Characterization by infrared spectroscopy of binder based on polyethylene glycol and Inconel 718 feedstock for powder injection moulding

Alexandre Royer, Jean-Claude Gelin, Thierry Barrière

Femto-ST Institute, Applied Mechanics Department, UMR 6174 CNRS, ENSMM, 25030 Besancon cedex, France.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7494/cmms.2015.1.0528

Abstract:

Produce in large quantities small precision components with complex shape which would be costly to produce by alternative methods. MIM is a process which combines the versatility of plastic injection moulding with the strength and integrity of machined, pressed or otherwise manufactured small, complex metal parts. MIM consists in shaping powder particles and sintering them. During the injection phase, segregation appears in the feedstock and defects will be appear in the component during the sintering. To limit this effect, during decades a vast variety of binder systems have been developed. Binder systems are formulated as a mixture of different organic or inorganic substances with several functions. Binder system has the main commitments of giving the necessary rheological behavior to the feedstocks for injection moulding to transport the powder particles into the mould cavity and the cohesion of the green part. In this paper a study of chemical interactions between polymers in binder and in Inconel feedstocks was investigated by Fourier Transform InfraRed spectroscopy (FTIR) and by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). These methodologies were also investigated to study the thermal behavior of the binder at a temperature close to the temperature of injection. Analyzes shows relationship between chemical interactions and miscibility of polymer and different rheological and mechanical behavior. All methodologies revealed no interactions between the different component of the binder and the powder. This result shows the necessity to develop a better formulation of binder to improve the homogeneity of the feedstock and reduce the segregation during injection phase.

Cite as:

Royer, A., Gelin, J., & Barrière, T. (2015). Characterization by infrared spectroscopy of binder based on polyethylene glycol and Inconel 718 feedstock for powder injection moulding. Computer Methods in Materials Science, 15(1), 232-238. https://doi.org/10.7494/cmms.2015.1.0528

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