Patent ID: 7560067

Claim:
A method of friction forming a substantially fully dense article from unshaped powder, said unshaped powder comprising plasticizable metallic powder, the method comprising the steps of: preparing a shaped deposit from said unshaped powder by applying said unshaped powder to a substrate to form such unshaped powder into said shaped deposit on said substrate substantially without melting said plasticizable metallic powder or said shaped deposit, said shaped deposit being substantially non-frangible, self-sustaining, and less than substantially fully dense; and urging a friction tool into heat generating, frictional, compressive, and relative moving contact with said shaped deposit while said shaped deposit remains on said substrate, said shaped deposit being heated by said heat generating, frictional, compressive, and relative moving contact to substantially plasticize but not melt said shaped deposit, whereby said shaped deposit is plasticized and densified into said substantially fully dense article.