Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) is the application of isostatic pressure to a material at an elevated temperature. Since its introduction, the procedure for accomplishing a HIP cycle remains standard and consists of several steps including preparation, loading, purging, equalization, coompression/heating, cooling, and charge removal. The application of HIP allows for a lower temperature to be used thus decreasing grain growth, and also allows for the attaining of near-theoretical densities.