The challenges of titanium metal injection moulding

Abstract

Titanium has fired the imagination of engineers and designers for decades by its 'ideal' combination of high strength, low density and good corrosion resistance. However, its application has unfortunately been limited to those niche markets where performance is more important than cost, such as in the aerospace, military, medical and off-shore oil drilling fields. Extensive efforts have been and still are being expended on ways to make this metal cheaper. There are promising new processes but these have yet to be demonstrated commercially. Nevertheless, there has been a global surge in interest in titanium over the past decade, and in South Africa the government has recently made this a particular focus for research and development funding. With the increased availability of higher quality titanium powder, metal injection moulding offers an attractive method for producing small, intricate components at a reasonable cost. This paper will present an overview of the metal injection moulding process and discuss the particular challenges related to the use of titanium and titanium alloy powders. The state of the global and local industry and markets will also be reviewed.