Paper Title
Molding Properties of Cobalt-Chrome-Based Feed Stocks used in Low-Pressure Powder Injection Molding
Abstract
Low-pressure powder injection molding is an emerging technology for cost-effectively producing complex shape
metallic parts with the proper dimensional tolerances, either in high or in low production volumes. In this study, the molding
properties of cobalt-chrome-based feed stocks were evaluated for use in a low-pressure powder injection molding process.
The rheological properties of feedstock formulations were obtained by mixing metallic powder with a proprietary wax-based
binder system. Rheological parameters such as reference viscosity, shear rate sensitivity index, and activation energy for
viscous flow, were extracted from the viscosity profiles and introduced into the Weir model to calculate the moldability
index. Feedstocks were experimentally injected into a spiral mold cavity to validate the injection performance calculated
with the model.
Keywords - Binder, Feedstock, Moldability, Powder injection molding, Viscosity.