Beschreibung:
<jats:p>In the present contribution, atomised Sn-3.0Ag-0.7Cu powder alloy with a size of less than 250 μm was first compacted and then microwave and conventionally sintered at 175 °C for 15 and 120 minutes, respectively. Despite the very different processing times applied, the degree of porosity was very similar, i.e., around 7%. The as-atomized microstructure of the conventionally sintered samples was barely altered with β-Sn dendritic matrix comprising Cu<jats:sub>6</jats:sub>Sn<jats:sub>5 </jats:sub>and Ag<jats:sub>3</jats:sub>Sn intermetallic particles. The microwave sintered Sn-3.0Ag-0.7Cu sample exhibited a combination of fine and very coarse intermetallic particles, with the presence of well-developed needle-like Ag<jats:sub>3</jats:sub>Sn, and its dendritic pattern disappeared completely. The Vickers hardness of both samples was measured and found to be consistent with their microstructures.</jats:p>