Moldability and solvent debinding of hydroxyapatite micro-part processed through micro-powder injection molding

The development of the micro-powder injection molding (μPIM) process from the powder injection molding (PIM) process has been prompted by the demand of the worldwide market to produce micro-sized components. The need for μPIM-processed components is currently rising across a range of industries, inc...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Al Basir, Norhamidi Muhamad, Abu Bakar Sulong, Mohammad Fadhli Izuddin Mohd Nor, Muhammad bin Mohamed Amin, Nashrah Hani Jamadon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2024
Online Access:http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25220/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25220/1/kejut_1.pdf
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Summary:The development of the micro-powder injection molding (μPIM) process from the powder injection molding (PIM) process has been prompted by the demand of the worldwide market to produce micro-sized components. The need for μPIM-processed components is currently rising across a range of industries, including automotive, aerospace, food, biomedical, electronics, and telecommunications. In the current research work, homogeneous HA feedstock with a powder loading of 57 vol.% was prepared by mixing HA powder particles with palm stearin and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) binders at a mixing temperature of 150 °C for 6 h. Defect-free injection molded or green micro-sized components of HA were produced by employing injection pressure, injection time, mold temperature, and melt temperature of 12 bar, 5 s, 110 °C, and 180 °C, respectively. When mold temperatures less than 110 °C were used, short shot defects were frequently observed in green specimens. After solvent debinding at 60 °C for 50 min, 82.2% of the palm stearin was removed from the green part. No difference in dimension between the solvent debound part and the green part was noticed. An open-pore structure developed in the solvent debound HA micro-component is helpful for eliminating the insoluble LDPE binder during the thermal debinding phase.