Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS)

At the Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, research is carried out on production of ceramic materials, intended to be used in the manufacture of machine parts and cutting tools. Over the years, a number of projects have been implemented, regarding sintering technology of ceramic materials: oxide, nitride and carbide, composite materials and elements, made of metal powders.
Various sintering techniques are used, e.g., free, microwave or spark plasma sintering (SPS).
The SPS technique enables an increased sintering kinetics of a broad group of materials. Compared with conventional sintering methods, the SPS process is carried out in lower temperature ranges and within shorter time periods. Materials, sintered by this method, are characterised by fine grained microstructure and favourable mechanical properties.