The company behind the bench-top hand-operated injection molding machine that launched in November 2011 and has seen 60 units sold is now trying to find funding for a larger, upgraded model. LNS Technologies, the company that introduced the PIM-Shooter Model 20A is now hoping to launch the PIM-Shooter Model 150A, seeking investors on Kickstarter, the popular crowd-funding site (Kickstarter video at bottom).

In addition to an increase in its size, the newest version is also a self-contained unit, eliminating the need for the drill press, which was the operating mechanism for the Model 20A.LNS Technologies PIM-Shooter Model 150A

Ceramic Injection Molding Market size exceeded USD 372 million in 2022 and is set to register over 8% CAGR between 2023 and 2032. Increasing demand for ceramic injection molded products in the aerospace industry will fuel the global market growth.

Technical ceramics as a material perform well in harsh environments such as corrosive atmospheres, high temperatures, and abrasive situations. Additionally, modern ceramics combine good mechanical properties with a low specific weight. Because of this feature, advanced ceramics are recognised as lightweight building materials, and hence find use in moving automobile, aeronautics, and engine components. Furthermore, essential development tactics such as business expansion, acquisitions, and others are used by major competitors to improve their position in the global market.

The molds used in both the 20A and the 150A are aluminum, which offers good head transference and thus cools the part fairly quickly, Warobi noted. "We have found that one develops a certain rhythm when using the machine, since after each injection stroke, the operator needs to manually add more pellets for the next cycle. This seems to give just the right amount of time for the part to cool," he said.  "So the rhythm goes like this: insert and clamp the mold, perform the injection stroke, add pellets for the next cycle, unclamp the mold and remove the part, immediately repeat the cycle."

These players are engaged in startergic partneships and colaboration with instllaors and manufacturer inorder to gain a competitive advantage in the market.

Ceramic injection molding is a cutting-edge technology that provides cost-effective solutions for producing reproducible, complex ceramic parts and components, The CIM method is one of the most adaptable procedures for producing goods that were previously thought to be difficult and expensive to make using other conventional manufacturing techniques. As a result, it is currently widely used in industries like as automotive, medical, and electronics, among others. Similarly, an increase in demand for injection-molded ceramic components in the medical industry to manufacture various components such as endoscopic tools, prosthetic replacements, dental implants, and others is one of the key factors driving the market development.

"Many potential customers have been asking for a similar low-cost injection machine to the Model 20A, but with a larger shot capacity," PIM-Shooter creator John Warobi told PlasticsToday. "The new model is larger so that it makes bigger items."

Materials that have been tested include ABS, acetal, PLA, HDPE, PS PP, LDPE, TPE, and EVA. Warobi's customers have used the 20A to make everything fishing lures and golf tees to guitar picks. Potential applications for the new, larger Model 150A include action figures, larger fishing lures, and more.

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The company behind the bench-top hand-operated injection molding machine that launched in November 2011 and has seen 60 units sold is now trying to find funding for a larger, upgraded model.

Plug it in and moldThe machine is simple to operate: just plug it in, set the temperature, add resin pellets, or you chopped up PET bottles, then clamp the mold and pull the handle. When the cycle is complete: release the toggle clamp; remove the part; degate; and you're ready for the next part.

In the polymer & plastics sector, ceramic injection molding is used to increase the flexibility of the finished type. Accelerated industrialization, rising incomes, changing lifestyles, and the growing use of polymer items in daily lives are contributing to the sector growth. Healthcare, agriculture, textiles, housing, furniture, electronics, and construction applications employ polymer. A substance or material that is added to a material (often a plastic or elastomer) to increase its flexibility, workability, or distensibility is known as a plasticizer or softener. A plasticizer can lower the temperature of the second-order transition, the melt elastic modulus, or the viscosity of the melt.

Based on materials, the ceramic injection molding market is divided into four materials: alumina, zirconia, ferrite,and others. The alumina segment is dominating among these and is predicted to increase at a high rate. This is due to the material's strong strength and performance properties, as well as its use in a variety of end-use industries such as electronics, automotive, and others.

Warobi said that he needs the funding for the larger model because he would like to contract with a local CNC machine shop to machine the components of the PIM-Shooter 150A, in order to fill larger orders and get the price down.

"As an accessory to the bench Model 150A, we are going to be selling a quick-release toggle clamp to reduce the time it takes to clamp and unclamp the mold," Warobi said.  "The second video on our Kickstarter project site shows the Model 150A producing three parts in one minute using the quick-release accessory. That translates into an impressive 180 parts per hour."

Until she retired in September 2021, Clare Goldsberry reported on the plastics industry for more than 30 years. In addition to the 10,000+ articles she has written, by her own estimation, she is the author of several books, including The Business of Injection Molding: How to succeed as a custom molder and Purchasing Injection Molds: A buyers guide. Goldsberry is a member of the Plastics Pioneers Association. She reflected on her long career in "Time to Say Good-Bye."

Global demand for injection moulded ceramic products is likely to boost the adoption of ceramic injection moulding machines. This technology has the potential to produce highly precise, complicated ceramic components and parts for the mobile phone, electronics, and consumer goods industries. As a result, the increased acceptance of these goods is expected to fuel the growth of the ceramic injection moulding sector. Moreover, the varied qualities of completed injection moulded ceramic goods, such as increased heat, wear, and corrosion resistance, promote their application across a wide range of end-use industries, encouraging the ceramic injection moulding market growth.

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Asia Pacific region is a significant market for ceramic injection molding due to its growing industrial and consumer base.  India is estimated to hold a significant market share of the Ceramic Injection Molding market and is anticipated to expand at a significant CAGR. Increasing production and sales of automotive vehicles, growing demand for consumer goods, and robust growth of the electronics industry are a few macroeconomic factors proliferating the sales of products manufactured from ceramic injection molding. The country is also witnessing a significant increase in the demand for several healthcare products, which is also forecast to augment growth of the product market in the country.

The covid-19 pandemic have a negative impact on the ceramic Injection molding market. The manufacturer of various products from ceramic injection moldings faced a huge challenge due to restriction and disruption in supply chain. The production  from ceramic injection moldings was low in 2021 due to pandemic. This is due to the measures Chinese authority have taken to contain the spread of pandemic. The global supply chain from raw material sourcing to installation and building was disrupted due to COVID-19 pandemic. These factor has decreased the demand of ceramic injection moldings market globally.

Nearing the Kickstarter goalWarobi is looking for pledges of $1500 or $1800 on the Kickstarter, and at press time, he had 19 backers, putting up $6339, almost 64% of the goal with 32 days to go. Warobi only ships to U.S. addresses because of the 45-lb weight of the Model 150A unit, which is delivered in a wooden crate.

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Better detail than 3D printingWhen asked how the PIM-Shooter compares with 3D printing, Warobi noted that while the 3D printers are "very popular" and "may seem like an attractive alternative to injection molding, since tooling isn't required, 3D printers in the same price range as our machines cannot produce the detail that one can get with hard tooling.