Influence of Particle Size Distribution and Chemical Composition of the Powder on Final Properties of Inconel 718 Fabricated by Metal Injection Moulding (MIM)

Inconel 718 is one of the most common Ni-base superalloys due to its large number of engineering applications in automotive, chemical, aerospace and energy generation industries. The aim of this work is to study the influence of the particle size distribution along with the chemical composition of different Inconel 718 powders on the final properties of components fabricated by Metal Injection Moulding (MIM). In order to carry out this study, five feedstocks have been prepared with monomodal, bimodal, narrow and wide particle size distributions mixing four raw Inconel 718 powders in different proportions. Next, all of the feedstocks are injection moulded to fabricate green parts that are subjected to debinding and sintering processes using different atmospheres and temperature cycles. Finally, the relative density, porosity and hardness of the sintered materials are determined relating the particle size and chemical characteristics of the powder with the results. There are not too many papers that provide information about MIM of Inconel, making this technology highly suitable for reducing production costs in many applications. This article sheds light on what are the most convenient Inconel 718 powders to be processed by MIM.

Influence of Particle Size Distribution and Chemical Composition of the Powder on Final Properties of Inconel 718 Fabricated by Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) Articles