Powder Metallurgy Hot Isostatic Pressing: Titanium Done Differently for Defence

Powder metallurgy hot isostatic pressing (PM HIP) is a novel manufacturing process extensively utilized in oil & gas and aerospace industries. With the evolution of this advanced manufacturing process, many other industrial sectors including defence are benefiting from the clear strategic advantages of PM HIP compared to conventional manufacturing processes. This paper is intended to give an overview of PM HIP technologies and highlight the potential of this process for the manufacture of components for land based military systems. The study will focus on a brief introduction of PM HIP technology followed by more detailed description of some key benefits of adopting PM HIP in defence sectors. These include easier processability of Ti-alloys, generation of high-performance metal matrix composites (MMCs), manufacturing of complex shape parts and generation of multi-materials structures via HIP diffusion bonding (DB). Finally, the paper will focus on future prospectives of PM HIP.