EOS Unveils New Materials and Technology at 2015 formnext Conference

November 17-20, major players in the additive manufacturing industry will gather at the formnext conference and exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany. Out of the multiple companies presenting at the conference, EOS E-Manufacturing Solutions will perhaps be one of the strongest presences. The 26-year-old company will be introducing a wealth of new products, including a new metal system, a new material and a new monitoring system.

StainlessSteel CX will be the fourteenth material to join EOS’ line of DMLS metal powders. Extremely resistant to corrosion, the new metal is described as ideal for the manufacture of injection molding tools used to make medical products or corrosive plastic items. It’s also highly resistant to diluted acids, reducing the typical tool wear and maintenance costs associated with industrial applications.

The company will also be introducing an entirely new DMLS system. EOS M 100 will feature a 200 watt fiber laser plus a smaller laser spot with a high detail resolution, enabling the production of delicate and complex components. The system’s modular interior structure is designed to streamline production, facilitating quick and easy setup, maintenance and material replacement.

“The EOS M 100 system impresses with the proven DMLS quality, and is also the ideal choice for those considering an entry into additive manufacturing,” said Dr. Adrian Keppler, EOS Chief Marketing Officer. “With its small build volume, which is based on a round build platform with a diameter of 100 mm, the system focuses on the cost-efficient production of small quantities. For example, the system can produce approximately seventy dental crowns and bridges in three hours. Initially, the EOS M 100 system can process two types of materials, specifically EOS CobaltChrome SP2 (CE-certified, CE 0537) and EOS StainlessSteel 316L, depending on the specific industry application. EOS Titanium Ti64 is still in the development stage, and will be the next material to be made available for this system.”

The EOS M 100 system is described as being the equivalent, in terms of process and parts quality, to the company’s EOS M 290 system. Speaking of which, the EOS M 290 will be getting a new monitoring system. EOSTATE MeltPool Monitoring will provide automated surveillance and analysis of the melt pool during the DMLS process and will enable all parts to be fully traced. The monitoring system is based on a complex series of components that observe and measure the light emitted by the melt pool. From there, the associated software, EOSTATE MeltPool Analysis Toolbox, maps and interprets the data using three different algorithms, which the customer can then use to draw conclusions about the final product quality. The main advantage of the system is that customers can monitor quality assurance during the build process rather than afterwards, cutting back on time and production costs.

“We developed this powerful, intelligent monitoring solution jointly with plasmo Industrietechnik GmbH, a global high-tech supplier of automated quality assurance systems,” said Chief Technology Officer Dr. Tobias Abeln.  “Our goal is to set a benchmark for high-end in-process monitoring for AM. With EOSTATE MeltPool Monitoring we offer a powerful expert tool to those who need to improve their quality assurance procedures for AM and who want to build up deep insights into the DMLS process to e.g. support further process development.”

EOS’ new products and appearance at formnext are part of some powerful forward momentum that has been driving the company lately. In the last year, EOS increased its revenue by 53 percent over the previous year, and its global workforce grew by 38 percent, stretching the capacities of the company’s recently built technology and customer center to the point that an additional building had to be added. The new building, at the company’s Krailing, Germany headquarters, is currently under construction.

“Our company has been pursuing an unparalleled course of growth and success for many years,” said Keppler. “By October, there were approximately 2,000 EOS systems installed around the world. We were able to double our installed base over the last three years; during the last two years, the number of metal laser sintering systems was doubled from 400 to 800 systems. During the past business year alone, the company sold 400 systems, including 220 metal systems. This underlines EOS’ leadership role particularly in the metal segment, and the growing interest in this technology particularly in the series production segment. We expect that market demand will continue to rise in the future – not least because leading companies worldwide trust in our technology.”

Let’s hear your thoughts on these new materials in the EOS forum thread on 3DPB.com.