  sales@mdmetalline.com
1. Typical Product Cost
The Metal injection molding process has no fixed cost for every product. The cost of a product is influenced by the raw material selection, secondary operation, and special requirements of customer.
Below are common factors that impact the cost of MIM.
- Tool cost
- Feedstock cost
- Process costs (Molding, de-binding, sintering)
- Secondary operation, finishing, inspection, and packaging costs
- Profit, tax, and interest.
The cost of raw materials is dominated by the alloy. Polymers used as binders are usually inexpensive and the final price is not affected by the polymer formulation.The cost of molding, de-binding, and sintering depends on the production capacity of each process, the cost of operating the machine, and the labour cost.
The secondary operations can be performed internally or by outside vendors, and MIM has no advantage in this regard.
2. Tooling Cost
The cost of MIM tools is determined by the principles used in plastic injection molding.
The cost of machining the mold is high. Tool cost is a one-time investment. The process used to create mold determines the cost. The standard techniques used in making Molds include CNC machining, VMC machining, electric discharge machining, and EDM wire-cut machining.
The cost of the MIM tool also depends on the number of cavities. In the case of multiple cavities, the machining time for the first cavity is used to calculate the time and cost for each additional cavity, considering some cost savings with increased experience. The cost of Mold is calculated by multiplying the total construction time by a shop hourly rate and adding in profit and administrative costs.
3. Tool Life
Extending the Mold life is crucial for the economics of MIM because tooling and engineering are expensive initial investments.
The hardened tool steel MIM Molds are capable of operating for 300,000 to 500,000 shots without needing tool maintenance. Tool life can be extended by various coating technologies, particularly by resisting wear from harder and more abrasive particles. The coatings include hard nickel-phosphorus electroplates with embedded Teflon particles and various spray, vapor, or reaction interfaces. Although tool creation costs more, there are potential gains in the long run for larger production quantities.
4. Component Costing
The cost of MIM components can be determined by variables like design component, size, complexity, special requirements, and volume of parts. By understanding how these variables impact the cost of metal injection molding for your project, you can significantly improve its cost optimization.
Component costing typically begins with the cost of raw materials. After that time spent on each manufacturing step is crucial because costs accumulate based on time spent.Component costing ends with consideration of packaging and dispatch.
