MAPLE PLAIN, Minnesota–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Product designers and engineers can now obtain injection-molded low-alloy steel prototypes and low-volume production parts from rapid manufacturer Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE: PRLB). The technology-driven company added two nickel steel materials (Catamold FN02 and FN0205) and a chrome-moly material (Catamold 42CrMo4) which is the metal injection molding (MIM) equivalent of steel 4140. New metals expand potential applications for parts produced by Proto Labs’ advanced MIM process.
“We had huge customer demand for stainless steel with MIM last year, and we expect the same response for our new low alloy metals,” says Becky Cater, Proto Labs Product Manager for MIM. “We offer many different hard and soft metals through our 3D printing and CNC machining services at Proto Labs, but nickel steel is only produced by metal injection molding. This increase in materials will inherently allow our customers to do more things in the low-volume metal fabrication space.
Low-alloy steel creates strong, wear-resistant metal parts when heat-treated and can be post-treated for added protection. In terms of applications, low alloy steel materials will be widely used by the firearms industry for various firearm and archery components as well as automotive engineers for engine components. and transmission, and the industrial goods sector when developing hand and power tools, and door and window lock hardware, for example.
In addition to rapid prototypes, Proto Labs can produce up to over 5,000 metal injection molded end-use parts in 15 days. Learn more about the complex, multi-step MIM process with a comprehensive white paper on protolabs.com.
About Proto Labs, Inc.
Proto Labs is a leading online and technology manufacturer of custom parts for prototyping and short-term production. Proto Labs delivers “real, real-world parts” using injection molding, computer numerical control (CNC) machining, and additive manufacturing to produce parts for product designers and engineers around the world. For more information, visit protolabs.com.
