| Summary: | Good potential of biocompatibility and excellent mechanical
properties, porous Ti-6Al-4V has become a great interest for biomedical
applications. In this study, porous Ti-6Al-4V was fabricated by Metal
Injection Molding (MIM) using Palm Stearin (PS) and Polyethylene (PE)
binder together with sodium chloride (NaCl) as a space holder. Rheological
characterization was performed to evaluate the flowability of the feedstocks
for injection molding and the feedstocks exhibited a pseudoplastic
behavior which is suitable for injection. The as-sintered parts were
fabricated as the mixing, injection molding, debinding and sintering were
conducted successfully. The mechanical properties of the as-sintered parts
were investigated via tensile test and the results obtained were closed
with the established range. Shrinkage, density and X-Ray Diffractometry
(XRD) of the as-sintered parts were compared with the theoretical values
which were found closed to the acceptable ranges. The microstructure of
the surface and cross-section were observed under Scanning Electron
Micrograph (SEM) and optical microscope to analyze the specimens before
and after sintering. Generally, palm stearin binder system added with space
holder to fabricate porous Ti-6Al-4V by MIM is feasible and has shown a
good potential for biomedical applications.
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