Pressureless spark plasma sintering of alumina micro-channel part produced by micro powder injection molding

Alumina micro-channel parts were produced by micro powder injection molding. The debound part was rapidly densified by pressuresless spark plasma sintering. Rapid densification of the micro-channel part proved to be feasible. Good shape retention and high densification were achieved for the final micro-channel part. The microstructural analysis revealed that fine-grained microstructures were obtained at the sintering temperatures of 1250–1300 °C. The nanoindentation tests showed that the nanohardness and Young’s modulus were dependent on the porosity and grain size.