The 4th International Symposium on the Science and Technology of Sintering was held on 4-6 November 1987 in Tokyo. Among the many technical sessions was one entitled 'Session for Sintering-Case Study'. Over 200 participants heard these invited talks. Although some papers were over 20 years old, it is necessary to understand the authors' way of thinking. Since the end of the Second World War, many excellent papers related to sintering have appeared in many different academic journals. Some of these papers are still of value, and are still being read by today's students. The questions we have...