under vacuum inert gas or air the framed compact is heated to a degassing temperature range and then is held in the temperature range for more than about one half hour for degassing the degassing temperature range depends on the matrix metal and is from between about 230 u00b0 c 450 u00b0 f and less than the lowest eutectic melt temperature of elemental powder in the matrix metal the main function of degassing is to remove h 2 o from the mmc compact after the degassing period the temperature is raised to the consolidation temperature which is the highest eutectic melt temperature of elemental powder in the matrix metal the consolidation temperature is lower than the melt temperature of the basic matrix metal the consolidation temperatures are between about 230 and 615 u00b0 c 450 and 1145 u00b0 f for aluminum mmc while the consolidation temperature and vacuum inert gas or air are maintained the degassed compact is pressed to full density resulting in a framed billet in the case of only one element metal in the matrix metal is used the consolidation temperature is bellow the melt temperature of the element metal in the cold isostatic press sinter process the mmc mixture is compacted at room temperature in step c to about 85 to 95 of theoretical density pressing the powder mixture to high density at room temperature requires pressures between about 50 000 psi and 85 000 psi typically a cold isostatic press cip is employed the framed compact is then sintered in.