Sintering is an important process for manufacturing ceramic products that involves consolidating powder materials into a dense mass without melting. It occurs through mass transport mechanisms like evaporation-condensation, vacancy diffusion, or viscous flow as particles bond together below melting temperatures. Liquid phase sintering uses a liquid that dissolves and reprecipitates solid particles to drive densification through capillary forces. Sintering progresses through initial, intermediate, and final stages characterized by changing pore shapes and densities.