Shrinkage calibration method for μPIM manufactured parts

Five green and five sintered parts of a micro mechanical component, produced by micro powder injection moulding, were measured using an optical coordinate measuring machine. The aim was to establish a method for quality assurance of the final produced parts. Initially, the so called “green” parts were compared with the sintered parts (final products) calculating the percentage of shrinkage after sintering. Successively, the expanded uncertainty of the measured dimensions were evaluated for each single part as well as for the overall parts. Finally, the estimated uncertainty for the shrinkage was evaluated propagating the expanded uncertainty previously stated and considering green and sintered parts correlated. Results showed that the proposed method can be effective instating tolerances if it is assumed that the variability on the dimensions induced by the shrinkage equals the propagated expanded uncertainty.