Viscous behaviours of feedstocks for micro MIM

The viscous behavior of feedstocks plays the crucial role in Micro MIM. It affects directly injectability of the components and finally quality of the sintered component, because of the possible segregation induced by injection. The studies on viscosity of the feedstocks are realized by a series of the tests, in which a torque rheometer and a capillary rheometer are employed. The effects of binder composition, powder size, temperature and powder loading in volume on viscosity of the feedstocks are investigated. The mixtures of three kinds of binder composition, mixed with 5 mu m or 16 mu m 316L stainless steel powders, are evaluated. The best binder composition is determined by comparison of the viscous behaviors among the self-mixed feedstocks and the commercial one. It results in the suitable ranges of heating temperature and powder loading in volume for the feedstocks. The critical powder loading in volume is determined by a series of the capillary tests with the gradual increase of powder loading. These works provide the valuable reference for the research on binder composition and the process of micro metal injection molding.