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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
Powder Metallurgy (P/M) technology has seen an important series of advances in the past twenty-five or so years. It has progressed from a press + sinter methodology (which still has important uses) to one of being a complete processing technology where, ultimately, the structure and properties of totally new materials can be synthesized. A key step in this evolution was the application of P/M techniques to high performance materials such as nickel-based superalloys. This effort began in the early 1960's and has resulted in several important commercial applications such as P/M gas turbine disks and shafts.Attention has now turned to the potential use of Rapid Solidification Technology (RST) as a means of furthering the span of materials which can be made available for a wide variety of engineering applications. Rapidly solidified nickel, cobalt, titanium, aluminum and copper based materials are all the subject of extensive research and development at the present time (1).