
Single, multi-cavity, family mold — when which cavity count pays off and when it does not. With an amortization model across three annual volumes.
PPAP / EMPB for MIM parts
Requirements, typical deviations and accelerators in the sampling process. With a template for the MIM-specific PPAP level 3 kit.
Relocation from Asia
How a technically clean reshoring proceeds in a structured way — including re-qualification scheme, tool transfer and double-running phase.
CBAM & CO₂ footprint in MIM
Material- and process-related emissions — how they are recorded, weighted and communicated in ESG reporting. With a worked example.
Why 42CrMo4 does not behave in MIM like in investment casting
In MIM, carbon content is a process result, not a melt property — what design engineers should specify instead of the material grade.
MIM-316L is not 1.4404
Corrosion resistance in the as-sintered state — why it depends on density, sintering control and passivation, and how the drawing captures this.
Cpk-ready tolerancing
Why ±0.02 on a 20 mm dimension doubles part cost — three guiding questions and a model calculation with a 38 % cost lever.
Tooling lock-in and requalification
What a supplier switch really costs in MIM — tooling captivity, re-PPAP effort and the TCO calculation with a model example.
Is my part suitable for MIM?
Four filters — annual volume, weight, wall thickness, material — give a reliable answer in ten minutes. With an honest counter-check on when MIM does not fit.
MIM or metal 3D printing?
The crossover lies at 20,000 to 30,000 parts per year. Why binder jetting is the closest relative — and when the tool can be dropped.
What drives the unit price
Six cost blocks broken down, and five levers. The biggest lever is not in purchasing but in design.
MIM in medical technology
Residual porosity decides cleaning validation and passivation. What changes above 97 percent density — and what belongs in the specification.
Soft magnetic materials in MIM
Density and carbon decide the magnetics. Fe, Fe-Si, Fe-Ni and Fe-Co compared — and why function integration turns the calculation.
Titanium in MIM
At sintering temperature titanium binds oxygen, nitrogen and carbon. What that means for process, standard and costing — and why weight dominates everything here.
Debinding and sintering
The material only comes into being during production. Why atmosphere and debinding route decide the result — and what follows for the drawing.
Density, porosity and HIP
Fatigue strength and leak tightness depend far more on residual porosity than tensile strength. Methods, limits and when HIP pays.
Heat treatment after sintering
H900, H1025 and what they mean. Why MIM values lie below wrought material and why near-net-shape parts distort differently.
From investment casting to MIM
Seven conversion mistakes. Why casting needs thick walls and MIM cannot take them — and why inspection specifications must be rewritten.
Coating and surface treatment
Residual porosity changes every wet process. Which coating holds on MIM, why bleed-out occurs — and why layer thickness belongs in the tolerance chain.
Geometry and Wall Thickness Checklist
Wall thickness ratio, mass accumulation, draft, holes, threads: fourteen geometry features with limit values and the reasoning behind each.
MIM Suitability Checklist
Ten screening criteria with actual limit values instead of questions: mass, wall thickness, tolerance, volume, material. Traffic-light scoring before you send an RFQ.
Tolerance and Datum Checklist
MIM standard tolerance is ±0.3 % of nominal, tight is ±0.1 % on one dimension. Twelve review points on datums, form tolerances and shrinkage direction.
Drawing Release Checklist
Eighteen release points before ordering the tool: condition, measurement method, gate, support, machining, volume. Including who owns each point.
MIM vs. Die Casting
MIM holds ±0.3 % of nominal; NADCA standard tolerance is ±0.25 mm at 25 mm. When zinc die casting is the better choice and when it is not.
MIM vs. Press-and-Sinter
Press-and-sinter reaches 85 to 93 percent density, MIM above 97 percent. When the higher density justifies the higher cost and when it does not.
High-Strength MIM Materials
MIM 4605 quenched and tempered reaches 1655 MPa; 17-4 PH in H900 reaches 1190 MPa. Data by condition, with the cost effect of heat treatment.
High-Density Materials
Tungsten heavy alloy reaches 17.0 to 18.5 g/cm³ per ASTM B777 at tensile strengths from 689 MPa. Classes, limits and when MIM is the right route.
Controlled-Expansion Materials
Per ASTM F15, Kovar holds an expansion coefficient of 4.6 to 5.2 between 30 and 400 degrees. What that means for glass-to-metal seals in MIM.
Corrosion-Resistant MIM Materials
MIM 316L reaches 520 MPa tensile strength at 7.6 g/cm³. Data for 316L, 304L, 17-4 PH, Ti-6Al-4V and CoCrMo with standards and sources.
Hard and Wear-Resistant MIM Materials
MIM 420 reaches 1379 MPa heat treated, 440C hardens to 63 HRC, PIM cemented carbide sits at 90 HRA. Data plus the four wear modes compared.