3D Systems Sinterstation HiQ — Technical data

The Sinterstation HiQ is a 3D Systems laser sintering system whose data sheet dates from 2004. A CO₂ laser (30 W in the specification) with a maximum scan speed of 5 m/s fuses powder in a 381 × 330 × 457 mm build volume. Approved materials were DuraForm PA and GF, CastForm PS for investment casting patterns, elastic Somos 201 and LaserForm metal powders. A thermal system monitors temperature across the build volume and recalibrates it layer by layer. Older Vanguard systems could be upgraded to a HiQ; its faster sibling is the HiQ HS. The machine has long been discontinued.

The standard HiQ builds more slowly than the HS, but that is sufficient for occasional prototypes. Before buying, clarify whether spare parts and engineers are still available for laser, scanner, heaters and the Windows 2000 control PC. The connection requires 240 or 380 V three-phase at 12.5 kVA. Equally important is which powders can still be sourced and parameterised for the machine; without documentation and working software, commissioning is difficult.