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DESIGN PRINCIPLES
The designing of parts for optimum MIM processing generally follows the well developed
guidelines for plastic injection molding. These principles will be reviewed in
the following sections, being modified for MIM when appropriate. The benefits of metal
injection molding are best exploited by designing specifically for the process. Maintaining
existing designs or specifications may not permit the full realization of MIM’s advantages.
UNIFORM WALLS
Figure 1
Uniform Wall Thickness and Coring
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Uniform wall thickness is critical. Non-uniform walls may cause distortion,
internal stresses, voids, cracking, and sink marks. Variations in wall
thickness also cause variations in shrinkage during sintering, making
dimensional control difficult. Examples
of designing for uniform wall thickness are shown in Figure 1.
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