Metal Injection Molding: its Materials and Utilities

The catalog of MIM materials available at ECRIMESA covers the main needs of industrial sectors in automotive, machinery, defense, medicine or sports.

The variety of compositions and heat treatments allows us to work with sectors as diverse as automotive, machine tools, defense, medicine, sports, among others.

The experience that Ecrimesa Group has acquired over the years on the manufacture of metal parts using MIM technology has been recognized at institutional level. So much so that Ecrimesa Group has actively participated in the promotion and contribution of tests with different materials in the ISO standard on MIM technology, ISO22068 “Sintered Metal Injection Moulded materials – Specifications”.

The metal material par excellence with which we work in the group is steel. In this article, we explain the types of steels manufactured by Ecrimesa Group, the application for which they are intended and the main properties of each type.

Steels table for the manufacture of metal parts with MIM technology

In this section, we will present an overview of the different tables mentioned in the article that detail the information on the steels used in MIM technology by Ecrimesa Group. These tables include information on the nomenclature of steels, their chemical composition, mechanical properties and applied heat treatments.

Table 1: Nomenclature and Chemical Composition of Low Alloy Steels

This table provides information on the nomenclature of low alloy steels, according to ISO or ASTM standards, and details their chemical composition.

Table 2: Mechanical Properties of Low Alloy Steels according to Heat Treatment

Mechanical properties of low alloy steels are presented depending on the heat treatments applied. The minimum normalized properties according to the MIM ISO 22068 standard and the typical results obtained in the Ecrimesa Group laboratory are standed out.

Table 3: Chemical Composition of Tool Steels

Lists the tool steels used by the Group and provides details on their chemical composition.

Table 4: Mechanical Properties of Tool Steels according to Heat Treatment

Mechanical properties of tool steels are presented depending on the heat treatments applied.

Table 5: Mechanical Properties of Sintered Soft Magnetic Steels

Description of the mechanical properties of sintered soft magnetic steels and their properties.

Table 6: Composition and Properties of Stainless Steels

Classification and composition of stainless steels produced by Ecrimesa Group, with a special focus on 17-4PH stainless steel.

Table 7: Mechanical Properties of Stainless Steels according to Heat Treatment

Mechanical properties of different stainless steels produced by Ecrimesa Group depending on the heat treatments applied.

Table 8 and 9: Specific Compositions and Properties of Other Materials

Table listing more particular compositions of materials, such as refractory materials and nickel-based superalloys, used in high temperature applications.

These tables summarize key information about the steels used in MIM technology by Ecrimesa Group, facilitating access to important data on nomenclature, chemical composition, mechanical properties and heat treatments.

Low alloy steels

These are carbon steels containing alloying elements in order to improve their properties. Low alloy steels are those containing from 1% to 4% alloying elements and are mainly used in the automotive, defense, industrial machinery, machine tools, locksmithing, etc. sectors. Normally, this type of steel achieves its final properties after heat treatment, surface treatment or a combination of both after sintering. The most common heat treatments for this type of steel are quenching, tempering and carburizing. Surface treatments can also be applied to improve resistance to the elements, such as bluing, nickel plating, zinc plating and Tenifer QPQ, among others.

The following TABLE 1 details the nomenclature of the different low alloy steels, according to the specific ISO or ASTM standard, and the chemical composition they contain: 

It should be noted that this group includes steels high in Nickel percentage coming from traditional powder metallurgy (PM / Press and sinter) but with much better mechanical properties due to the high density achieved with MIM technology.  

Also included are low alloy steels whose designation is taken from traditional manufacturing standards such as DIN/EN or SAE, however, there are still steels that have not been standardized for MIM according to ISO 22068.  

The following TABLE 2 describes the mechanical properties of low-alloy steels as a function of the heat treatment applied:  

In blue, the minimum standardized properties according to MIM ISO 22068 standard. In green, typical results obtained in our laboratory with specimens processed in our own processes.  

A large part of Ecrimesa Group’s production is manufactured with low alloy steel FN08. This has led us to acquire extensive experience and knowledge about the behavior of this type of steel when processed using MIM technology.  

Tool steels

Tool steels are designed for applications where high wear resistance is required. They are steels that have a high carbon content and have alloying elements (Cr, Mo, V) capable of forming high hardness carbides in the material. Hardness values >65 HRC can be achieved for heat-treated tool steels.  

The following TABLE 3 lists the tool steels we work with in the Group and their chemical composition: 

The mechanical properties as a function of the heat treatment applied are shown in the following TABLE 4: 

Application examples of tool steels:  

Soft Magnetic Steels

Soft magnetic steels have the ability to magnetize and demagnetize easily and quickly when a magnetic field is applied or removed. One of their applications within an electromagnetic field could be to transform motion into an electrical signal or vice versa. The magnetic properties of these materials make them ideal for electronic applications, electrical machines, actuators, sensors and, in short, for all types of solutions with magnetic needs. 

The soft magnetic steels available at Ecrimesa are:  

In the following TABLE 5 we can see the mechanical properties of sintered soft magnetic steels and their properties:

Stainless Steels

Stainless steels are characterized by their high resistance to corrosion in aggressive environments. They are highly alloyed steels with a percentage of Cr >12% and a low percentage of C, since this element reduces the corrosion resistance of the steel. Depending on the properties of the stainless steel, we can classify them into ferritic, martensitic, precipitation hardening and austenitic stainless steels. Their processing by means of MIM technology achieves an excellent surface finish which, together with the good properties of these materials, makes them particularly attractive for aesthetic applications. The application sectors of stainless steels are very diverse, the most relevant being sports, tools, defense, jewelry, medicine, automotive, aeronautics, among others. 

The following TABLE 6 is the classification and composition of the stainless steels manufactured by Ecrimesa:  

17-4PH is the most commonly used stainless steel. Its alloying elements make the steel harden by precipitation after heat treatment, providing excellent mechanical strength to its properties, as well as excellent corrosion resistance similar to other non-hardenable stainless steels. In Ecrimesa Group we have conducted an important study on the corrosion resistance and properties of 17-4PH, work presented at the EUROPM 2018 Congress & Exibition. In the conclusions we saw the importance of avoiding powder-binder phase segregation, heat treatment and surface finish in the corrosion resistance of 17-4PH, performing several studies in salt spray chamber.  

The following TABLE 7 shows the mechanical properties depending on the heat treatment applied to the different stainless steels manufactured by Ecrimesa Group: 

Other materials

Within the catalog of materials we can find some more particular compositions, with very specific characteristics for certain applications, such as refractory materials and nickel-based superalloys used in parts that need resistance in high temperature work. TABLES 8 AND 9

In Ecrimesa Group we have a large development and industrialization team and we also have experience in the development of materials on demand as well as parts that are at the limits set by MIM technology.  

To learn more about the MIM materials we use in Ecrimesa Group: 

MIM (Metal Injection Molding) today

In recent decades, MIM (Metal Injection Molding) has proven to be a highly competitive technology for the manufacture of highly precise and complex steel parts, which would be expensive to produce using other methods.

Metal Injection Molding (MIM) has proven to be a versatile and efficient technology for manufacturing high-precision steel parts in various industries, from automotive to medicine. Ecrimesa Group, backed by decades of experience and a wide range of materials, has stood out as a leader in the application of this technology. Its ability to offer a wide variety of steels, from low-alloy steels to high-strength stainless steels, gives product designers and manufacturers the flexibility to create innovative, high-quality products. The future of precision metal parts manufacturing looks promising and full of possibilities thanks to Ecrimesa Group’s ongoing commitment to excellence in MIM technology.