WWW.CERAMIC-MOLDING.COMPrecision Ceramic Injection Molding Solution

Does Your Part Actually Need Ceramic CIM?

When complexity, precision, and material properties converge — ceramic injection molding is the only path.

±0.05mmAs-sintered tolerance, no post-processing — the real output when three conditions are simultaneously met

15+yearsCIM industry experience, an early mover in the field — this capability is built through time, not shortcuts

100+Real projects delivered, million-piece-scale production validated on a single project

Submit Design Files for DFM Assessment Read the DFM Rules Directly

30-Second Quick Fit Check

Does Your Part Fit CIM's Real Value Zone?

Geometrically complex — cannot be formed in one step by dry-pressing or machining

Has a clear ceramic functional requirement: wear resistance / electrical insulation / biocompatibility / heat resistance

Volume plan matches injection-molding capacity, with a stable demand forecast

Ceramic is being specified to match a plastic or metal part's appearance requirements

Requirements are changing rapidly — not compatible with ceramic injection molding and sintering's long, rigid process cycle

If the first three boxes are checked, CIM is likely the right choice for you. If you're not sure, describe your application — we'll give you a clear judgment within 3 business days.

Describe Your Application — Free View the Full Fit Guide

Core Insight 01

Sink marks are invisible before sintering

Binder fills the green body and masks the defect. Only after sintering removes the binder and the internal voids collapse does the sink mark appear — by then it's a finished part, and there's no fixing it.

Core Insight 02

Black and white is a two-mold problem

It's not a cost negotiation — it's a physical constraint. Black and white zirconia shrink at different rates, so one mold can never satisfy both colors' dimensional requirements.

Core Insight 03

Ceramic is weakest before it's finished, not after

Engineers expect "ceramic is hard" — but at demolding, the green body's strength is far below the sintered part's. The design constraints come from the forming process, not the final material.

DFM Design Guide

All 7 rules

DFM · 01

The Minimum Wall Thickness Is Set by the Weakest Stage of the Process, Not the Sintered Material's Strength

1.2mm connecting walls, the 1:1.5 wall-ratio safety margin, the R ≥ 0.5×t fillet formula — engineering constraints for controlling sintering stress.

minimum wall thicknesssink mark mechanismfillet formula

DFM · 02

±0.05mm Is the Output of Specific Conditions, Not a Default Capability

Single color · local feature <20mm · uniform wall thickness — all three conditions must hold at once.

tolerance boundariesdual-color shared moldsCMM verification

03–07

DFM · 03–07

Gates · Undercuts · Surfaces · Curved Surfaces · Threads

Gate location determines green-body density distribution; undercuts are ten times more dangerous in ceramic than in plastic; Class-A surfaces must be marked on the drawing.

gate designundercut demoldingcurved-surface distortion

DATA EVIDENCE

100%

OGP measurement pass rate · 10-piece sample · 74 dimensions · ±0.025mm precision features

< 4mm

Batch-to-batch mean drift · 3 shipped lots · 1.4% of tolerance band

0→84%→100%

Gate-iteration yield · 3 design rounds · full CT, no microcracks

±0.019mm

Post-sintering flatness · 200-piece lot · under ±0.05mm requirement

Process Capability

Full capability data

Wall thickness capability

0.4–2.5mm0.4mm absolute machinable minimum; 0.7–2.5mm recommended range to prevent sink marks; ribs at 40–50% of nominal wall thickness

Geometric capability

50×70mmXY-plane upper reference limit · blind-hole depth-to-diameter ratio ≤1.5:1 · through-hole ≤3:1.

Surface capability

Ra 0.02μmHigh-gloss floor · achieved via 72-hour ball-mill polishing · grade must be marked on the drawing.

Medical-specific

Sterilization feasibilityEO sterilization — no risk. Gamma 50kGy discoloration is reversible.

Process Chain Steps

Powder & feedstockBatch prep

Tooling design2-4 wk

Injection moldingSeconds/shot

Debinding~36 hr

Sintering1500°C · ~36 hr

Tumbling polish~48-72 hr

OGP·CT checkFinal QC

Supply-Chain Elasticity

A single ceramic CIM production batch takes at minimum roughly 7 to 10 days — tens of times longer than plastic injection molding. If demand suddenly doubles or a product reaches end-of-life early, a furnace load already in the kiln cannot be stopped mid-cycle, and work-in-process losses are unavoidable. This is a physical floor of the process, not a capacity issue. Projects with a planning visibility window under 6 to 8 weeks are not a good fit for CIM.

Quality Diagnostics · Whitepapers

FOUR FEATURED QUALITY DIAGNOSTICS

D01 · Sink Mark

Invisible before sintering, irreversible after — a three-step physical mechanism.

D02 · Weld Line

Hidden knit lines in dense hole-array parts, detectable only by CT.

D07 · Corner Cracking

R-fillet cut cracking by 80%, backed by real drum-drop test data.

D08 · Open-Frame Warpage

Density gradient plus lack of sidewall constraint — gate design is the root-cause fix.

View All 9 Defect Analyses

Quick Project Fit Self-Screen

8 Kinds of Projects We Don't Take

Direct material substitution — taking a metal/plastic drawing and requesting ceramic production without structural redesign

Purely appearance-driven, needs evaluation — no functional requirement, "ceramic just looks premium"

Exact color matching — requiring ceramic color to match a plastic Pantone number

Highly volatile demand — planning visibility under 6–8 weeks, or a risk of sudden ramp-up / early end-of-life

View the Full Fit Guide (8 Items)

Is Your Part a Fit for CIM?

No drawings required, no complete spec sheet needed. Tell us your part's functional requirements, rough dimensions, and expected annual volume — we'll give you a clear feasibility judgment within 3 business days.

PAID DFM ASSESSMENT $500–$1,200 · FEE 100% CREDITABLE TOWARD A FUTURE ORDER

Submit Design Files for DFM Assessment Describe Your Application — Free