2024 marked a giant anniversary for EOS. 35 years since its founding as Electro Optical Programs in Gräfelfing, Germany, with a imaginative and prescient of manufacturing three-dimensional objects utilizing laser know-how.
It’s a imaginative and prescient that shortly materialised as BMW grew to become the primary buyer of its STEREOS 400 stereolithography system in 1990, and was cemented by the set up of its second, the STEREOS 600, for Mercedes Benz simply two years later. Then got here laser sintering, the method EOS would ultimately turn out to be synonymous with, first in polymers, adopted by direct metallic.
So far, EOS has shipped over 5,000 machines globally; its applied sciences used to fabricate end-use parts from sporting items to house propulsion programs. It’s these purposes, in accordance with CEO Marie Langer, which have at all times been the corporate’s north star.
“The guiding gentle was at all times opening up new enterprise circumstances for our clients,” Langer instructed TCT. “It is not solely about fancy improvements which can be at all times good to indicate at a commerce present, however on the opposite facet, it is actually about dependable, steady manufacturing and ensuring that we meet the extent of service, the extent of {hardware} high quality, supplies, processes that our clients are used to from typical manufacturing.”
In Frankfurt although, the place TCT sat down with Langer, EOS did unveil a brand new polymer machine, the EOS P3 NEXT, and with no lack of fanfare – curtain drop, crowds and all. Although not completely new – it’s an evolution of its established EOS P 396 machine know-how and primarily based on 1,000 programs operating in area – the EOS P3 NEXT is promising customers a brand new period of productiveness and decrease complete price of possession.
“It is a stable system,” Langer stated. “Now we have loads of KPIs. We all know what goes proper. We all know what goes unsuitable, we all know how one can service it, and we will improve productiveness, we will lower the overall price of possession, we will keep on with the standard that we’re capable of provide, we will have increased reuse of supplies. That is precisely what the {industry} wants to essentially set the usual of commercial grade machines which can be operating over 90%.”
The EOS P3 NEXT, which debuted in North America at RAPID + TCT this spring, is alleged to supply as much as 50% better productiveness in comparison with the EOS P 396, derived from the event of superior algorithms that permit for accelerated pre-scanning, recoating and cool-down. It additionally options real-time suggestions and knowledge analytics capabilities, which assist producers to tailor manufacturing wants and optimise for high quality, pace and price. Customers will be capable to fine-tune course of parameters to realize the perfect stability of floor end, dimensional accuracy, and mechanical properties, whereas they may even have entry to the total EOS software program suite. The EOS P3 NEXT software program leans on most of the capabilities that customers of EOS metallic additive manufacturing programs might be accustomed to, with polymer clients now gaining access to a ‘lot of export knowledge’ that enables customers to handle their printer fleet and generate high quality studies.
EOS machines are a standard sight at additive manufacturing service suppliers across the globe – i3D MFG, for instance, agreed to buy extra 12 EOS metallic printers final 12 months, bringing its Oregon manufacturing fleet to a complete of 36 programs – however that doesn’t imply these machines are one-size-fits-all. Langer says it’s “tremendous essential” when engaged on new product launches – just like the EOS P3 NEXT or EOS’s current collaboration with nLight – to work with clients “to grasp the market, the market dynamics, and what it takes” to take AM to the subsequent stage.
“What is an efficient productiveness stage for them? What is the TCO they will afford to nonetheless have in enterprise case?” Langer elaborated. “What materials standards do we have to fulfil and the way can we cope with post-processing, powder dealing with? Then, reuse of supplies, which was a giant subject for us additionally to evolve and advance to satisfy {industry} requirements.”
These developments, such because the enhancements to hurry, cost-efficiency and materials flexibility discovered on the EOS P3 NEXT, Langer says, stay centered on, not simply productiveness, however high quality.
“That is at all times an enormous differentiator for us available in the market, that we’re capable of obtain finest in school high quality,” Langer stated. “And we knew that we wanted to maintain that, to open us to new enterprise.”
Langer took over the management of EOS again in 2019, taking the reins from father Dr Hans Langer, who based the corporate again in 1989 and is famend for his pioneering work within the laser {industry} which helped to form immediately’s laser-based AM know-how. Talking with TCT on the time, Langer shared her ambitions to show 3D printing right into a “mainstream, sustainable” manufacturing course of. Langer says she is happy with her workforce for the strides made on this space during the last 5 years, in figuring out the place sustainability good points will be made throughout the organisation and scrutinising its personal carbon footprint, in addition to these of its supplies and {hardware} merchandise via lifecycle evaluation, beginning with polymers and extra just lately shifting into metals.
“That is additionally in our innovation roadmap, persevering with the deal with guaranteeing reuse and circularity the place it is attainable,” Langer stated. “And, in fact, additionally ensuring that we cut back the power consumption that we’ve got in an {industry} within the manufacturing and manufacturing world.”
Simply this month, EOS introduced it’s aiming to obtain net-zero greenhouse gasoline emissions by 2045 and has gained approval from the Science Based mostly Targets initiative (SBTi), a globally recognised company motion organisation that helps different firms in aligning with the targets of the Paris Settlement to restrict international warming to 1.5°C.
Talking on a panel finally 12 months’s RAPID + TCT occasion, Langer joined a number of AM executives on stage the place the phrase ‘collaboration’ got here up rather a lot. There’s an industry-wide understanding that working collectively is one of the best ways to maneuver the AM {industry} ahead, although little motion has been taken to take action exterior of AM’s personal bubble. It’s why EOS, along with seven different AM firms, agreed to affix Main Minds consortium final 12 months, a initiative that goals to develop a standard language framework for AM and take it out to wider {industry} – vertical-focused commerce reveals, for instance – the place the know-how isn’t as dominant. It’s right here the place Langer believes new purposes, even whole industries, will be uncovered for AM.
“I feel that is really the place the true music performs,” Langer stated. “In the long run, that’s at all times what we have to deal with. We have to guarantee that exterior of AM, we’re having a really related contribution to the {industry}. Solely then can we actually make it extra sustainable, extra revolutionary, additionally extra customised.”
It’s additionally in these areas the place the true problem lies. The shift from prototyping to manufacturing is putting totally different expectations on additive manufacturing {hardware}, significantly when it comes to repeatability, throughput and prices. Producers who’ve operated with conventional equipment need the identical stage of high quality and repair from additive, and EOS says it is working laborious to ship on that.
“They need 24/7 productiveness,” Langer stated. “They wish to guarantee that the programs are dependable, they want to have the ability to service them simply. It must be dealt with by store flooring folks. They wish to combine your entire system into their brownfield options.”
And EOS isn’t simply picturing one machine within the nook of a manufacturing flooring. It is 5,000th machine set up, for instance, was an M 400-4 system that was introduced on-line at Keselowski Superior Manufacturing (KAM) in January. KAM’s mum or dad firm ADDMAN now runs 36 EOS additive manufacturing programs in complete.
“What we’re working for day in day trip are actual manufacturing items, which can be at scale,” Langer elaborated. “We’re speaking about like 20, 40, possibly a whole lot of machines. That is why my father created the imaginative and prescient to enter this {industry}, to disrupt the {industry}, and that is what we’re working in the direction of.”
Langer is energetic. Regardless of the difficult interval the AM {industry} has been via during the last two years, new clients, and rising industries which can be simply tapping into additive, are a supply of optimism.
“These are actually thrilling occasions,” Langer stated. “For me, it will get essentially the most energetic once we can ship into evolving markets, like knowledge centres. It is rather a lot about power consumption, this whole space of warmth exchangers, wind power. There’s so many purposes within the medical area. Electrical vehicles, you understand, the place we then actually say, hey, these are rising markets the place we will ensure to lock ourselves in, but additionally ensuring with the purposes which can be created that we’re decreasing the power consumption, that we’re additionally creating the connection to our function.”
Having weathered the storms of hype and disillusionment, additive manufacturing can afford to get somewhat boring. However whereas Langer agrees that machine makers must deal with growing merchandise that enhance upon the much less shiny, however important stuff like reliability and productiveness, pleasure nonetheless issues.
“I feel it is actually essential for us additionally to guarantee that we’re not solely seen as a boring, dependable companion, but additionally as an organization that’s constantly testing improvements available in the market,” Langer stated. “Then resolve if we scale them primarily based on the demand of the client.”
These improvements are being dropped at actuality via the likes of EOS’ AMCM group that’s growing its AMCM M8K, massive format printer with its 800x800x1200mm constructing quantity and geared up with eight (8) 1kW lasers. Initially developed to enhance the competitiveness of ArianeGroup’s Arianne 6 program, this platform is about to be commercialized quickly. EOS can be centered on supplies developments, equivalent to its Aluminium AlSi10Mg materials that’s now produced with 100% recycled feedstock, and developments in copper with the College of Wolverhampton. There are at all times evolving {industry} challenges to grapple with, significantly the demand for larger metallic machines, which EOS is taking up via inside developments by itself {hardware}, and partnerships with firms like Solukon, which launched its largest post-processing system for metallic elements as much as 1.5 meters tall on the finish of final 12 months.
In a current interview with TCT, EOS North America President Glynn Fletcher described EOS as “an in a single day success 36 years within the making”, noting the gradual construct within the firm’s first 10 years, promoting its first 100 machines, to the final 10 years, which have resulted in essentially the most development. In keeping with Langer, that journey is poised to proceed at tempo.
“I feel we’re fairly effectively conditioned and positioned to evolve there,” Langer stated. “Now we have very thrilling buyer circumstances within the pipeline proper now, and now it is actually about delivering and specializing in them and rising the market, slowly and absolutely.
“I feel the market was by no means as promising as it’s now.”
