The Development And Application Of Metal Powder Injection Molding in The Watch Industry

In 2021, the global watch industry achieved an annual sales revenue of 30 billion US dollars, and metal powder injection molding has been closely involved in the production of many new watches. Powder injection molded watch chains, clasps, and bases are produced worldwide.

At the beginning, the traditional watch industry reached saturation in this field and the manufacturing costs of traditional forging processes were reduced, resulting in a decrease in the rapid growth rate of metal powder injection molded parts. However, with the popularization of smart wearables and the complexity of watch structures, the application of powder injection molding in watch parts is growing rapidly again.

 

The reason why metal powder injection molding technology can be successfully applied in the watch industry is mainly because it is suitable for large-scale production. The MIM process generally has a production cycle of 5-7 days, and after one cycle, it can be continuously supplied. The daily production volume can be met from samples to hundreds of thousands of yuan per day according to demand. Meanwhile, due to the fact that MIM products are formed through a mold similar to an injection mold, they can achieve extremely high degrees of geometric design freedom. As long as the injection mold can form products, they can basically be produced and manufactured using MIM technology. Due to the fact that MIM raw material powders can use powders with a D90 below 18um, the surface roughness of the sintered embryo can reach around Ra3.2, which brings convenience for subsequent polishing, electroplating, and other treatments. So metal powder injection molding can meet the demanding appearance requirements of watches.