Design and Analysis of Feedstock Mixing Mechanism For Micro Metal Injection Moulding

The need for homogeneous metal powder and binder mixing is paramount in injection moulding process as it affect product quality significantly. However available commercial feedstocks may not be suitable especially for production of micro parts with high aspect ratio. Therefore, this research proposes a new mixer design that incorporate mixing and granulation of the feedstock for components production at micro level. Also metal powder/ binder flow in the mixing chamber is investigated. The design specifications and simulation were based on powder loading, powder size and shape, binder formulation, sequence of material addition, mixing time, temperature and shear rate with finite element analysis. The simulation results show a favourable and visible design anticipation of the mixing mechanism and mixed feedstock. Conclusively development of this design will enhance micro metal moulding productivity and improve production cycle time.