A REVIEW OF COMPUTER SIMULATIONS IN POWDER INJECTION MOLDING

Abstract

The powder injection molding (PIM) process is complicated since it is a hybrid technology embracing plastic injection molding, powder metallurgy (PM), and ceramic processing. In developing this technology, engineers have relied heavily on trial-and-error experiments. As a fundamental understanding of the inherent physical phenomena emerges, process modeling has progressed by utilizing new and customized simulation tools. These computational tools allow for parallel design of the component and process via analysis, prediction, and optimization modules. This contribution reviews computer simulation efforts and the future of this methodology.