Shaping a fast future

A method of making components whose complex shapes cannot be formed by machining or moulding is being developed by researchers from Loughborough University’s Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre (IMRC).

Known as high-speed sintering (HSS) the process is almost ready for transfer into trial manufacturing. The technique is similar to selective laser sintering, which is increasingly finding applications in the aerospace and medical fields.

Both sintering techniques work by using a heat to solidify a powder substrate into a solid, and build up a 3D form in layers. Unlike selective laser sintering (SLS) however, HSS uses polymer particles rather than metal powder, and dispenses with the laser in favour of an infrared lamp.

Researchers Neil Hopkinson and Poonjolai Erasenthiran are attempting to develop HSS as a high-speed, high-volume manufacturing process. ‘Selective laser sintering is used to produce 3D parts from CAD data in a variety of materials such as polymers, metals and ceramics,’ they explained. ‘SLS of polymer parts has been shown to be a viable manufacturing route where production volumes are low and parts are small. However, for larger parts and volumes the process is too slow and costly to compete with existing processes such as injection moulding or machining.’