Voxeljet (www.voxeljet.com) has announced the release of its High Speed Sintering (HSS) process.

This was initially developed by Neil Hopkinson and is licensed to Voxeljet from Evonik and Loughborough University.

In contrast to Voxeljet’s present solutions, which focus on the foundry industry, the new HSS process allows the printing of parts with properties and quality similar to selective laser sintering, multi-jet fusion and injection moulding.

Versatile and fully functional prototypes such as brackets, buckles, shoe soles and other functional parts can be produced. Additional application examples for HSS parts include interior car components and product packaging.

The basis for HSS is the same as Voxeljet’s core technology — binder jetting — and involves depositing a fine layer of polymeric powder, after which an inkjet print head selectively deposits an infra-red absorbing fluid directly onto the powder surface where sintering is desired.

No further liquids are used in the printing process, which keeps consumable costs to a minimum. The build area is then illumined with infra-red light, causing the printed fluid to absorb energy and melt and fuse the underlying powder.

The HSS process will be officially released at the Formnext fair in Frankfurt, Germany, on 14-18 November.