Hot Presses and Spark Plasma Sinter Technology

Components made for very harsh environments require very special processes to make them. With sintering equipment such as “Hot Presses” or “Spark Plasma Sintering Machines” components with high-end material properties required to meet demanding applications can become manufacture.

Typical material systems for Spark Plasma Sinter Technology:

Metals: W, Mo, Cr, Ru, Si, Cu, Cu (+W / Cr)
Intermetallics: TiAl, Ni₃Al, PbTe, SmCo5
Carbides: WC, B4C, SiC, TiC, ZrC
Nitrides: AlN, TiN, Si3N4 (+TiN), hBN (+TiB₂)
MMC / CMC: Al / Ti (+ SiC / Al₂O3), Steel (+ TiC/N), Co / Cr / Pt (+ Oxides)
Cutting Tools: WC-Co/Ni/Steel (+cBN, +Diam.), Al2O₃-Ti(C,N)
Armor materials: B4C, SiC, ZrB₂, TiB₂, Al₂O₃ (+CNT)
Transparent: Spinel, Al2O₃,
Nano-structured Materials
Functional / Functionally Graded Materials („FGM“)

COMPONENT APPLICATION EXAMPLES TOWARDS THE END OF THIS PAGE

Example: Hot Presses for Production

• 22500 kN
• 2400 °C
• Workpieces up to 300 mm diameter
• Gas Ar / He / N2
• Vacuum 10-2 mbar
• Pyrometer- and TC-controlled
• Cooling chamber
• Loading device

Example: LAB -Spark Plasma Sintering Technique “FAST”

Spark Plasma Sintering also called Field Assisted Sintering Technology (FAST) is an Emerging Disruptive Manufacturing Technology. Please read the paper „Industrial Scale Field Assisted Sintering“ to get a first brief idea of the technology.

• Pressing force 5 … 250 kN
• Piston stroke 0 … 100 mm
• Piston velocity 0 … 2 mm/s
• Temperature RT … 2400 °C
• Heating rate up to 1000 K/min
• Gas pressure 5*10-3 … 1.100 mbar
• Pulse voltage 0 … 8 V
• Pulse current 0 … 8 kA
• Power max. 60 kW
• Pulse time 1 … 255 ms
• Pause time 0 … 255 ms
  Servo hydraulik force control
• Temperature measurement control can be chosen between axial/radial pyrometer or flexible thermocouples
• Furnace gases Ar and/or N2 (others on request)
• User friendly online process management system

Example: Hybrid Heated FAST/SPS Furnace

• Pressing force 4000 kN
• Heating power FAST 400 kW
• Heating power induction 400 kW
• Maximum workpiece diameter 450 mm

Application Examples:

Amor

We work with you to analyze your process and capacity requirements and plan for you the furnace solution that best meets your component property and geometry needs as well as your material production flow.