Water-soluble binder of cellulose acetate butyrate/poly(ethylene glycol) blend for powder injection molding

Abstract

A new binder system consisting of cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) with various molecular weights was introduced. CAB and PEGs with various molecular weights had good compatibility. The blends exhibited low enough viscosity to make homogeneous feedstock for the injection molding. Shape maintenance during the extraction by an environmentally favored solvent of water was excellent, and final sintered parts had excellent dimensional stability (+/-0.3%) and high sintered density over 98%. We also found that injection cycle time was comparable to that of commonly used wax-based feedstock. (C) 2001 Kluwer Academic Publishers.