Recently some innovative sintering techniques have been reported. They are able to densify structures in rather short times. Moreover it is known that samples heated up fastly present high sintering rates. This paper presents these innovative sintering techniques as well as reviews the rapid sintering process. The main topics are: results of rapid sintering, rapid sintering mechanisms in solid and liquid phases, and its applicability. It is concluded that the attractive results of the innovative sintering techniques are just consequence of the fast heating which is their characteristic. In other words, these techniques are only a way to obtain fast sintering.
