Copyright photograph used by kind permission of Rolls-Royce Derby.

Hot Isostatic Pressing

Bodycote
Hot Isostatic Pressing

The Process
During the HIP treatment, materials are processed
within specially-designed pressure vessels
containing high-pressure inert gas at elevated
temperatures. The gas provides an isostatic com-
pressive force, while the increased temperature
lowers the plastic flow-stress of the material. Under
these processing conditions, the material consolida-
tes to full density.
For the majority of materials, the process pressure is
approximately 1000 bar (100 MPa) with temperatu-
res ranging from 500° C up to 1400° C.
The HIP process eliminates isolated porosity, such
as shrinkage porosity in cast metals, so that the
mechanical properties of these materials approach
those of their forged counterparts. The HIP process
can also be used with similar results in ceramic
materials.

Applications Materials
The casting process represents a nearly ideal means of ■ Super alloys
producing net-shape parts. However the mechanical pro- ■ Titanium castings
perties of castings are limited by the voids created during ■ Steel castings
the solidification process. Even the best castings exhibit ■ Ceramics
voids in the form of shrinkage and / or gas-porosity. ■ Metal matrix composites
■ Aluminium
Shrinkage and gas-porosity severely limit the strength,
■ Your material …
fatigue life, and impact resistance of castings. Additionally,
machining of the castings surface can expose these sub-
surface pores thereby adversely affecting the cosmetic
properties of the parts. The post-casting process of HIP
offers the possibility to completely eliminate these closed
pores and with them, the shortcomings inherent in the
casting process.

HIP provides:
■ higher static and dynamic strengths,
■ higher yield strength,
■ higher fatigue life,
■ more uniform mechanical characteristics through-
out multiple lots,
■ non-porous surfaces after machining,
■ fulfillment of the Roentgen standards as well as
■ safer data for the construction. Largest HIP vessel in the world:
Bodycote HIP, Camas Washington, USA
 Applications for HIP

Castings 4 porosity 4 HIP Process 4 eliminated porosity 4 improved properties

The HIP process is illustrated in the before / after photo via plastic material-flow and diffusional welding. In the
sequence below. Initially, as shown on the left, a 25 mm case of a “pore” of this size, some deformation of the part
diameter, semi-spherical hole is machined into two mating is evident.
steel blocks. The two blocks are then hermetically welded
together in order to form a 25 mm spherical hole in the Areas of Applications
centre of the steel block. The atmosphere inside the pore
■ Aircraft
is evacuated via an “exit tube” welded to the block,
■ Aerospace
before the tube is crimped-shut to preserve vacuum in the
■ Chemical industries
artificial pore. The steel block is then subjected to the HIP
■ Machine tool and metal forming
densification process. As is seen in the second photo-
■ Automobile industry
graph, the “pore” is eliminated following the HIP process,
■ Metal Injection Molding tooling
■ Steel casting
■ Your application ...
Macroscopic “Pore” used to illustrate
HIP effectiveness
before 4 Hot isostatic pressing 4 after

Microstructure before Microstructure after

For more than 30 years, Bodycote’s policy has been to continuously invest in the most modern equipment and
processes within the fields of:

Heat treatment Metallurgical coatings

Hot isostatic pressing

PRODUCTION & SALES CENTRE GERMANY

BODYCOTE HIP GMBH

Kolbinger Str. 7
83527 Haag-Winden
Deutschland
Tel.: +49 8072 37 54 0
Fax: +49 8072 37 54 20
eMail: info.hip@bodycote.de
www.bodycote.com

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