K-Fair: EOS and Partners Showcase Cost- and Production-Oriented Solutions for the Manufacture of High-Quality Plastic Parts
Cycle time reduction up to 50 percent; individualized small-series production; and energy-efficient process chain
Novi, Mich., and Krailling, Germany, - At the International K Trade Fair for the plastics and rubber industry (Oct. 27 - Nov. 3, 2010, Düsseldorf), EOS will showcase their e-Manufacturing solutions at a joint booth with LBC and Materialise (Hall 2, Booth 2E23). EOS will demonstrate the extent of their portfolio with two laser-sintering systems at the booth-the EOSINT M 270 for metals and the FORMIGA P 100 for plastics.
Peter Klink, Executive Vice President Sales at EOS, says: "As a solutions provider, at the K Fair we will showcase trendsetting approaches for serial tooling, such as conformal-cooling channels. Moreover, we will present a product range that reflects the strengths of our technology for all batch sizes, showing how the design determines the production process (Design Driven Manufacturing); how functional integration enables design freedom and cost reduction; and how the ability to design and manufacture highly individualized products promotes the development of new business areas."
Tooling: significantly reducing cycle times, providing improved part quality and achieving significant cost savings
Current injection-moulding processes can be improved significantly with EOS' optimized cooling innovations. During production, component-specific conformal-cooling channels are directly integrated into a tooling insert. These channels provide extremely efficient cooling, reducing the cycle time dramatically and creating several obvious advantages, among them better quality parts in shorter production times. Conformal cooling provides lower per-unit costs and, with regard to sustainability, lower energy consumption per product unit.
Ralph Mayer, CEO of LaserBearbeitungsCenter (LBC), adds: "EOS technology is on a fast track to become the reference technology for tooling. We have been using it successfully for years. The basis for optimized tools is the design layout and engineering of the entire tool. This is of great importance particularly for manufacturing serial tools, where it provides us and our customers with a competitive advantage. We make sure that the added value stays with the mould-maker and the costs of our services are kept as low as possible."
Individualized end products and sophisticated functional integration
Regardless of market segment, there is currently a demand for ever-increasing product customization. This is especially true for the medical industry. EOS e-Manufacturing partner Materialise produces patient-specific drill guides for surgical procedures-for example, knee implants-with EOS layer-manufacturing technology. To ensure crucial precision and quality for surgical procedures, the following are required: a high repetitive accuracy of the manufacturing process, integrated software solutions for designing drill guides, and a proficient handling of customer-specific data and parts.
John Pauwels, Director of Operations at Materialise Software, comments: "Our goal is to provide an economically acceptable method for the production of customized surgical guides. For that reason, intensive pre-surgical planning is necessary, and a number of factors need to be considered and seamlessly combined, among them patient-specific anatomy, highly automated data handling and individual logistics. Most importantly, a procedure such as laser-sintering ensures the efficient production of customized components."
Energy-efficient process chains
EOS works with its customers to analyse the process chains of their products, including energy consumption. This involves both production and utilization phases (life-cycle analysis). Current analyses suggest that energy savings can be created in the course of laser-sintering as well as later in the life cycle. Already, applications such as conformal-cooling channels have shown a cycle time reduction of up to 60 percent, which promotes lower energy consumption.
High-quality plastic parts
Reliable part quality is crucial in choosing a manufacturing process. EOS monitors, supports and documents process assurance, part quality and traceability with its Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS). EOS then takes quality to the next level with its Part Property Management (PPM) concept. Based on the Part Property Profiles (PPP), EOS ensures standardization and comparability of building processes and results that provide designers and users with a reliable tool.
The quality of the finished, fully functional parts, as well as the productivity of the systems used, their high degree of automation, and the professional material handling and ergonomic peripherals make EOS' laser-sintering technology an ideal production tool for economic, lot-oriented part production.
For an interview at the booth and/or press information, please contact Claudia Jordan (see contacts details below).
About the LaserBearbeitungsCenter (LBC)
Kornwestheim-based LBC makes the full scope of modern laser technologies available to its clients. With its know-how, especially in the mould-making sector, the company offers its services for a number of process chain steps: engineering (simulation, design, design revision) of tools and tooling inserts; manufacturing via laser sintering of moulding blanks or moulds with optimized conformal cooling; 3D laser engraving for tools; and direct labelling of composites. LBC currently employs three EOSINT M270 systems and has a track record of more than six years of user experience in the field of additive production.
About Materialise
With its headquarters in Leuven, Belgium and branches all over the world, the Materialise Group is best known for its activities in the field of rapid industrial and medical prototyping. Apart from having the largest capacity of rapid prototyping equipment in Europe, Materialise enjoys a worldwide reputation as provider of innovative software solutions. As such, Materialise has acquired the position of market leader for 3D printing and Digital CAD software in addition to being a major player in medical and dental image processing and surgery simulation. Moreover, through its unique .MGX by Materialise division for design products, Materialise has opened the market for customized Rapid Manufacturing. The customer base includes all large companies in the automotive, consumer electronics and consumables sectors. Its medical and dental products are used worldwide by famous hospitals, research institutes and clinicians. Unique design shops all over the world rely on .MGX by Materialise. The group has several subsidiaries in Europe, Asia and the USA, and employs over 800 people in its four divisions.
About EOS
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 and 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 business year 2008/2009 with revenues of 60 million Euros. The company employs 300 people worldwide, 250 of them in Krailling near Munich, Germany. For more information visit www.eos.info
Graphical material (under "press material") and further information (under "press releases") of EOS can be found under www.eos.info/en/news-events.html
Contact:
EOS Electro Optical Systems GmbH
Claudia Jordan
Group Manager Marketing Communications
Tel.: +011 49 89 893 36 134
E-mail: Claudia.jordan@eos.info
