Modeling, Identification and Simulation of the Sintering Stage for Micro-Bi-Material Components

This paper investigates the numerical simulation of the sintering stage by solid state diffusion during the metal injection molding process for micro-bi-material component based on a thermo-elasto-viscoplastic model. The physical parameters concerning very fine 316L stainless steel and copper powders with high volume loading contents involved in the sintering model have been identified in order to set up finite element simulations. The experimental tests have been carried out in a vertical dilatometer and the identification of the material parameters have been carried out with Matlab® platform software. Then in order to predict the shrinkage and relative density after densification, a solid state diffusion model for the sintering has been implemented in finite element software to perform the simulation of the sintering stage.