Debinding Process of Fe–6Ni–4Cu Compact Fabricated by Metal Injection Molding

Abstract

The debinding process in the case of metal injection molding for fabrication of the Fe–6Ni–4Cu compact and variables such as temperature and time has been studied. The debinding process of multiple organic binders in the Fe–6Ni–4Cu compact was investigated by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) weight loss and mercury porosimetry analysis. The weight loss of wax and SA dramatically increases from below 10 wt% to 76.0 wt% and 86.0 wt% after immersion in 35°C and 40°C n-hexane for 6 h, respectively. The interdiffusion coefficients of the binder and solvent are 9.763×10-7 cm2/s and 1.295×10-6 cm2/s, respectively. The temperature dependent interdiffusion coefficient for the Fe–6Ni–4Cu compact can be expressed as D x =4.534×10exp (-5437.2/T). The distribution of pore size is about 0.1–1.9 µm for the Fe–6Ni–4Cu compact.