Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) is a technology that has been around for 60+ years. By using high temperature and high gas pressure, dry metal and ceramic powders can be consolidated and a volume decrease can be achieved. Later developments include rapid cooling and rapid quenching to enable higher productivity and high-pressure heat treatment. This paper shows the advantages of having HIPing and Heat Treatment combined for Powder metallurgy parts.
Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) safety
Hot Isostatic Pressing systems has fundamentally two different designs when it comes to containing the high pressurized gas, typically Argon. The two methods are called mono-lithic, sometimes referred to as mono-block, and pre-stressed wire-wound technology.
The mono-lithic design will always experience tensions and stresses on the outside and inside of the pressure vessel making any material faults, and you will always have material faults, sensitive to fatal failures if the wall cracks. Much effort must be made for frequent maintenance and safety measures. This failure mode is described as catastrophic, meaning once the crack is initiated the propagation is instantaneously and cannot be stopped. The consequence is a dramatic release of the gas pressure with serious damages to surrounding buildings.
The article appeared in the May–June 2018 issue of Metal Powder Report.
