New Catamold® product line for metal injection molding

• New stainless steel grades make metal parts cheaper to manufacture
• High product availability and global technical service for metal injection molding technology

BASF has launched two new Catamold^® products for customers in the metal injection molding industry. The two cost-effective stainless steel variants, Catamold^® 17-4PH K and Catamold^® 316L K, allow metal parts to be manufactured at lower cost but with the same high quality and performance.  

Thanks to a new formulation, BASF has improved efficiency in the production process. "We're passing on this economy of scale to our customers," says Dr. Matthias Pfeiffer, who is responsible for global Business Management for Catamold^®. "Thanks to the lower feedstock costs, our customers will be able to exploit new markets and be more competitive in the face of competing technologies."

The new products are available around the globe, even for industrial-scale projects, and technical support is offered in all regions by an expert team.

As announced in December 2012, a new Catamold^® plant will go into operation in Kuanyin, Taiwan in the second half of 2013. A few months ago, the Technical Service Lab for Catamold^® in Ludwigshafen, Germany was joined by another application technology lab in Shanghai, China. "These investments reflect our commitment to driving growth in the metal injection molding industry," says Dr. Stefan Koser, Vice President Metal Systems at BASF.

Catamold^®is a ready-to-use raw material for metal and ceramic injection molding (MIM and CIM). The wide product range includes low-alloy and stainless steels, special alloys, and ceramics. Catamold^® is used in a wide range of applications, especially in the electronics industry as well as in the automotive and consumer goods industry. With Catamold^®, geometrically complex parts can be economically manufactured with conventional injection molding machines. It makes metal and ceramics to mold as plastic, opening up new possibilities for making complex components with economic and technical benefits including a high degree of automation, a wide range of shapes, near-net-shape manufacturing, and good mechanical properties.

More information at www.basf.com/catamold.

About BASF

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of €72.1 billion in 2012 and more than 110,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

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