Investigation of Type of Powder Injection Molding on Compressive Strength and Rheological of PA6/Metal Composite

An experimental study was performed to evaluate the effect of iron, ferronickel, and stainless steel 304L (85-92wt%) powder injection molding (PIM) on the compressive strength and rheological behavior of polyamide (PA6/M) composite. The feedstock, prepared at 260°C, was extruded into a composite film. The effect of particle shapes and size distribution was investigated using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to evaluate the relative viscosity value of the PA6/M feedstock. The results showed that the compressive strength and rheological behavior were determined by the blend composition. The increase in compressive strength was due to the higher strength of the metal powders compared to PA6, along with heightened surface energy leading to mechanical interlocking. Furthermore, the metal powders generated frictional resistance resulting in an increase in viscosity, making the feedstock unstable and decreasing the rheological properties. According to the compression and rheology test, all variations with an 85wt% metal powder exceeded the minimum specifications for frangible projectile materials. The highest compressive strength of PA6/85Fe was 144.503 MPa and the lowest viscosity of PA6/85FeNi was 352.85 Pa.s.