- Injection Moulding Technology can be best suited to forming parts in minimally invasive surgeries
- Metal Injection Moulding is the perfect choice for creating parts with complex geometries
- MIM is compatible with difficult-to-machine metals such as stainless steels, cobalt-chromium alloys, & titanium alloys, used for making medical devices
Surgical instruments these days need more elaborate designs, features, functionality and lightweight as there is a rapid growth in minimally invasive surgeries. To meet this requirement, medical devices manufacturers equally need to lay greater focus on product design and development. Metal Injection Moulding is increasingly becoming the technology of choice of medical devices manufacturers for its capability of producing complex shapes, smaller sizes, and in large production volumes.
Surgical instruments and implants are two types of medical devices for which this process is particularly well suited to Metal Injection Moulding. Injection Moulding Technology can be best suited to forming parts measuring less than 6 mm thick and weighing less than 100 g. However, with the advanced binder removal techniques, processing of cross-sections above 12.5 mm and up to 400 g is also made possible.
The increase in the number of biocompatible metals available for injection moulding increases is also a major factor. Medical devices are generally produced from difficult-to-machine metals such as stainless steels, cobalt-chromium alloys, and titanium alloys. Metal Injection Moulding technology not only is compatible with these metals but also reduces the cost of fabrication while produced in large volumes. It can make components from many of the alloys used for medical devices with properties comparable to those of wrought and cast materials.
Given the advantages/ plus points of Metal Injection Moulding Technology, here are some key factors to look in Metal Injection Moulding which can make it an ideal technology for Medical Devices.
Cost efficiency for low mass/ volume
As machining or grinding involves a lot of material loses during the product development process, the process incurs huge overall fabrication cost. However, Metal Injection Moulding minimizes the loss of materials during the process hence reducing the fabrication cost of the components significantly.
Effectiveness for large quantity
In Metal Injection Moulding manufacturing process, tooling and set-up cost are difficult to justify for low production volumes. Hence the technology is best applied where the annual production requirement exceeds at least 20,000 units per year.
Materials compatibility
Biocompatible metals and alloys such as titanium, stainless steel, nickel alloys are hard to machine with conventional machining methods. Metal Injection Moulding is an ideal solution for its compatibility to work best with these materials.
Design complexity
Many medical devices need intricate shapes and sizes. MIM is the perfect choice for creating parts with complex geometries. Components that require multiple axes for indexing in machining are easily formed in MIM.
Competitive properties
The high density in MIM generates properties of the competitive scale. is best suited for very small, high performing precision products and parts with tight tolerances and consistent dimensions over high-volume runs. Components can achieve 95 to 98 per cent of wrought material density at a much lower cost. Also, benefits arise when multiple parts can be consolidated into a single piece to save on inventory and assembly costs.
To know how MIM can help you write to Dr. Ravi Bollina
