Available Materials for Ceramic Injection Molding
Physical properties of LONGYI's production CIM grades — our own tested material data.
| Property | AOW37 Alumina 96% |
AOI38 Alumina 99% |
ZOI60 Zirconia 99% |
ZOB56 Zirconia 99% (Black) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Color | White | Ivory | Ivory | Black |
| Density (g/cm³) | 3.7 | 3.8 | 6.0 | 5.6 |
| Vickers Hardness HV1 (GPa) | 13.7 | 15.2 | 12.3 | 10.8 |
| Flexural Strength (MPa) | 350 | 310 | 1000 | 710 |
| Compressive Strength (MPa) | 2600 | 2600 | 1850 | 1850 |
| Young's Modulus (GPa) | 320 | 360 | 200 | 210 |
| Fracture Toughness (MPa·m½) | — | 3–4 | 4–5 | 3–4 |
| Max Use Temperature (°C) | 1700 | 1700 | 1600 | 1600 |
| Volume Resistivity @20°C (Ω·cm) | >10¹⁴ | >10¹⁴ | 10¹³ | 10⁸ * |
| Dielectric Strength (kV/mm) | 15 | 15 | 11 | — |
| Thermal Conductivity @20°C (W/m·K) | 24 | 29 | 3 | 3 |
CIM Tolerance by Alumina Grade
| 94–96% (AOW37) | 99 / 99.5% | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary market | European equipment builders — maximum insulation resistance | Semiconductor industry — material stability & machinability |
| As-molded CIM tolerance | ±0.3 mm | ±0.1 mm |
| Draft angle required | Yes — refined by precision CNC/grinding | Yes — refined by precision CNC/grinding |
| Typical downstream step | Metallization + nickel plating + vacuum brazing | Precision machining to final drawing tolerance |
Ceramic Injection Molding (CIM) lets LONGYI produce small, geometrically complex advanced ceramic components — also known as technical ceramics or fine ceramics — at production volumes that machining alone cannot reach economically. Fine alumina and zirconia powders are compounded into a moldable feedstock, injected into precision steel tooling, then debound and sintered to full density, giving net-shape parts with repeatable wall sections, threads, and fine features in a single process.
Net-shape production of small, complex ceramic geometries — thin walls, threads, undercuts
High-volume repeatability once tooling is qualified, at lower per-part cost than full machining
As-molded tolerance from ±0.3 mm (94–96% alumina) down to ±0.1 mm (99/99.5% alumina)
Precision CNC and grinding finish the features a mold's draft angle cannot form, to drawing tolerance
Material Capability: Why Zirconia & Alumina Lead in CIM
Alumina (Al₂O₃) — predictable, cost-efficient, brazeable
LONGYI's 94–96% grade (AOW37) molds predictably and accepts metallization and vacuum brazing; our nitrogen-enriched sintering step resists the black-spot discoloration common in re-heated alumina. A 99/99.5% high-purity process tightens as-molded tolerance to about ±0.1 mm.
See Alumina material data →Zirconia (ZrO₂) — for parts too thin or tough for anything else
At roughly 1000 MPa flexural strength — three times alumina's — Zirconia CIM produces thin-wall, high-toughness parts such as our ceramic dispensing nozzles that would crack in a more brittle material. Our black ZOB56 grade adds a non-reflective finish for vision-guided equipment.
See Zirconia material data →See the Full Advanced Ceramics Process
CIM is one of several forming methods LONGYI runs in-house, alongside dry pressing, isostatic pressing, and precision machining.
Manufacturing OverviewGet to Know LONGYI
Years of production experience turning customer drawings into technical ceramic components, from prototype through volume.
About UsFrequently Asked Questions
What is Ceramic Injection Molding (CIM)?
Ceramic Injection Molding (CIM) is a net-shape manufacturing process that mixes fine ceramic powder with a binder into a moldable feedstock, injects it into a metal tool, then removes the binder and sinters the part to full density — used where a ceramic component is too small, too complex, or too high in volume to make economically by machining alone.
Why are Zirconia and Alumina LONGYI's main CIM materials?
Alumina's 94–96% and 99/99.5% powder systems are well characterized and mold predictably, covering most insulation needs at low cost. Zirconia's high flexural strength and low modulus let CIM produce thin-wall, net-shape parts — such as our ceramic dispensing nozzles — that would crack in a more brittle ceramic. Both are high-volume, production-proven CIM systems at LONGYI.
What tolerance can LONGYI hold with CIM?
As-molded, our 94–96% Alumina grade holds about ±0.3 mm and our 99/99.5% Alumina grade about ±0.1 mm. Every CIM tool also needs a draft angle, so sharp corners, flat faces, and tight bores that the mold cannot form are finished afterward with in-house precision CNC and grinding to the drawing's final tolerance.
Which industries use LONGYI's CIM parts?
Semiconductor, medical, fiber optic, and precision industrial automation — most often for small insulating or wear parts such as dispensing nozzles, connectors, and sensor housings.
Is "ceramic injection molding" the same as "technical ceramics injection molding" or "fine ceramics injection molding"?
Yes. Advanced ceramics, technical ceramics, and fine ceramics are regional names — used in North America/Taiwan, Europe, and Japan respectively — for the same family of engineered ceramic materials. The injection molding process is identical regardless of which term a customer's market uses.
Made with CIM — Our Products
Dispensing Nozzle — LONGYI's Flagship CIM Part
Precision fluid-dispensing nozzles are one of the clearest examples of what CIM does well: a small, thin-walled part with a tightly controlled internal orifice, produced to repeatable tolerance at production volume. LONGYI molds these in both alumina and zirconia depending on the wear and strength requirement.
View Dispensing Nozzle specifications →
Zirconia Nozzle with Stainless Steel Fitting
A customer-developed nozzle pairing a zirconia ceramic tip with a stainless steel (SUS) mounting sleeve — zirconia's near-metal thermal expansion makes it well suited to this kind of ceramic-to-metal assembly.
See Zirconia material data →These are two examples from LONGYI's CIM production — every part is engineered to the customer's drawing rather than sold as a catalog item.
Alumina in CIM: predictable, cost-efficient, brazeable
Alumina is LONGYI's highest-volume CIM material because its two production grades cover almost every insulation requirement:
Zirconia in CIM: strength where alumina would crack
At roughly three times alumina's flexural strength with a near-metal coefficient of thermal expansion, Zirconia CIM reaches geometries alumina cannot survive:
Choosing between the two
As a starting rule of thumb: choose Alumina when electrical insulation and cost are the priority and the geometry is moderate; choose Zirconia when the part is thin, slender, threaded, or will be fitted to metal and cannot risk cracking. Send us your drawing and we'll confirm the right grade for your application.
Parts Gallery — Ceramic Injection Molded Components
