Titanium metal injection molding (MIM) starts with fine Ti6Al4V or TA15 powder, which you or your feedstock compounder mix with a binder. We supply the powder only, not ready-to-mold feedstock or finished parts. The numbers that decide a titanium MIM powder purchase are particle size for your binder system, and oxygen and other interstitials, since debinding and sintering add more. They also include sintered density and tensile results for your own furnace route. An LPBF powder datasheet, or a wrought bar certificate, answers none of these.
This guide shows what a complete titanium MIM data set looks like, using one partner manufacturer’s published results, and which fields to put in a powder RFQ. For the LPBF route, use the Ti6Al4V powder guide instead. To quote MIM powder, send a Ti6Al4V RFQ or a TA15 RFQ and state “MIM” in the process field.
Who owns which step
| Step | Owner | What must be documented |
|---|---|---|
| Fine titanium powder | Powder supplier (this site) | Chemistry with O, N, H and C; PSD with method; morphology; packaging under inert gas |
| Compounding into feedstock | You or your compounder | Binder system, powder loading, melt flow index with test conditions, shrinkage factor |
| Molding, debinding, sintering | You or your molder | Sintered density, chemistry after sintering, dimensions, tensile results |
Because the binder decision is yours, tell the powder supplier which binder system and compounder the powder is for. The PSD and the oxygen limit should be agreed against that route, not against a generic MIM range. Changing the powder lot or supplier can shift shrinkage, so treat a powder change as a feedstock change and re-check the tool.
Reference data from a partner’s titanium MIM feedstock
The values below come from one partner manufacturer’s published data for feedstock it compounds from its own powder, then sinters and heat treats itself. They show what a complete data set looks like and what to ask your compounder for. They are not properties of our powder in your process: shrinkage and melt flow belong to that partner’s binder system, and your furnace route decides your result.
| Property | Ti6Al4V (TC4) feedstock | TA15 feedstock |
|---|---|---|
| Melt flow index | 1000–1500 g/10 min | 1000–1500 g/10 min |
| Shrinkage factor | 1.170 | 1.170 |
| Sintered density | 4.38 g/cm³ | 4.4 g/cm³ |
| Tensile strength, heat treated | 953 MPa | 1021 MPa |
| Yield strength, heat treated | 856 MPa | 942 MPa |
| Elongation | 11.5% | 11.5% |
| Reduction of area | 20% | 21% |
The melt flow test conditions (temperature and load) are not part of the published summary. Without them, the number cannot be compared with another feedstock. Read as an oversize factor (mold dimension = part dimension × 1.170), the shrinkage factor corresponds to roughly 14.5% linear shrinkage. That is our arithmetic, not the partner’s statement.
The same manufacturer reports the measured chemistry of the feedstock lots behind these results, in wt.%:
| Element | Ti6Al4V feedstock | TA15 feedstock |
|---|---|---|
| Al | 6.3 | 6.13 |
| V | 3.9 | 1.74 |
| Zr | — | 1.94 |
| Mo | — | 1.29 |
| Fe | 0.05 | 0.06 |
| C | 0.01 | 0.011 |
| N | 0.05 | 0.009 |
| H | 0.0006 | 0.0005 |
| O | 0.16 (internal limit ≤0.18) | 0.141 (internal limit ≤0.18) |
Oxygen is the number to watch. Fine MIM powder has far more surface area than LPBF powder, and binder removal and sintering can add oxygen and carbon. Set the powder oxygen limit low enough to leave headroom for that pickup. Then measure chemistry on sintered parts and hold it against the limit of the specification on your drawing.
Ti6Al4V or TA15 for a MIM part
Ti6Al4V is the default titanium MIM alloy, with the widest base of published data. The partner names consumer-electronics structures, such as watch case parts and earphone frames, as typical uses for its Ti6Al4V feedstock.
TA15 (Ti-6.5Al-2Zr-1Mo-1V) gave higher strength in the table above at the same elongation. The partner lists dental instruments, micro cutters, and smartwatch connectors and clasps as uses for it. For background on the alloy, see the TA15 powder guide.
Do not select TA15 only because its tensile number is higher. TA15 has fewer standards and a thinner MIM data base than Ti6Al4V. If the drawing names a standard, that standard decides the alloy.
Medical and implant parts
ASTM F2885 covers metal injection molded Ti-6Al-4V components for surgical implants. If your part falls under it, the governing requirements are those of the edition in your contract: chemistry, sintered density, microstructure and mechanical properties of the finished component. Powder data and partner reference data do not qualify an implant. The device manufacturer stays responsible for validating the process, cleaning, biocompatibility and the regulatory route.
Export control
Titanium alloy powder can fall under export-control lists in the supplying and receiving countries, depending on the alloy, the particle form and the end use. State the end use and destination in the RFQ, so that licensing can be checked before quoting, not after the order.
RFQ fields for titanium MIM powder
| Field | What to state |
|---|---|
| Alloy and standard | Ti6Al4V or TA15, the governing specification and edition, including any implant standard |
| Powder | Target PSD (for example D90) with measurement method, morphology, and O, N, H and C limits |
| MIM route | Binder system and compounder, target powder loading, and who debinds and sinters |
| Sintered evidence | Which sintered data you already hold or still need to generate: density method, chemistry after sintering, tensile test condition |
| Commercial | Trial or production quantity, packaging under inert gas, destination and end use |
Request a Ti6Al4V MIM powder quotation. Feasibility, PSD availability and delivery terms are confirmed during review.