Powder injection moulding and extrusion

摘要

A method of injection moulding or extruding an article is disclosed in which a ceramic and/or metallic powder is dispersed in a carrier to form a flowable composition. The carrier is preferably a monomeric cyanoacrylate which is reversibly polymerisable so as to yield a solid polymer, which in turn is capable of undergoing a thermally activated depolymerisation reaction so as to yield the monomeric species. The composition is injected into a mould or extruded through a die and the carrier polymerised in the mould or die. Once the polymerised article has been removed from the mould or extruded from the die, the composition is heated to cause depolymerisation of the carrier and hence its release from the composition. The resulting article is sintered and finished.