Enhancements on Fast Sintering Systems Promote Transfer from the Lab to Industrial Applications

This chapter examines how the evolution as well as examples of current applications in the field of material development and industrial production. The chapter also demonstrates, how new extensions, hybrid technology or flash sintering, in conjunction with a suitable systems engineering can lead to essential progress in the industrial application of rapid sintering technologies for all classes of materials, independently of its respective electrical behavior. After a period of development of a wide range of innovative materials, which are not possible to consolidate with more traditional sintering techniques, in the last years several ideas of enhancing classical Field Assisted Sintering Technology/Spark Plasma Sintering (FAST/SPS) came to mind, which were realized first as options in lab sized units, transforming them progressively to real multi purpose tools, acting as “swiss army knives” for the material developer. In contrast to the lab units, in the industrial field usually specialized systems, tailored to the actual, industrial production application are needed, to provide an optimum of efficiency and productivity. Multiplying the number of samples per cycle is also an interesting approach for an improved productivity.