IMA Machines

How it works

Regardless of your application, the following steps give a general outline of how the IMA
process works.

  1. The components to be assembled are first positioned in their correct relationship by a custom designed assembly tool.

  2. In this example, the shaft is loaded into the cavity on the moveable half of the tool and the rotor is loaded into the fixed half of the tool.

  3. The tool closes, aligning the components in their correct relationship.

  4. The molten alloy is then injected under pressure into the cavity located at the intersection of the components. The injected alloy solidifies in milliseconds. The slight shrinkage of the alloy produces a strong, permanent mechanical lock between the components.

  5. The tool opens, and the completed assembly is ejected from the moveable half of the tool.

  6. The assembly is ready to use, free of flash or burrs, and does not require any secondary operations.

Below are four examples of component assemblies produced using the IMA process.