A capsule assembly for an ultra-high pressure furnace, comprising a containment tube defining a central longitudinal axis, a chamber suitable for accommodating a reaction assembly, a proximate and a distal end heater assembly, and a side heater assembly. When assembled, the chamber and the side heater assembly are contained within the containment tube and arranged longitudinally between the proximate and distal end heater assemblies. Each end heater assembly comprises a respective conduction volume forming a respective electrical path through the end heat assembly. The side heater assembly electrically connects the respective conducting volumes to each other, and heat is produced in the chamber in response to an electric current flowing through the side heater assembly and the conducting volumes. At least the proximate end heater assembly comprises a first insulation component including an outer insulation volume. The conducting volume of at least the proximate end heater assembly includes an inner conducting volume, and the inner conducting volume is laterally spaced apart from the containment tube by the outer insulation volume.

A sputtering target that includes at least two consolidated blocks, each block including an alloy including molybdenum in an amount greater than about 30 percent by weight and at least one additional alloying ingredient; and a joint between the at least two consolidated blocks, the joint being free of any microstructure due to an added bonding agent (e.g., powder, foil or otherwise), and being essentially free of any visible joint line the target that is greater than about 200 m width (e.g., less than about 50 m width). A process for making the target includes hot isostatically pressing, below a temperature of 1080 C., consolidated perform blocks that may be surface prepared (e.g., roughened to a predetermined roughness value) prior to pressing.

A method for hot isostatic pressing includes the steps of providing or obtaining an article of manufacture, which optionally includes a copper or nickel alloy, disposing the article of manufacture in a shroud, the shroud defining an enclosed volume wherein the article of manufacture is disposed, the shroud being configured as a multi-piece joined structure to retard gaseous mass transport from outside the shroud to inside the enclosed volume, disposing the shroud in a containment vessel of a hot isostatic pressing apparatus and disposing a getter material in the shroud and/or in the containment vessel, and introducing an inert gas at an elevated temperature and pressure into the containment vessel for hot isostatic pressing.

A sputtering target that includes at least two consolidated blocks, each block including an alloy including molybdenum in an amount greater than about 30 percent by weight and at least one additional alloying ingredient; and a joint between the at least two consolidated blocks, the joint being free of any microstructure due to an added bonding agent (e.g., powder, foil or otherwise), and being essentially free of any visible joint line the target that is greater than about 200 m width (e.g., less than about 50 m width). A process for making the target includes hot isostatically pressing, below a temperature of 1080 C., consolidated perform blocks that may be surface prepared (e.g., roughened to a predetermined roughness value) prior to pressing.

The present application provides a container for use in manufacturing a metal billet from a metal powder in a hot isostatic pressing process. The container may include a top, a bottom, a wall extending between the top and the bottom, an enhanced directional consolidation feature in the wall, and a sleeve positioned about the enhanced directional consolidation feature.

An apparatus for manufacturing an article from powder material includes a canister, a sorter, a plurality of hoppers and at least one valve. The canister has a predetermined internal shape to define the shape of the powder metal article. The sorter sorts the powder material by the size of the powder particles, the shape of the powder particles and/or the flow characteristics of the powder particles. The hoppers contain powder material with different sizes of powder particles, different shapes of powder particles and/or powder particles with different flow characteristics. The hoppers are arranged to supply the sorted powder material to the canister. The at least one valve controls the proportions of the different powder materials supplied from the one or more of the different hoppers into the canister to control the packing density of the powder material in the canister at all positions in the canister.

An apparatus for manufacturing an article from powder material including a first table, a second table rotatably mounted on the first table about a first axis and a third table rotatably mounted on the second table about a second axis. A hollow canister is supported by the third table. A vibrator is arranged to vibrate the canister. A first device is arranged to rotate the second table about the first axis and a second device is arranged to rotate the third table about the second axis. A hopper is arranged to supply powder material into the canister and a valve controls the flow of powder material from the hopper into the canister. A processor is arranged to control the valve, the vibrator, the first device and the second device to control the filling and packing density of the canister.

An apparatus for manufacturing an article from powder material includes a canister, a sorter, a plurality of hoppers and at least one valve. The canister has a predetermined internal shape to define the shape of the powder metal article. The sorter sorts the powder material by the size of the powder particles, the shape of the powder particles and/or the flow characteristics of the powder particles. The hoppers contain powder material with different sizes of powder particles, different shapes of powder particles and/or powder particles with different flow characteristics. The hoppers are arranged to supply the sorted powder material to the canister. The at least one valve controls the proportions of the different powder materials supplied from the one or more of the different hoppers into the canister to control the packing density of the powder material in the canister at all positions in the canister.

An apparatus for increasing the bulk density of metal powder includes a sealed chamber, a nozzle, and a target. The sealed chamber has an inert environment. The nozzle is coupled to an inert gas source and is configured to introduce raw metal powder into a flow of the inert gas for discharge as a cold spray mixture of the raw metal powder and the inert gas into the sealed chamber. The target is housed within the sealed chamber and is configured to receive an impact of the cold spray mixture. The nozzle and the target are configured to flatten the raw metal particles into flattened metal particles in response to the cold spray mixture impacting the target.

An apparatus and a method for treating an object manufactured from a material having a defined melting temperature, by subjecting the object to hot isostatic pressing to reduce porosity and increase a density thereof. The method comprises arranging the object in a pressure chamber interior cavity, submerged in a liquid partially filling the cavity, heating the liquid to a below melting temperature, pressurizing the liquid by pressurizing gas above a liquid surface in the cavity, then moving the object out of the liquid, but still within the cavity, subsequently heating the liquid to an above melting temperature, and resubmerging the object in the liquid. Subsequently, the object is withdrawn from the liquid and moved above the liquid. The apparatus comprises the pressure chamber, a movable object support in the cavity, a liquid heater, and a gas inlet and outlet selectively introducing gas into and venting gas from the cavity.