Hybrid Spark Plasma Sintering of Materials: A Review

This article presents a review on hybrid spark plasma sintering technology (HSPS) of engineering materials. Hybrid sintering is a recently developed method used in fabricating materials, which provides a superior heating within and across the regime of the material. It integrates the heating system of spark plasma sintering with an additional resistance or induction heating in order to manufacture materials that require larger size or diameter. Materials obtained through this technique are highly dense due to rapid heating rate which ensues in a very short sintering cycle. Hybrid sintering eliminates thermal gradient that is noticeable in other sintering techniques. Fabricated materials from HSPS are utilized in aerospace, automobile and chemical industries and they tend to yield improved mechanical properties.