Process parameter influence on Electro-sinter-forging (ESF) of titanium discs

Electro-sinter-forging (ESF) is an innovative sintering process based on the principle of electrical Joule heating. The electrical current is flowing through the powder compact, which is under mechanical pressure. As compared to conventional sintering [1] and spark plasma sintering [2], the main advantages are the decreased sintering time and high relative density [3].

Near net-shape components can be manufactured and post-removal processing is limited to surface polishing. The present work is focused on analysing the influence of the main process parameters, namely compacting pressure, sintering time and electrical current density, on the final density of a disc sample made from commercially pure titanium powder.

The maximum achieved relative density was 94% of the bulk density of pure titanium. The density estimation was carried out by using both Archimedes’ and 3D scanning.