products & services

88 // June 2014 // Engine Technology International.com

The current industry trend in the automotive world is to

bring about ease in manufacturing and sustain it across large-volume production. This issue is being felt more in developing countries, where production volumes are constantly increasing. Metal injection molding (MIM) is a key manufacturing technology that is helping a majority of automotive OEMs in this regard, especially for the manufacturing of complex shaped components in steel and stainless steel.

Indo-MIM, a global leader in MIM technology, has always boasted open innovation and is a one-stop solution for all technological issues for OEMs and other suppliers. The company is equipped with high-end in-house tooling capabilities required for producing MIM components that could be molded according to the needs of the customer. One of the primary benefits of MIM is the elimination of expensive secondary operations by virtue of achievement of tight dimensional tolerances through the inherent consistency of the process. However, getting this benefit with lead times that enable aggressive product launch timelines to be met can be a challenge, especially when sourcing MIM components from a more conventional PIM company. However, with Indo-MIM such possibilities are easily realized, especially as the company is a pioneer in the MIM process.

Across the industry it is rare to find a MIM house with tooling lead times less than 12 weeks. When Indo-MIM was established 16 years ago, it was quick to realize that speed to market was (and still is) very important to reach global customers. As such, it didn’t take long to realize that an in-house tool room would be a critical component in meeting demanding lead-time

requirements from customers across the globe. Today, Indo-MIM sports a world-class tool room, capable of delivering 45-50 MIM tools per month. And, in some cases, the company is able to manufacture tooling and submit samples within 14 days.

The knowledge and expert practices on how to meet customer needs when it comes to MIM is something that Indo-MIM is proud to have in-house. As such, the company does not have to wait for the customer to figure out how to reduce operations on certain projects as it has teams of product and manufacturing engineers delivering the best MIM designs at the lowest cost, through a structured product development process.

Indo-MIM has a full range of state-of-the-art tool making and support equipment that is capable of making MIM tooling for parts with weights varying from less than 1g to

over 200g. Based on the complexity of the tool, the company can run from one to 32 cavities, thereby helping to ensure that molding costs per shot are minimized.

However, good equipment selection is only half the job when it comes to developing a world-class tool room. As a company, Indo-MIM’s real strength is in the hard work and expertise of the tool makers and operators. As such, constant and systematic training is part of the ethos of the Indo-MIM tool room.

In addition to this, the company also boasts various advanced six-axis robot in its molding shop, which is not only responsible for consistency in the molding process, but also doubles output by realizing

a far greater number of cavities. The quality of the product remains good, and due to its consistency, part-handling damage is also reduced.

Indo-MIM has helped product designers realize goals in a true sense by helping them modify both design and materials, thereby meeting the needs of the end customer. The company also boasts a highly coordinated team effort between differing groups across many divisions, including engineering, marketing and the actual tool room, thus ensuring that customers get the solution they require.

Metal injection molding is making a big difference in high-quality large volumeproduction – and there are additional advantages to be had with this process

Innovating with MIM

An advanced automated component production robot gets to work on the Indo-MIM manufacturing floor

FREE READER ENQUIRY SERVICETo learn more about Indo-MIM, visit www.ukipme.com/info/etm

enquiry no. 508

Through constant investment and innovation, Indo-MIM today boasts a world-class tool room that is capable of delivering an impressive 45-50 MIM tools per month

Indo-MIM has the expertise to create MIM tooling for parts with weights varying from less than 1g to over 200g