American Isostatic Presses installs rapid cooling system at HIP R&D centre
American Isostatic Presses Inc (AIP), headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, USA, has installed a rapid cooling system to its Additive Manufacturing research and development Hot Isostatic Press (HIP). Rapid cooling has the potential to eliminate the need for additional heat treatments, such as quenching and solution heat treatment, and the new system is expected to assist in the development of AM applications
The rapid cooling system can quench parts at up to 200ºC per minute. This system is designed for materials that can benefit from rapid cooling to produces favourable microstructures, including maintaining fine grained microstructures or for precipitation of carbides and oxides at grain boundaries which can improve high temperature strength and creep resistance.
Despite this, AIP intends to take a balanced approach for industrial/production operations, as, with some heat treatments, it is more cost effective to do these separately.
AIP’s research facility is also equipped with HIP systems that can process parts to 60,000 psi and 2000ºC as well as a CIP/WIP system capable of operating pressures of 85,000 psi.
