Compared to investment casting, which represents one of the oldest applied metal molding processes, Metal Injection Moulding or MIM is a relatively new technology. MIM technology became known in the 1980s – however, even in the 1990s, many companies involved in the manufacture of metal parts were still using investment casting. Especially in the 1980s, there were still doubts about the metallic integrity of parts produced by MIM, which was mainly applied in the manufacture of plastics. To this day, investment casting is considered as the main precision technology, and MIM as a complementary technology that is mainly used for the manufacture of small parts.
Similarities and differences between Investment Casting and MIM
Both technologies are applied to manufacture small-sized parts that are notable for a more complex structure or design and therefore traditional industrial technologies such as forging cannot be used. There may even be parts that need both technologies, investment casting and MIM, to be manufactured correctly.
One of the main differences between investment casting and MIM is the materials to which they can be applied. In general, the investment casting process allows for a wider variety of materials, as the MIM process can only be performed with alloys of a higher melting temperature. Materials such as aluminum, for example, do not work efficiently with MIM.