Spark Plasma Sintering process
The Spark Plasma Sintering process consists of a high intensity pulsed current that passes through a graphite tooling.
With this set-up it is possible to reach high heating and cooling rates of over 100°C/min. The Spark Plasma Sintering process can reach high temperature in a few minutes compared to several hours for other sintering techniques.
The main advantage of this powder processing technology is the absence of organic binders that can cause problems during sintering. The technology also helps reducing the amount of residual stress within the material. through the efficient control of the experienced thermal gradients during the sintering process.
This reduced processing cycle combined to the fast heating rate result in a fine microstructure and an increase in the mechanical properties of the sintered materials.
Thanks to these assets, this powder sintering process can easily densify high performance and innovative materials (composites, hard metals, metal alloys, refractory materials).
Through 15 years of research and development dedicated to the optimization of the SPS (Spark Plasma Sintering) process, Norimat has developed a unique patented technique combining 3D printing and FAST/SPS technology.
This process allows complex parts production via spark Plasma Sintering in only one step of heat treatment. This method allows the production of near-net shaped parts and reduces the need for machining.