Metal injection moulding flourishes in Zhuzhou, China’s...

©Inovar Communications Ltd 2009 June 2009 Powder Injection Moulding International 43Vol. 3 No. 2

Company visit: Zhuzhou Luke’s Metal Powder Product Co. Ltd

Zhuzhou, in China’s Hunan province, is an industrial city of more than 3.80 million people where metal-lurgy, machinery manufacturing and chemical industries dominate.

The city also can be rightly regarded as being at the heart of hardmetal and heavy alloy production in China with Zhuzhou Cemented Carbide Group, one of the world’s largest hardmetal plants, being situated there. Zhuzhou’s High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, established by the State Council in 1992, has stimulated both domestic and foreign investment. Advanced materials technology was one of several specialist areas identified for development at the time.

Zhuzhou Luke’s Metal Powder Product Co. Ltd is one of the city’s newest producers, having been established in 2001 as a joint venture with Hong Kong’s Zhuzhou Jun Ding Company. Metal injection moulding production was planned to be at the centre of operations from the outset. The company is now one of China’s leading manufacturers of heavy alloy and hardmetal MIM products and its production facility covers approximately 18,000m2 and employs more than 260 people.

PIM in ChinaChina’s metal and ceramic injection moulding producers have made significant technological advances in

recent years, with improvements in process and quality control leading to the rapid growth of both domestic and international markets.

There has also been significant growth in the number of MIM producers in China, with around 60 producers of varying size and capa-bility currently believed to be active. Figures previously published in PIM International (Vol.1 No.4 2007, p18) indicate that although stainless and low alloy steels and ceramics collectively account for around 70% of China’s PIM production, cemented carbides, heavy alloys and other materials account for at least 30% of output.

The growth of MIM at Zhuzhou Luke’s

Zhuzhou Luke’s has enjoyed sustained growth in recent years and total sales in 2008 reached CNY120million, an increase of 41% compared with 2007 sales of CNY85million. Over the last five years, the company reports an annual growth rate of over 30%. Such levels of growth have resulted in an almost continuous expansion of capacity in order to meet demand.

MIM is a key manufacturing process at Luke’s, accounting for around 40% of production capacity. Traditional press

Metal injection moulding flourishes in Zhuzhou, China’s hardmetal capital

Zhuzhou Luke’s Metal Powder Product Co. Ltd is a leading Chinese producer of MIM tungsten alloy and cemented carbide products. Mr Xiao Yulin recently visited the company on behalf of PIM International and we report on an operation that is enjoying consistently high levels of sales growth to international markets.

Fig. 1 Mr Xiao Yulin (left) with Mr Gao Kejun (right), General Manager at Luke’s Metal Powder Product Co. Ltd

Powder Injection Moulding International June 2009 ©Inovar Communications Ltd 2009 44 Vol. 3 No. 2


and sinter technology is used for the balance of production. Total combined capacity for PM and PIM products at Luke’s is currently in the region of 500 tonnes per year.

Mr Gao Kejun, General Manager, told PIM International, “Key materials processed at Luke’s are heavy tungsten alloys, copper tungsten alloys, WC-Co hardmetals, tungsten silver alloys and tungsten molybdenum alloys. For powders such as tungsten, nickel,

iron, copper, cobalt and molybdenum, we believe that it is very important to carefully control both powder purity and particle size”.

The company sources the powders for its MIM parts production solely from Chinese powder producers, with major suppliers including Zhuzhou Jiangwu Boda Hard-Facing Materials Co.,Ltd, Jiangxi Tungsten Group Ltd, Ganzhou Cobalt & Tungsten Co., Ltd, Hunan Zhuzhou Dingli Industry Co.,

Ltd. , Shanghai Jiushuo Metallurgical Powder Co., Ltd., to name only a few.

“All our feedstock is produced in-house, using a wax based binder system, mixed with ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and selected lubricants. Our feedstock is injection moulded at between 100-180oC”, stated Mr Gao Kejun.

A line of 12 Chinese manufactured injection moulding machines are used for the production of green parts,

with all tooling produced in-house. Thermal debinding takes place using 18 batch furnaces before the debound brown parts are sintered in vacuum or atmosphere.

The company operates four vacuum sintering furnaces with capacities ranging from 500-800kg. A line of 16 continuous sintering furnaces is also used with hydrogen atmospheres, providing an average daily output of 50-60Kg per furnace. Additionally, three

vacuum induction sintering furnaces are available with a 300-800Kg capacity. The company currently runs a two shift pattern, however furnaces remain in continuous operation.

Post-sintering finishing operations include polishing, electroplating, coating and heat treatment. The parts produced, stated Mr Gao Kejun, are subject to a variety of quality tests, including hardness testing, density measurement, stress testing and optical inspection. The company is certified to ISO 9000.

Markets and productsOver 80% of Zhuzhou Luke’s products are exported. At the centre of the company’s product range are high density tungsten alloy fishing line sinkers. These are produced in vast quantities in over a thousand different shapes and sizes, from simple bullet shapes to water drops, cylinders and even fish heads. Annual production, stated Mr Gao Kejun, is between 50-60 tons per year.

Such products were developed to replace traditional lead sinkers that are now widely banned because of the toxic effects of lead on water birds when ingested. “Our non-toxic high-density tungsten alloy fishing sinkers are used

Fig. 2 Injection moulding at Zhuzhou Luke’s

Fig. 3 Injection moulding at Zhuzhou Luke’s

Fig. 4 Preparations for the debinding of small MIM products on a base of aluminium oxide powder

Fig. 5 Furnaces in operation at Zhuzhou Luke’s

‘All our feedstock is produced in-house, using a wax based binder

system, mixed with ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and selected lubricants’



Fig. 6 One of three vacuum furnaces at Zhuzhou Luke’s

Fig. 8 Tungsten balls ready for dispatch

Fig. 9 Metal injection moulded tungsten balls made by Zhuzhou Luke’s

Fig. 7 Optical inspection of MIM parts

Fig. 10 Various types of metal injection moulded tungsten alloy fishing weights, up to 50mm in length

throughout the world and we continue to develop novel designs according to customer demands”.

Injection moulded hardmetal products include the tungsten balls shown in Fig. 8. Watch cases and bracelet components, golf club heads, radiation shield components and specialist medical treatment parts are also produced, along with automotive components and counterweights.

Mr Gao Kejun stated, “The products that we produce can be very complex in shape and also very thin. The smallest parts that we produce by MIM weigh just 0.085g, whilst the largest ones can be 200g.”

Pressed and sintered products include cutting tools, wire-drawing moulds and products for the mining industry. The company states that its high density tungsten heavy alloy prod-ucts manufactured for the aerospace industry strictly follows both US and Chinese aviation material standards.

“We are one of the key manufac-turers of high-quality copper-tungsten alloy producers in China”, continued Mr Gao Kejun, “with products manu-factured from 50-90W% depending on customer requirements. Typical products are electrodes and electrical contact materials, with our current capacity reaching above 100 tons per year.”

Sales, marketing and researchWith over 80% of its products destined for markets in North America, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, Germany and Finland, the company has a dedi-cated in-house marketing department, plus sales offices in Canada and the

United States, as well as a domestic distribution network covering more than 20 cities.

The company travels widely to promote its products at end-user trade shows, with its fishing product recently promoted at events in the United States, Japan and in Shenzhen, China.

Zhuzhou Luke’s research and development department maintains close ties with South Central Univer-sity, in Changsa, Hunan Province, China’s leading research institute for PIM technology. It also has links to a number of other institutes nationwide.

Future prospects The growth of Zhuzhou Luke’s reflects the wider growth of MIM technology in China in recent years. Mr Gao Kejun commented, “More and more companies are entering into the MIM industry in China. And more and more MIM product applications are being developed day by day. Awareness of MIM technology is improving, thanks to the work of scientific institutes and metals/materials associations”.

Powder Injection Moulding International June 2009 ©Inovar Communications Ltd 2009 46 Vol. 3 No. 2

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Fig. 11 Various metal injection moulded tungsten alloy products manufactured by Zhuzhou Luke’s

“The biggest challenge for MIM producers in China is, however, that there are no sufficient domestic MIM equipment manufacturers to meet our demands and requirements in order to make our MIM parts.”

As for the future, expansion plans remain in place despite the global economic situation. “Our company will again increase production capacity between 2009 and 2010. We are also still forecasting annual growth of 20% in the near future, according to overseas marketing.”

The company also has ambitions towards increasing the complexity of its products as well as its sales volumes. Although the company does not see its range of materials processed expanding to low alloy or stainless steels, it was indicated that there are plans to develop MicroMIM components.

“Our company is busy with expan-sion efforts. We are building a new 3000m2 workshop offering a 20% increase in capacity. We also plan to build a plating workshop, to add new CNC machines and also extend our finishing capacity. We are also planning to design and install robotic handing systems to improve process automation.”

AuthorYulin Xiao is a retired Professor Level Senior Engineer who enjoyed a distin-guished career at Zhuzhou Cemented Carbide Group Corporation, Zhuzhou, China. He is author of three Chinese language books on steel bonded carbides and has published around 50 technical papers within China and internationally. He has been awarded the Special Government Allowance of Chinese State Council.

Mr Xiao Yulin 102# Building 6Xiangquncun, Diamond RoadZhuzhou412000 HunanChinaEmail: [email protected]

ContactZhuzhou Luke’s Metal Powder Product Co. Ltd Economic Development ZoneLukou ZhuzhouHunan 412100, China Tel:+ 86 731 2762 5333Fax: +86 731 2762 6168 www.heavy-tungsten.comEmail: [email protected]


organised by Professor German and Dr. Young-Sam Kwon (CetaTech Inc., Korea) covering medical applications of micro powder injection moulding.

The workshop attracted over 60 participants, bringing together academia, R&D facilities, manufac-turing experts and medical end-users to discuss how to advance micro PIM technology. A specially commissioned feature reviewing the latest advances in this potentially lucrative sector has

been prepared by Professor German and is published in this issue of PIM International.

An end-user perspectivePIM 2009 keynote speaker David Danitz, Vice President of Research and Development at Novare Surgical Systems based in Cupertino, California, gave an overview of new surgical techniques that allow major surgeries to be performed with no visible scars,

PIM 2009 Conference Review

PIM 2009 Conference Review: Industry remains upbeat despite global recession

The Metal Powder Industry Federation’s PIM 2009 conference took place in Orlando, Florida, in March. Despite the tough economic conditions, the conference programme and accompanying workshop and seminar succeeded in attracting delegates from around the world.

Fig. 1 Left, participants at PIM 2009’s “Introduction to PIM” workshop. Right, David Danitz, Vice President Research & Development, Novare Surgical Systems. Photos courtesy MPIF

Delegates attending the PIM 2009 Conference in Orlando, Florida, March 3-4 2009 were bullish about the short-to-medium prospects for MIM despite the global recession.

If attendance figures are anything to go by, the 120 or so participants who took part in the various stages of the event put it on a par with events staged during the previous ‘boom’ years for PIM technology. The figures are also a clear indicator that the economic downturn has been kinder to PIM than its older cousin – press and sintered structural powder metallurgy (PM), an industry which has been devastated by the global slump in automotive produc-tion over the past six months.

The event was organised by North America’s Metal Injection Moulding Association (MIMA), a division of the Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF).

In addition to the main conference programme, MIMA held an introductory PIM tutorial presented by PIM guru Professor Randall M. German (San Diego State University) on the day preceding the main event. This was attended by some 30 ‘students’ eager to get to grips with PIM technology. The tutorial was said to have attracted a substantial number of existing or potential end-users (over 50% of participants) and around 20% of the participants were producers of PIM products.

Following the two day PIM 2009 conference, a special workshop was

‘The figures are also a clear indicator that the economic downturn has been

kinder to PIM’

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