Powder injection molding and infiltration process
US6319437A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 16, 1999 |
| Grant date | Nov 20, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 16, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC22C2204/00
- WIPO fieldMaterials, metallurgy
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A powder injection molding and infiltration process. A powder of a skeleton material having a relatively high melting point is mixed with a composite binder to form a mold mixture. The composite binder is comprised of at least two binder materials. The mold mixture is molded into a desired shape in a mold device to produce a molded part. The composite binder is then removed to produce voids in the molded part and the voids are filled by infiltrating an infiltrant comprised of an infiltrant material having a relatively low melting point to produce a composite molded part. In a preferred embodiment the skeleton material is TiB.sub.2 and the infiltrant material is aluminum and the composite binder is comprised of a plastic and a wax. In this embodiment the wax portion of the composite binder is removed using a solvent and the plastic is removed during the infiltration step. The resulting composite part has a TiB.sub.2 skeleton with voids substantially filled with aluminum. This process is especially useful for making light and strong parts with complex shapes such as golf club heads, tools, cutting implements, thermal management products, rocket motor components and bicycle parts. In …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.