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3D metal moulding takes 3D printing to the mass market

CMG Technologies, the UK’s leading Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) specialist, successfully trademarked the term ‘CMG Technologies 3D Metal Moulding ®’ as part of the company’s efforts to raise awareness of the scope of opportunities offered by MIM.

While more and more manufacturers are becoming familiar with the capabilities of 3D Metal Printing and Metal Additive Manufacturing, the process and benefits offered by Metal Injection Moulding are less well-known in the UK.

CMG’s Managing Director, Rachel Garrett, elaborates, “Although 3D printing has been around for more than 30 years, it is only in recent years that it has become widely recognised in the manufacturing industry.

“Previously known as SLA, or Stereolithography, the term ‘3D printing’ captured the attention of both industry and the general public and, we believe, coupled with significant developments in technology which reduced both the size and costs of 3D printing machines, played a vital role in the process gaining widespread understanding.”

CMG is hoping to replicate the success of this transition for metal injection moulding. MIM is still a relatively new industry and a significant number of companies that need to procure complex metal components may not be aware of its existence, let alone the savings they could make in terms of cost, lead times and environmental impact.

The phrase ‘3D metal moulding’ paints an immediate picture of what it is that CMG Technologies actually does, as Rachel explains, “Whilst the term metal injection moulding describes the process well, it is not always exactly clear what the outcome is - 3D parts moulded from metal. To those involved in this industry like we are, this sounds obvious, but to people unfamiliar with MIM hopefully this term makes it easier to understand what we do.”

CMG Technologies’ Senior Engineers have more than 25 years’ experience in developing the MIM process and believe it could play a vital role for companies looking to take 3D metal printed prototypes to the mass market.

Rachel adds: “Rather than being seen as a competitor to 3D metal printing, MIM can actually provide the stepping stone needed between prototype and volume production. Once the initial tooling is complete we are able to deliver huge volumes of parts in a far wider variety of materials than is currently possible with 3D printing.”

3D metal moulding is perfect for producing parts with complex geometries – even the smallest parts can be perfectly replicated time and time again. CMG Technologies has the capability to manufacture a component with major dimensions of just 1.85mm x 1.60mm x 0.835mm with a 100µm hole and a small groove on one of the faces - at significantly lower costs than using traditional manufacturing methods.

“3D metal moulding is most effective for small, complex components in annual volumes of 1000 or more, although if the part is particularly complex and expensive the 3D moulding process could still be cost effective for volumes of 500 or more. And because we mix our own feedstock, we have the in-house metallurgy capabilities to produce parts from a wide range of materials including titanium and precious metals. This makes our capabilities particularly attractive for manufacturing parts used in the aerospace and medical devices sectors,” says Rachel.

CMG’s Metal Injection Moulding facilitates reshoring for Sears Seating

World leading agricultural seating manufacturer, Sears Seating, has been able to bring production of one of the parts used in John Deere tractors back to the UK thanks to the cost effectiveness and quality of CMG Technologies’ Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) process.

Sears manufactures Trainer seats which are used when tractor drivers are learning how to operate the increasingly high-tech equipment found in modern machinery. These seats are only needed occasionally, so need to be folded away when not in use to free up space in the tractor cab.

The folding mechanism uses detent parts which were previously being manufactured by a MIM company in Taiwan. When Sears transferred the manufacture of the main chassis for the Trainer seat from China to Hungary, the need arose to find a comparable European source for the detents.

Malcolm Madeley, Purchasing Manager at Sears Seating, takes up the story, “We needed to find a supplier that was capable of producing good quality parts at the same cost as our previous supplier to ensure the overall cost and quality of the product was maintained. Keeping the supply chain simple was also a key priority.”

CMG’s Managing Director, Rachel Garrett, says: “We were delighted to be able to show Sears what could be achieved by using our MIM process. The initial ISIR / PPAP samples passed the quality tests first time, which gave Sears the confidence to move full-scale production of the detents back to the UK.”

The detents are manufactured using MIM 4605, a low alloy steel containing carbon, nickel and molybdenum which is widely used in the automotive sector due to its hardness and wear resistance. Following the initial successful run, production for Sears will be in the region of 160,000 parts per year - Sears has also indicated that it would be interested in exploring additional opportunities where MIM manufacturing may be beneficial.

MIM offers significant potential to manufacturers looking to reshore component production. Resulting in significantly lower scrappage volumes than traditional machining methods and greatly reducing shipping costs, CMG’s MIM process offers a cost effective way of manufacturing complex components that may otherwise prove too expensive using traditional methods.

Working with UK suppliers also means communication can be far easier, lead times can be shortened and the reduction in shipping, as well as the MIM process itself - a recognised ‘green technology’, means the carbon footprint from the production process can be substantially reduced. Add all of this to the fact that manufacturing is one of the main contributors to the UK’s economy and it’s easy to see why reshoring offers such huge potential.

CMG’s 3D metal moulded parts help alleviate sleep related breathing disorders

CMG Technologies’ metal injection moulding (MIM) process means the company can consistently produce even the tiniest complex parts leading to a contract with mandibular advancement manufacturer Somnowell Ltd, a company that makes devices to combat snoring.

Somnowell Ltd produces a range of oral appliances, designed to alleviate snoring, sleep apnoea and teeth grinding (bruxism). The devices fit into the mouth and are worn whilst the user is asleep. They hold the jaw forward in the “recovery position” keeping the airway open.

CMG Technologies has been commissioned to produce the end attachment claws of the arms that hold the top and bottom plates together whilst protruding the lower jaw relative to the upper.

Rachel Garrett, CMG’s Managing Director, explains, “The part was previously made from eroded wire using EDM (Electrical Discharge Machining). However, because of the volumes needed and the complexity of the part, Somnowell Ltd wanted to find a more reliable, cost effective manufacturing method once the device had been proven.”

Measuring just 10mm in total and featuring an external thread and an internal access tube, the parts are now made from 316L stainless steel using CMG’s 3D metal moulding process – which is ideal for mass producing tiny, complex components.

Internal and external threads, logos, batch numbers and more can be moulded into the part - eliminating the need for costly secondary operations, and a wide range of materials including precious metals can be used.

Using 3D metal moulding to produce the parts along with the other associated components will reduce costs by approximately 40% when compared with typical EDM costs, with no compromise on quality. The product will also be made entirely in the UK removing Somnowell’s reliance on imported products from German manufacturers.

Somnowell’s inventor, Visiting Professor Simon Ash, says: “We launched the first Somnowell device back in 2005 and have since experienced a phenomenal take-up of our products with quite remarkable life changing clinical outcomes for patients from all over the world.

“The volume of product necessitated the need for us to find an alternative way of manufacturing the part – not only did it need to be cost effective, it also had to be suitable for use in the mouth and capable of being replicated in volume production runs. We are anticipating sales in excess of 10,000 units in the UK alone, so finding the right supplier from the outset was vital.”

CMG Technologies has more than 15 years’ experience in MIM and works with a number of companies that manufacturer parts used in medical devices including Swann-Morton, SRA Developments and DTR Medical. Find out more by visiting www.cmgtechnologies.co.uk.