Low-Pressure Injection Molding of Ceramic Springs

Injection molding has important advantages over other methods for the production of advanced ceramic parts with complex shapes. In this work, low‐pressure injection molding was used to produce helical ceramic springs using two different kinds of molds. The ceramic powders used were submicrometer‐sized alumina and partially stabilized zirconia. Sintered alumina and zirconia springs were obtained free of defects, with densities from 96% to 99% of the theoretical value. In preliminary mechanical tests, these ceramic springs supported axial deformations up to 10% before failure.