Sintering coconut charcoal

During sintering of metals it is essential to avoid oxidation produced by ambient oxygen at high temperatures. For it, the most habitual thing is to realize the sintering in a furnace that allows to move the oxygen creating an atmosphere of inert gas, principally nitrogen or argon.

Nevertheless not all the furnaces of sintered have this capacity, or sometimes the high expense of this type of gases makes the treatment more expensive. In these cases it is possible to carry out the sintering process in an open atmosphere, minimising oxidation by capturing the oxygen in the surroundings of the part.

To do this, the surface of the crucible in contact with the air is covered with an active source of carbon capable of reacting at high temperatures with the gaseous oxygen in the air to produce CO2. In this way, the amount of oxygen in the part's surroundings is drastically reduced and oxidation is minimised without the use of inert gases.

Active charcoal produced from coconut shells is one of the most widely used sources of carbon in open atmosphere sintering due to its low cost and high efficiency.

It is a granular carbon produced from high quality coconut shells, activated by steam and with an ash content of less than 3%.

It is essential for the sintering of The Virtual Foundry's metal filaments, such as bronze, copper, Inconel 718-34 and 316L stainless steel, whose sintering protocols are optimised for open environments.

Sintering coconut coal is available in granular format and in 1 kg containers.