Definition

1. Verb:
   • To cause (ores or powdery metals) to become a coherent mass by heating without melting: This is a technical process where fine particles are bonded together into a solid object using heat, but at a temperature below the material's melting point.

Usage

• The verb "sinter" is primarily used in industrial, metallurgical, and materials science contexts. It describes a specific manufacturing or processing technique.
• It is a transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object (e.g., sinter the powder, sinter iron ore).

Examples

• Verb:
  • The factory uses a furnace to sinter metal powders into strong components.
  • To form the ceramic filter, they sinter the clay particles at high temperature.
  • This process sinters the ore fines into lumps suitable for the blast furnace.

Advanced Usage

• "Sintering" (Gerund/Noun): The process or action of causing something to sinter.
  • Sintering is a critical step in powder metallurgy.
• "Sintered" (Adjective/Past Participle): Describes a material that has undergone the sintering process.
  • The sintered metal part has high strength and porosity.

Variants and Related Words

• Sinterable (adj): Capable of being sintered.
  • Not all powders are sinterable without a binding agent.
• Sinterability (n): The quality of being sinterable.
• Sinterer (n): One who or that which sinters (less common).

Synonyms

• Agglomerate: To collect or form into a mass. (Note: "Agglomerate" is a broader term that can include sintering but also other methods like using a binder without heat.)
• Fuse: To join or blend by melting. (Note: "Fuse" implies melting, whereas sintering specifically avoids full melting.)

Related Technical Phrases

• Sinter plant: A factory or facility where sintering is carried out, especially in iron ore processing.
  • The iron ore is transported to the sinter plant for agglomeration.
• Sintered compact: The solid object produced by sintering powdered material.
• Sintering temperature: The specific heat range used for the sintering process.

Verb

1. cause (ores or powdery metals) to become a coherent mass by heating without melting