Analysis and modeling of sintering of Sr-hexaferrite produced by PIM technology

The powder injection moulding (PIM) technology is lately becoming more and more significant due to complex design possibilities and good repeatability. This technology requires optimization of all steps starting with material and binder, injection, debinding and sintering parameters. Sintering is one of the key links in this technology. The powder injection moulding process is specific as during feedstock injection powder particles mixed into the binder do not come into mechanical contact. Shrinkage during sintering of PIM samples is high. In this work we have analyzed and modeled the sintering process of isotropic PIM samples of Sr-hexaferrite. The Master Sintering Curve (MSC) principle has been applied to analyze sintering of two types of PIM Sr-hexaferrite samples with completely removed binder and only the extraction step of the debinding procedure (thermal debinding proceeding simultaneously with sintering). Influence of the heating rate on resulting sample microstructures has also been analyzed. Influence of the sintering time and temperature was analyzed using three different phenomenological equations.