Feasibility study of high frequency plasma aided rapid prototyping

High frequency selective electrical discharge sintering (HFSEDS) is a new method of rapid prototyping (RP). In HFSEDS, by using a relatively inexpensive machine, physical and functional parts, tools and masters can be built. This paper presents two essential subjects in HFSEDS. At the first, a brief overview of innovation, development and research conducted to examine the feasibility of the HFSEDS process is presented. Also the capabilities and sequential processes of HFSEDS are described. Secondly the thermal behavior of the method is analyzed. By a numerical solution, the temperature of entire nodes of the field at the end of binding stage of a metal coated powder has been calculated. The temperature distribution indicates that the temperature of polymeric coat is raised to construct the binder bridge during binding or sintering stage. In addition, some experimental results that describe the feasibility and potential of the HFSEDS process are presented. The study indicates that the proposed new RP method (HFSEDS) can potentially be used for part manufacturing applications.