2024 marked a giant anniversary for EOS. 35 years since its founding as Electro Optical Techniques 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 turned 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 steel.
Thus far, EOS has shipped over 5,000 machines globally; its applied sciences used to fabricate end-use elements from sporting items to area propulsion programs. It’s these functions, in accordance with CEO Marie Langer, which have at all times been the corporate’s north star.
“The guiding mild was at all times opening up new enterprise circumstances for our prospects,” Langer informed TCT. “It is not solely about fancy improvements which might be at all times good to point out at a commerce present, however on the opposite aspect, it is actually about dependable, secure manufacturing and ensuring that we meet the extent of service, the extent of {hardware} high quality, supplies, processes that our prospects are used to from standard 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 solely new – it’s an evolution of its established EOS P 396 machine know-how and based mostly on 1,000 programs working 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 mentioned. “We now have lots of KPIs. We all know what goes proper. We all know what goes flawed, we all know methods to service it, and we are able to improve productiveness, we are able to lower the full price of possession, we are able to persist with the standard that we’re in a position to provide, we are able to have larger reuse of supplies. That is precisely what the {industry} wants to essentially set the usual of commercial grade machines which might be working over 90%.”
The EOS P3 NEXT, which debuted in North America at RAPID + TCT this spring, is alleged to supply as much as 50% higher productiveness in comparison with the EOS P 396, derived from the event of superior algorithms that enable for accelerated pre-scanning, recoating and cool-down. It additionally options real-time suggestions and information analytics capabilities, which assist producers to tailor manufacturing wants and optimise for high quality, pace and value. Customers will have the ability to fine-tune course of parameters to realize the best stability of floor end, dimensional accuracy, and mechanical properties, whereas they may also have entry to the complete EOS software program suite. The EOS P3 NEXT software program leans on most of the capabilities that customers of EOS steel additive manufacturing programs will likely be accustomed to, with polymer prospects now accessing a ‘lot of export information’ that permits customers to handle their printer fleet and generate high quality stories.
EOS machines are a standard sight at additive manufacturing service suppliers across the globe – i3D MFG, for instance, agreed to buy extra 12 EOS steel 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 prospects “to know the market, the market dynamics, and what it takes” to take AM to the following degree.
“What is an effective productiveness degree 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 matter for us additionally to evolve and advance to fulfill {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 in a position to obtain greatest at school high quality,” Langer mentioned. “And we knew that we would have liked 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 at this time’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 crew for the strides made on this space over the past 5 years, in figuring out the place sustainability good points might be made throughout the organisation and scrutinising its personal carbon footprint, in addition to these of its supplies and {hardware} merchandise by way of lifecycle evaluation, beginning with polymers and extra just lately shifting into metals.
“That is additionally in our innovation roadmap, persevering with the give attention to making certain reuse and circularity the place it is doable,” Langer mentioned. “And, in fact, additionally ensuring that we scale back the vitality consumption that we now have 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 corporations in aligning with the targets of the Paris Settlement to restrict international warming to 1.5°C.
Talking on a panel ultimately 12 months’s RAPID + TCT occasion, Langer joined a number of AM executives on stage the place the phrase ‘collaboration’ got here up so much. There’s an industry-wide understanding that working collectively is the easiest way to maneuver the AM {industry} ahead, although little motion has been taken to take action outdoors of AM’s personal bubble. It’s why EOS, along with seven different AM corporations, agreed to hitch 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 functions, even complete industries, might be uncovered for AM.
“I believe that is really the place the true music performs,” Langer mentioned. “In the long run, that’s at all times what we have to give attention to. We have to guarantee that outdoors of AM, we’re having a really related contribution to the {industry}. Solely then can we actually make it extra sustainable, extra progressive, additionally extra customised.”
It’s additionally in these areas the place the true problem lies. The shift from prototyping to manufacturing is inserting totally different expectations on additive manufacturing {hardware}, notably when it comes to repeatability, throughput and prices. Producers who’ve operated with conventional equipment need the identical degree of high quality and repair from additive, and EOS says it is working onerous to ship on that.
“They need 24/7 productiveness,” Langer mentioned. “They need to guarantee that the programs are dependable, they want to have the ability to service them simply. It must be dealt with by store ground folks. They need to combine the complete system into their brownfield options.”
And EOS isn’t simply picturing one machine within the nook of a manufacturing ground. 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 dad or mum 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 might be at scale,” Langer elaborated. “We’re speaking about like 20, 40, perhaps a whole bunch 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 by way of over the past two years, new prospects, and rising industries which might be simply tapping into additive, are a supply of optimism.
“These are actually thrilling instances,” Langer mentioned. “For me, it will get probably the most energetic after we can ship into evolving markets, like information centres. It is so much about vitality consumption, this complete space of warmth exchangers, wind vitality. There’s so many functions within the medical area. Electrical automobiles, you understand, the place we then actually say, hey, these are rising markets the place we are able to make sure that to lock ourselves in, but additionally ensuring with the functions which might be created that we’re lowering the vitality consumption, that we’re additionally creating the connection to our objective.”
Having weathered the storms of hype and disillusionment, additive manufacturing can afford to get somewhat boring. However whereas Langer agrees that machine makers must give attention to growing merchandise that enhance upon the much less shiny, however important stuff like reliability and productiveness, pleasure nonetheless issues.
“I believe it is actually essential for us additionally to guarantee that we’re not solely seen as a boring, dependable accomplice, but additionally as an organization that’s repeatedly testing improvements available in the market,” Langer mentioned. “Then resolve if we scale them based mostly on the demand of the shopper.”
These improvements are being dropped at actuality by way of 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 also 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, notably the demand for greater steel machines, which EOS is taking up by way of inner developments by itself {hardware}, and partnerships with corporations like Solukon, which launched its largest post-processing system for steel components 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 sluggish construct within the firm’s first 10 years, promoting its first 100 machines, to the final 10 years, which have resulted in probably the most progress. In accordance with Langer, that journey is poised to proceed at tempo.
“I believe we’re fairly properly conditioned and positioned to evolve there,” Langer mentioned. “We now 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 believe the market was by no means as promising as it’s now.”
