Consumer electronics gadgets have become indispensable devices of modern life; it is hard to imagine life without smartphones, laptops or tablets. Manufacturing these devices requires many tiny, yet relatively complex components. MIM technology has revolutionised manufacturing numerous complex components, as it offers greater efficiency, cost-efficiency and design flexibility than conventional production technologies.
Smartphones using MIM technology
One significant field of application of MIM technology is the production of smartphones. These devices of which one hundred million are produced annually, are operated by tiny, complex components such as hinges, buttons and connectors that require high-precision manufacturing. MIM allows the high-precision production of these components, ensuring smooth operation and compact design. In addition to the production process making high-precision production of tiny, yet complex components possible, production costs are significantly reduced in the case of larger quantities, making the application of MIM technology an economical solution for mass production. That the components and connectors produced with this procedure leave the assembly line in net shape, requiring little or no subsequent machining as a result, also adds to a reduction in the production cost of products made using MIM technology.This not only saves time but money too.
MIM and sustainability
Nowadays, as minimising our carbon footprint and sustainability are becoming an increasingly important element of every company’s long term strategy, the advantages provided by MIM technology are ever more valuable. From this perspective, one of the most attractive features of the procedure is that it can produce components with virtually no material loss, i.e. generating minimal waste in the course of the manufacturing process.