This RSP looks to be good stuff Grumph. What is interesting is pouring the small stream of liquid alloy onto the copper roller. Possibly some good safety practices required here. The guts of the process is the very quick solidification to maintain the Silicone in a fully dissolved state. What we do, which is what the industry standard practice is, is to use a phosphorous master alloy addition to the melt, this ensuing (refining) the Si remains in solution (much more so than without any refinement method), but clearly not anywhere near the RSP level.
Then it looks like it is extruded in what they call the “consolidation” step. This looks like a basic extrusion process, but to preserve the Si in solution, this would have to be done at a relatively cool temp. Well I think so.
Anyways, the nett result is that you have a really expensive, strong material, and one that could only be machined or maybe coldish forged, or, as Frits does, using the EDM process.
Anyone got any large diameter copper rings and an old extrusion press kicking around????????????
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