Book excerpt: This book describes spark plasma sintering (SPS) in depth. It addresses fundamentals and material-specific considerations, techniques, and applications across a broad spectrum of materials. The book highlights methods used to consolidate metallic or ceramic particles in very short times. It highlights the production of complex alloys and metal matrix composites with enhanced mechanical and wear properties. Emphasis is placed on the speed of the sintering processes, uniformity in product microstructure and properties, reduced grain growth, the compaction and sintering of materials in one processing step, various materials processing, and high energy efficiency. Current and potential applications in space science and aeronautics, automation, mechanical engineering, and biomedicine are addressed throughout the book.