Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) is a manufacturing process used to reduce the porosity of metals and increase the density of many ceramic materials. This improves the mechanical properties and workability of the material. HIP Facility is an extremely useful facility for enhancing yield and reliability of investment castings for flagship projects of ISRO namely cryogenic and semi-cryogenic engines as well as for processing high temperature materials towards emerging programmes.

Cryogenic and semi-cryogenic engines employ altogether forty types of investment castings in seven types of ferrous and non-ferrous alloys. During manufacturing, defects are inevitable at some locations of the investment castings due to their complex shapes. HIP facility supports the defect healing of performance-critical cast components enhancing their quality and reliability.

Ceramic and other high temperature materials play a very crucial role in the upcoming programmes of ISRO. These materials have very high melting points and extremely difficult to process through liquid metallurgy route. HIP facilitates the solid state processing of ceramics and other high temperature materials through powder metallurgy route. It enables achieving theoretical density in the processed materials ensuring the quality and reliability. Unlike uniaxial pressure based hot presses, HIP with isostatic pressure conditions facilitates processing of highly complex shapes.

A state-of-the-art HIP facility was inaugurated at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) Thiruvananthapuram by Shri A. S Kiran Kumar, Chairman, ISRO on February 19, 2016. Dr K Sivan, Director, VSSC was also present along with the senior colleagues.

This is the first HIP Facility in the country in terms of its capability. The size of the Hot zone is 500 mm height and 350 mm diameter. The operating temperature is 2000 deg. C and pressure is 2000 bar. The facility was established mainly through indigenous sources.