Award: Grand Prize
Year: 2009
Category: Electronic/Electrical

Description:
The award was given to a 17-4 PH stainless steel MIM flagstaff nose or EMI nose shield, which serves as an external connector for a high-performance fiber-optic module. The part has a density of 7.5 g/cm³, a tensile strength of 130,000 psi, a yield strength of 106,000 psi, an 8% elongation, and a 27 HRC as-sintered hardness. The intricate one-piece design would have been virtually impossible to produce by any manufacturing process other than metal injection molding. Secondary operations are limited to coining on the two latches and a 0.5 micron gold coating for appearance and corrosion resistance. Specifying MIM gave the customer an estimated 40 percent cost savings.