Process and Advantages of Spark Plasma Sintering

Did you know that ceramic materials need to be put into a furnace for heating when they are produced? We refer to this process as sintering. After sintering, the ceramic material will have a firm shape and a fine surface. The sintering process plays an important role in the manufacture of metals, ceramics and nanomaterials. HAOYUE shares with you the working process, advantages and applications of spark plasma sintering (SPS).

What is sintering

Sintering: The process whereby powdered material after pressing and forming is gradually transformed into a material with a certain geometry and strength by mutual bonding of particles between blanks and material transfer, resulting in the exclusion of pores, volume shrinkage and strength increase under the action of high temperatures below the melting point. The purpose of sintering is to transform the powdered material into a dense body and to give the material its characteristic properties.

Rapid Heating S4 Spark Plasma Sintering Furnace

What is SPS

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is a sintering technique where materials are compressed and compressed to a higher density. Systems designed for spark plasma sintering use direct current pulses to generate spark energy between particles of material. The technology enables particle and, unlike other sintering processes that involve only metal processing, spark plasma sintering can be applied to ceramics, composites and nanostructures.

SPS furnance offers the possibility of manufacturing very special new materials, such as nanomaterials, functional gradient materials, composites, tungsten carbide or other hard materials, without significant grain growth.

Inner workings

The process is based on the principle of electric spark discharge, in which a high-energy pulsed current produces a spark plasma between the particles in the material. This spark plasma exists at an extremely high temperature of 10,000°C (18032°F), causing potential oxidation or evaporation of contaminants from the surface of the particles. The particle surfaces are also heated, causing these areas to melt and fuse together to form structures called necks. Over time, the necks develop into spaces, in some cases increasing the total solid density of the material to over 99%.

Advantages

Advantages of the spark plasma sintering process include short completion times, low operating costs, a wide range of applications, and good structural and material results. Due to the nature of the process, spark plasma sintering typically takes less than 20 minutes to complete.

The cost of the technique is also typically low because the pulsating current does not require high voltages and the process does not take a long time to complete. This short cycle time, combined with the low cost, makes the process versatile.

Spark plasma sintering produces higher densities than many other sintering processes, which makes it ideal for materials requiring high solid densities. The process can be used for both insulators and conductors, opening up a wider range of materials that can be sintered.

If you would like to find out more, or to purchase a sintering furnace for your own plant, please contact us. We are happy to serve you.