Metal Injection Molding Tolerances

A tolerance is the allowed deviation of a measurement from a reference measurement. Using tolerances helps ensure that the final product is easy to use,

Tolerances can apply to many different units. In industrial production, we mainly talk about tolerances that apply to linear, angular, and other physical dimensions.
However, no matter which units are used, the tolerance on the drawing represents the acceptable range of measurements from a reference point (nominal).

In the absence of a specified allowable tolerance, the manufacturer will try to stay close to that value, which we call the standard tolerance, but there will be some deviation due to machine capabilities, setup, machinist capabilities, etc. Deviations are usually divided into upper and lower deviations

For example, the drawing specifies 9.75 as the minimum acceptable dimension and 10.25mm as the maximum acceptable dimension. So the total “error room” is still the same - 0.5mm - but it can deviate from the nominal value by 0.25mm.
Therefore, it is acceptable to produce a part that fits within the range of 9.75 to 10.25mm.


MIM tolerance is the tolerance value that can be achieved by metal injection molding after the injection and sintering process. The commonly achieved MIM tolerance is +/-0.3% (i.e. 1.000" +/-.003").
Tolerance range: Dimensional tolerance is generally 0.3%~0.5% of the size. For example, if the size of the part is 25mm, the tolerance may be around ±0.75mm.
Scope of application: MIM process is suitable for the production of small-sized, high-precision parts. The maximum size does not exceed 150mm, and the typical part weight is 10~15g, the most valuable is less than 50g, and the maximum does not exceed 300g.
This tolerance range makes MIM process particularly suitable for the production of small, precise and complex three-dimensional metal parts, especially suitable for consumer electronics, automotive parts, medical devices, power tools, industrial equipment and daily necessities.

It should be noted that if the part size is too large, the tolerance will become larger, and it may not meet the design requirements, or additional secondary processing such as machining will be required, which will increase the cost.
However, due to various factors such as different materials, designs, MIM component structures, mold structures, parting line locations, gate locations, etc., the tolerance may be less than or greater than the +/-0.3% range in the actual production process.

XY MIM can be processed by CNC later to ensure the design tolerance of the drawing and meet your personalized needs.