Method of manufacturing a metal injection molded part
AssigneePratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
InventorsMarc Lorenzo CAMPOMANES, Marianne COUTU, Simon LAMARRE
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A green machining process comprises receiving a green body made of powder injection molding material and engaging the green body to a clamp pad engaged to a fixture member of a retaining fixture of a machine tool. The clamp pad has a surface hardness smaller than that of the green body. While the green body is supported through the engagement of the clamp pad, the green body is machined using the machine tool to obtain a machined green part. The machining operation may be followed by a debinding and a sintering step.
Claims20
A method of manufacturing a part, comprising:
- receiving a green body made of powder injection molding material, the powder injection molding material including a binder and a metallic powder material mixed with the binder, the green body having a first surface hardness;
- engaging the green body to a clamp pad engaged to a fixture member of a retaining fixture of a machine tool, the clamp pad having a second surface hardness smaller than the first surface hardness;
- while supporting the green body through the engagement of the clamp pad, machining the green body using the machine tool to obtain a machined green part;
- and
- debinding and sintering the machined green part.
An assembly comprising:
- a green body made of powder injection molding material, the powder injection molding material including a binder and a metallic powder material mixed with the binder, the green body having a first surface hardness;
- a retaining fixture of a machine tool, the retaining fixture including a fixture member having a second surface hardness greater than the first surface hardness;
- and
- a clamp pad having a fixture-engaging surface engaged to the fixture member and a green-body-engaging surface engaged to the green body, the fixture-engaging surface having a third surface hardness smaller than the second surface hardness, and the green-body-engaging surface having a fourth surface hardness smaller than the first surface hardness and the second surface hardness.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.