Medical products generally require good usability and long life, and flexible design in structure and shape.

MIM technology was first applied in medical products in the early 1980s, and has become the fastest growing area of MIM market.

Figure 1 shows the proportion of MIM technology in different industries in North America in 2015. It can be seen that medical and dental services have become the main application areas of MIM in North America.

At present, most of the MIM products for medical use are stainless steel, the main brands are 316L and 17-4PH, as well as titanium alloys, magnesium alloys, gold, silver, tantalum, etc.

Orthodontic Bracket

MIM technology was first used to make some dental orthodontics in medical field. These precision products are very small in size, biocompatibility and corrosion resistance. The main material used is 316L stainless steel. At present, orthodontic brackets are still the main products of MIM industry.

Forestadent Company of Germany has produced a bidirectional inverted orthodontic bracket with MIM technology. The mechanical retention force can be increased by 30%. The friction of bracket to arch wire can be greatly reduced by polishing the bracket after one forming with MIM technology. The product has been proved by Bjorn Ludwig to have a positive effect in orthodontic surgery.