5. Sintering

5.1 Theoretical aspects

The sintering stage is the final step in the PIM process. During this stage, the part, which has been left porous by debinding, is heated to consolidate and densify it. This densification is accompanied by a volume shrinkage that depends on the initial composition of the feedstock.

In all cases, the sintering operation takes place at a temperature such that the material is not completely molten. A distinction is made, however, between the case where the entire material is in a solid state (solid phase sintering) and the case where part of the material has reached its melting point (liquid phase sintering) (