| Metal Injection Molding Adds Teeth To Client's Reciprocating Saw The capability to customize complex-shaped parts economically has become one of the primary hallmarks of Metal Injection Molding (MIM). Add to that its growing reputation for producing parts exhibiting high strength and high performance in heavy-duty applications, and it's little wonder why a manufacturer of power tools approached AFT the industry leader for the injection molding of metals — to develop two MIM-type parts for its reciprocating saw. The applications for both the saw's collar and blade clamp were so successful that they are currently being designed into the customer's next generation tools. MIM Collar Simplifies Production And Cuts Costs
 The collar part mates with the reciprocating saw's blade clamp. Prior to AFT, the customer had a multiple-piece collar construction that required a manual assembly process that was expensive and time intensive. The customer approached AFT with the task of producing a collar similar in design to the existing one, but without the need for hand assembly. After careful consideration of all the customer's needs, it was determined that utilizing MIM technology was the only way to economically manufacture the part. The result was a collar possessing all the features of the multi-piece design molded directly into the part — eliminating the manual assembly process — with the only secondary operation being a sizing operation on the "T" slot. Lighter than the original at 36 grams, the collar exhibits a hardness of 74.4-77.7 HRa, 47-53 approx. HRc. New Blade Clamp Design Reduces Price To Customer
Designed to hold the blade in the reciprocating saw, the original blade clamp required hand assembly along the same lines as the collar above. The MIM produced part was redesigned jointly by AFT and the customer to include a pin and a tiebar. The pin eliminated an assembly line step while the tiebar eliminated the need to size the part at AFT. Both elements reduced the cost of production to the customer, with the part price dropping by 7.5%.  | |  | | Original Blade Clamp | | Redesigned Blade Clamp |
Metal injection molding is ideal for applications where high volume, complex geometry, high performance and low cost are required. Applications for MIM include automotive parts, power tools, medical instruments, as well as computer and electronics parts. |
