Powder injection molded bracelets, clasps and holders are produced worldwide.
In the beginning, the conventional watch industry reached saturation in the MIM field, and the manufacturing cost of traditional forging process was reduced, so the rapid growth rate of metal powder injection molding parts slowed down for a time. However, with the popularity of smart wear and the complexity of watch structure, the application of powder injection molding in watch parts is growing rapidly again. (the following picture shows the watch connector)
The reason why the metal powder injection molding(MIM) process can be successfully applied in the watch industry, is mainly because it is suitable for mass production. The production cycle of the MIM process is generally 5-7 days. After a cycle, continuous supply can be provided, and the daily output can be met from several to hundreds of thousands per day according to the samples and bulk order demand.
At the same time, because the MIM products are formed by a mold similar to the injection mold, a high degree of freedom in geometric design can be obtained. As long as the products can be formed by injection mold, basically all products can be manufactured by MIM process.
Because the powder with D90 below 18um can be used in MIM raw material, the surface roughness of sintered raw blank can be about Ra3.2, which brings convenience for subsequent polishing and electroplating and other processing.
Therefore, metal powder injection molding(MIM) can meet the strict appearance requirements of watches and clocks.