Structure and method for compaction of powder-like materials

A method of producing a body of compacted particulate material, comprising the steps of:

• providing a quantity of particulate material, providing a retainer, said container being reusable, positioning the particulate material within the retainer, providing an electrically conductive drive member, positioning the electrically conductive drive member adjacent the particulate material in a non-electrical contacting manner, applying electrical energy to the electrically conductive drive member and creating a magnetic field to induce a current in said retainer to cause magnetic compaction pressure to be applied to the particulate material to compress the particulate material to provide a body of compacted particulate material;
• and
• providing an a container comprising a reusable electrically conductive compaction member having a movable portion, situating the electrically conductive compaction member in operative relationship with the electrically conductive drive member, and energizing the electrically conductive drive member and creating a magnetic field to apply magnetic pressure to the electrically conductive compaction member to drive the electrically conductive compaction member toward the particulate material and compress and magnetically compact the particulate material.

A method of producing a body of dense particulate material, comprising the steps of:

• providing a reusable container including an electrically conductive movable wall member having a normal position and an activated position, the normal position of the electrically conductive movable wall member providing a given volume within the container, an activated position of the electrically conductive movable wall member providing a volume which is less than the given volume,
• positioning a quantity of particulate material within the container with the electrically conductive movable wall member in the normal position thereof, and
• creating an electromagnetic field and applying magnetic pressure to the electrically conductive movable wall member to induce current in the electrically conductive movable wall member to move the electrically conductive movable wall member to the activated position by means of the magnetic pressure to reduce the volume of the reusable container to compress the particulate material within the reusable container.