Effective degassing of HIP canisters through the use of residual gas analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACT Effective degassing of HIP canisters is paramount to producing high quality components by prevention of the retention of atmospheric contaminants such as oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and argon. These contaminants are responsible for defects that lead to poor materials performance and reducing confidence in HIP products. The solution to degassing of large HIP canisters ready for processing is often met with extended degassing times to ensure adequate evacuation. We present the use of residual gas analysis by spectroscopy for the enhancement of the degassing process and compare the amount of time required for degassing of different powders exposed to varied atmospheric conditions. We consider the use of an automated algorithm to detect and notify users when degas is complete based on the residual gas analysis to shorten processing times for HIP parts, whilst ensuring quality.