EOS has formally launched its P3 NEXT powder mattress fusion system, constructed on the success of its P396 machine.
Unveiling the brand new answer at Formnext, EOS suggests the P3 NEXT boasts enhancements to hurry, cost-efficiency and materials flexibility in comparison with its predecessor. It will likely be commercially out there from December 2024.
Among the many highlights of the P3 NEXT is a big improve in productiveness, with customers stated to have the ability to anticipate as much as 50% larger productiveness in comparison with the P396 because of ‘streamlined operational workflows’ and ‘optimised software program.’ The 50% productiveness enhancement is derived from the event of superior algorithms that enable for accelerated pre-scanning, recoating and cool-down. This improve in productiveness helps to attain a decreased whole price of possession of as much as 30%, with EOS noting how its enhanced manufacturing workflows will cut back cost-per-part. EOS additionally says customers can anticipate as much as 90% machine utilisation.
Different key options of the P3 NEXT embody real-time suggestions and knowledge analytics capabilities, which assist producers to ‘tailor manufacturing to particular wants’ and optimise for high quality, pace and value. Customers will have the ability to fine-tune course of parameters to attain the best stability of floor end, dimensional accuracy, and mechanical properties, whereas they may even have entry to the complete EOS software program suite.
The P3 NEXT software program leans on most of the capabilities that customers of EOS metallic additive manufacturing methods can be accustomed to, with polymer prospects now getting access to a ‘lot of export knowledge’ that enables customers to handle their printer fleet and generate high quality experiences.
As EOS unveils the P3 NEXT machine, it’s also introducing the brand new ALM PA 950 HD and PA 2220 HighReuse supplies, which – because of EOS optimising materials reuse – boast recycle charges of as much as 80% and 70% respectively. That is believed to be a rise from the 50% recycle charges of most different EOS polymer powders. Materials availability at launch will embody EOS’ PA 2200, PA 2220 HighReuse, PA 2201, PA 1101, PA 3200 GF, PA 2141 FR and ALM PA 950 HD supplies, with extra supplies set to be certified per buyer request.
“What we’ve tried to do is make extra constructive enterprise circumstances for our prospects,” Virginia Palacios, Chief Enterprise Officer of EOS Polymer Enterprise, advised the Additive Perception podcast. “We consider the expansion in additive goes to come back from new manufacturing purposes, and the brand new manufacturing purposes are going to come back in the event that they make financial sense for the shoppers.”
US service supplier ADDMAN is among the many first customers of the P3 NEXT, with the corporate deploying the machine to bolster the work carried out in its ADDMAN HEAL Middle, the place the corporate works with companions to provide high-quality medical gadgets.
“Seeing the EOS P3 NEXT in motion actually solidified it for me—that is precisely the expertise we have to meet the excessive requirements of our medical manufacturing prospects,” stated Jay Dinsmore, Govt Vice President, ADDMAN. “The EOS P3 NEXT permits us to provide purposes for the regulated medical market inside a totally licensed manufacturing surroundings, making certain we meet each high quality and compliance benchmarks.”
Fuelled by suggestions
EOS’ introduction of the P3 NEXT represents a big product launch for the corporate. Its P3 sequence of machines are accountable for round 900 of the 5,000 machines EOS has shipped all over the world, with the P396 mannequin representing greater than 400 of these installations.
As the corporate has regarded to develop the subsequent technology of the P3 sequence, it has sought to take care of the ‘construction of every thing that was working,’ and targeted its innovation the place it may ‘actually add vital buyer worth.’ To try this, EOS has labored backwards from the purposes that lots of its customers have developed with its P396 system, akin to medical gadgets, eyewear and manufacturing fixtures. Alongside these traces, the corporate has developed prepackaged course of parameters for a few of its extra frequent purposes, although customers will have the ability to edit these parameters per their particular necessities.
Not solely has it used purposes to tell the event of the machine, it has additionally leaned on buyer suggestions. Per EOS, there’s a demand for supplies with larger refresh charges due to the affect of supplies waste on whole price of possession and sustainability necessities, whereas EOS has additionally sought to boost the lifetime of its thermal administration tech to cut back the necessity for upkeep in response to buyer suggestions.
One other change to have come immediately from this dialogue with finish customers pertains to the logistics of print module cool-down. With the P396, the construct unit needed to stay contained in the printer in the course of the cool-down section, however customers of the P3 NEXT will now have the ability to take away the construct module whereas it cools and insert one other one to maintain manufacturing rolling.
“We now have enabled a sizzling swap performance the place you’ll be able to trade the [build] body after which begin printing once more,” Palacios stated of this specific improvement. “So, we’ve optimised the entire course of for a 24-hour cycle with one shift of operator, as a result of we consider an 8-5 [shift] might be the commonest in our prospects in the present day. With this new approach of working, you’ll be able to go, for instance, from 24 components to 56 components of a given half in a 24/7 cycle, since you end the construct, you’re taking the construct out, and also you instantly [start printing again].”
The P3 NEXT additionally has a barely smaller general footprint than the P 396 because of its built-in monitor, however maintains the identical construct quantity of 340 x 340 x 600 mm.
Software program options
A lot of the consumer suggestions pointed EOS to its software program capabilities, with the corporate optimising the construct processing, nesting and publicity technique instruments out there to customers of the P3 NEXT.
A sequence of consumer interface enhancements are additionally stated to make it simpler for purchasers to know the place errors are occurring and what the thermal historical past of the construct is, whereas a extra correct construct time prediction will assist prospects to higher plan their operations.
Per Palacios, EOS is hoping to serve two totally different ranges of customers with the P3 NEXT: “The customers that need to have a brilliant streamline workflow, the place it is rather straightforward to import the components, place the components, transfer them round; you are able to do this routinely, you’ll be able to resolve the orientation that you simply need to have,” on the one hand, and on the opposite: “For the extra superior consumer, you’ll be able to domestically modify the publicity that you simply need to have, you’ll be able to edit all of the parameters relying on what’s what you are attempting to enhance – the productiveness, the associated fee, the mechanical properties – the software program will information you on the issues that it’s essential to change to attain what you are attempting to attain.”
Supporting sustainability
In growing the P3 NEXT, EOS has once more strengthened its dedication to lowering C02 emissions, emphasising its ‘accountable manufacturing mantra.’
The primary couple of supplies to be launched in step with the brand new machine boast larger recyclability charges than the supplies out there on the P396, whereas EOS additionally factors to the printer’s extra environment friendly power consumption and utilisation charges. At Formnext, the corporate is ready to showcase a number of purposes that exhibit vital reductions in CO2 emissions, with EOS highlighting its ‘very aggressive sustainability targets.’
“Sustainability is likely one of the key elements that we’re pushing within the firm, along with industrialisation and digitisation,” Palacios stated. “On the finish, the shopper cares about ‘I would like to provide this quantity of components, which is the easiest way to provide? So [we are] considering from the shopper standpoint; what’s the enterprise case for the shopper, what’s the ultimate goal that they’re attempting to perform, and the way can we optimise that?”
EOS is showcasing the P3 NEXT from sales space D41 in corridor 11.1 at Formnext, with specialists available to stroll guests by means of the assorted updates and upgrades.
