Sintering optimisation of Fe–Si soft magnetic materials processed by metal injection moulding

Soft magnetic materials are used in a wide variety of electromagnetic devices such as motors, relays and sensors. Over the years, the devices are becoming smaller. Therefore, it is essential to produce small parts without compromising the final properties. Metal injection moulding (MIM) is a cost-effective technique to produce small and complex soft magnetic parts with optimal mechanical and magnetic performance. These properties can be improved by maximising the sintered density and by the reduction of impurities content. These factors are strongly related to the sintering parameters. The goal of this study is to determine the influence of the sintering parameters on the final properties of iron–silicon soft magnetic alloys processed by metal injection moulding. In this work, two alloys were sintered under different conditions. The effect of the sintering conditions on both mechanical and magnetic properties was evaluated