Tooling in Spark Plasma Sintering Technology: Design, Optimization, and Application

Abstract

Spark plasma sintering as the prominent field‐assisted sintering technique (FAST/SPS) is a novel technology for the rapid, pressure‐assisted consolidation of powder materials. The main feature of FAST/SPS is the Joule heating of the used tooling. Tooling is a core part of the FAST/SPS setup, which must withstand high pressure at elevated temperatures ensuring a uniform temperature distribution inside the sintered part. This review looks at the standard FAST/SPS tooling, the specific tooling used for sintering complex‐shaped parts and for pressureless sintering. A particular focus lies on the graphite, the commonly used tooling material, and on alternative materials such as steel, alloys, ceramics, and composites. The review also considers the add‐on tooling elements, including spacers, foils, and thermal insulation. Furthermore, the paper discusses the basics of FAST/SPS modeling, the computer‐based optimization of FAST/SPS tooling, the simulation procedure used, and the modelling accuracy. The review briefly describes the tooling and equipment for manufacturing upsized parts and large‐scale production. In addition, the paper considers the tooling for FAST/SPS sintering under high pressure (up to 1 GPa) and ultra‐high pressure (over 1 GPa). The paper concludes with an analysis of the challenges and prospective solutions for the continued development of FAST/SPS tooling.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.