From Aerospace to Consumer Electronics: The Cross-Industry Empowerment of Metal Injection Molding

On one hand, there's the aerospace field with its extreme demands for reliability and lightweight design; on the other hand, there's the consumer electronics industry with its stringent controls over precision, cost, and production capacity. These two seemingly disparate fields have achieved efficient integration thanks to metal injection molding (MIM) technology. This technology, which combines powder metallurgy and injection molding processes, demonstrates strong cross-industry adaptability in various high-end manufacturing scenarios due to its core advantages such as near-net-shape forming and strong material adaptability.

The aerospace field's meticulous attention to detail, down to the smallest gram, provided a high-end testing ground for MIM technology. In the attitude adjustment mechanism of a microsatellite developed by an aerospace institute, the core transmission gear has a diameter of only 3mm and needs to withstand the extreme temperature differences and radiation environment of space. Traditional machining has repeatedly limited its capabilities due to high material loss rates and difficulty in controlling precision. By adopting MIM technology and using titanium alloy powder as raw material, and through precise control of the mixing ratio and sintering temperature, the gear tooth profile was formed in one step, with dimensional tolerances stably controlled within ±0.015mm. The finished product boasts a density of 7.8 g/cm³, a tensile strength exceeding 500 MPa, and a weight reduction of 35% compared to traditional stainless steel parts, perfectly meeting the lightweight requirements of satellites. More importantly, this technology shortens the single-piece production cycle from 15 days to 3 days and increases the yield rate from 65% to 92%, successfully overcoming the mass production bottleneck of aerospace micro-transmission components.

In the consumer electronics sector, MIM technology has become a key support for product iteration. As smartphones become thinner and more integrated, the demand for miniaturized components for camera modules has surged. In a periscope lens drive bracket manufacturing project of a leading mobile phone company, this component required the integration of three irregularly shaped holes and two sets of precision teeth. Traditional stamping processes were prone to cracking and deformation. Using MIM technology, complex structures were directly processed through integrated molding using 316L stainless steel powder, achieving a surface roughness of only Ra0.8 μm, eliminating the need for subsequent grinding. Material utilization jumped from 60% in stamping processes to 95%, unit cost decreased by 40%, and monthly production capacity exceeded 5 million units, perfectly matching the pace of mobile phone mass production. In the smartwatch industry, titanium alloy buckles manufactured using MIM (Metal Injection Molding) not only achieve integrated molding of complex curved surfaces and buckle structures, but also double the surface hardness and significantly enhance wear resistance through process optimization.

From aerospace-grade precision parts to mass-produced consumer electronics components, the core of MIM technology's cross-industry empowerment lies in its "precise adaptation" characteristic: it meets the extreme requirements of the aerospace field for material performance and reliability, while also aligning with the consumer electronics industry's need for a balance between cost and efficiency. As processes are upgraded to better suit ultrafine powder materials, this technology is gradually penetrating more cross-industry fields, becoming a "universal manufacturing bridge" connecting different scenarios in high-end manufacturing, and driving improvements in the quality and efficiency of precision manufacturing across various industries.