EOS's Flame Retardant Laser-Sintering Material Takes Flight
PARAMOUNT PDS DELIVERS FLIGHT-READY PARTS FOR COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT WITH RAPID MANUFACTURING
Novi, Mich., July 16th, 2007: EOS, the world-leading manufacturer of laser-sintering systems, today announced that Paramount PDS, a leading product development and rapid manufacturing company, uses PA 2210 FR material for rapid manufacturing of commercial aircraft components. PA 2210 FR, the first flame retardant polyamide for laser-sintering, has passed independent testing for aircraft burn, smoke and toxicity, as well as UL 94 V-0 flammability.
Prior to flying PA 2210 FR parts, Paramount's commercial aircraft customer performed its own testing to confirm flame retardancy properties. "An independent lab tested PA 2210 FR under FAR 25.853 specifications, and others. It passed. In fact, the material outperformed five materials that were tested at the same time," said Jim Williams, president of Paramount PDS. Meeting all regulations, Paramount proceeded with rapid manufacturing of more than a dozen flight hardware components for the commercial luxury aircraft.
Williams said, "Laser-sintering with PA 2210 FR has enabled this aircraft company to slash production lead times and eliminated tooling costs. Our customer has qualified and adopted laser-sintering for production of custom polymer flight hardware." Williams also noted that the company leveraged the freedom of design that rapid manufacturing offers. "Each of the aircraft components was specifically designed and engineered for rapid manufacturing. This resulted in complex configurations, which could not be molded or machined, that addressed the form and functional needs of the aircraft hardware application," stated Williams.
According to Jim Fendrick, vice president of EOS of North America, Paramount PDS is the first in the U.S. to offer PA 2210 FR laser-sintered components. Fendrick said, "Paramount had customers that needed flame retardant materials. When it learned of the new material, the company became a beta test site. Throughout the past eight months, Paramount has reported that it is very pleased with PA 2210 FR's processing and properties."
Jim Williams said, "From the very first run, we have been building great parts. There have been no problems, whatsoever. In fact, there is no difference between processing parts with PA 2210 FR and making them with EOS's other polyamides." Williams also notes no changes to visual or dimensional part quality. We tested it in our own in-house metrology lab and confirmed that there is only negligible loss in material strength compared to unfilled polyamide," said Williams.
EOS has released PA 2210 FR, and it is commercially available worldwide. Testing by certified and accredited labs confirmed that PA 2210 FR complies with flammability and smoke generation regulations-FAR 25.853; ABD 0031/AITM 2.0002, 2.0007; and BSS 7230/7238-and smoke toxicity-ABD 0031/AITM 3.0005; BSS 7239. EOS also noted that PA 2210 FR has a UL 94 V-0 flammability rating and is free of halogens.
About Paramount PDS (www.paramountpds.com):
Founded in 1966, Paramount (Langhorne, Pa.) initially specialized in model making and pattern making for a wide variety of consumer and industrial products. Over the years, it has expanded its scope to apply advanced technology in all aspects of product development. Today, Paramount offers a comprehensive array of services. In addition to prototyping and tooling, Paramount sets the pace in engineered solutions for new direct digital rapid manufacturing of precision parts from 3D CAD digital input, utilizing advanced laser-sintering technology. Paramount's services also include product design and engineering injection molding, full-scale manufacturing from domestic and offshore facilities, as well as assembly and packaging.
About EOS (www.eos.info):
EOS was founded in 1989 and is today the world leading manufacturer of laser-sintering systems. Laser-sintering is the key technology for e-Manufacturing, the fast, flexible and cost-effective production of products, patterns or tools. The technology manufactures parts for every phase of the product life cycle, directly from electronic data. Laser-sintering accelerates product development and optimizes production processes. EOS completed its last business year on September 30th, 2006 with revenues in laser-sintering of 52.3 million Euro and thus continues its ongoing growth.
Press contact for further information / photos:
EOS of North America, Inc.
Jim Fendrick
28970 Cabot Drive, Ste. 700
Novi, MI 48377-2978
Tel: (248) 306 0143, Ext.101
Fax: (248) 306 - 0298
Email: jim.fendrick@eos.info
EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems
Martina Methner
Robert-Stirling-Ring 1
D-82152 Krailling, Germany
Tel: +49 89 893 36-134
Fax: +49 89 893 36-288
Email: martina.methner@eos.info
