Development of Cermet Cutting Tool by Powder Injection Molding

Chip breaker of cutting tool is an important feature to enhance cutting performance. Powder injection molding process was used to produce a triangular-shape cermet grooving insert which has three chip breakers. Attrition milled cermet powders were mixed with wax-based binder system in continuous twin screw extruder. Three-plate injection mold with slide cores was used to produce injection-molded parts. After molding, solvent and thermal debinding was carried out. Sintering was conducted in a batch furnace with a graphite heater. The sintered parts satisfy the requirements of dimensional tolerances and material properties.