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SySTEm NEWS New generation of laser-sintering systems Boom in Direct Metal Laser-Sintering AppLICATIoN hIghLIghTS e-Manufacturing in practice Jaguar, Sirona, the IPA and LBC report EvENTS First Rapid Implant Manufacturing Forum NEW mATERIALS For metal and plastic applications SpECIAL pLASTIC pRoDuCTS
New generation of laser-sintering systems
The FORMIGA P 100 is the newest among the laser-sintering systems for the manufacture of plastic products. Themed “small, fast, efficient“ it offers a cost-effective and highly flexible entry into the world of laser-sintering and e-Manufacturing. The FORMIGA P 100 stands for lasersintering in the compact class. With a build envelope of 200 mm x 250 mm x 330 mm (7.9 x 9.8 x 13 in.) the system manufactures plastic products within a few hours and directly from CAD data. The machine is ideally suited for the economic production of small series and individualised products with complex geometries – requirements which apply among others to the medical device industry or to high-value consumer goods. Apart from the low investment, the system distinguishes itself by short turnaround times, convenient data preparation and easy handling.
EoS’s flame retardant material takes flight
With the help of e-Manufacturing, Paramount PDS, a leading product development and rapid manufacturing company, delivers flying hardware for commercial aircraft components. Paramount PDS uses the material PA 2210 FR. It was the first flame retardant polyamide for lasersintering, and has passed independent testing for aircraft burn, smoke and toxicity, as well as UL 94 V-0 flammability. Jim Williams, president of Paramount PDS, 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.
Boom in Direct metal Laser-Sintering (DmLS)
DMLS is a flexible and well-established technology for series injection moulding tools, but also for other processing methods such as extrusion or blow moulding. EOS has installed 36 DMLS systems in the last twelve months. The technology thus experiences a remarkable boom in the world of layer-manufacturing technologies. In total, more than 150 machines are installed world-wide. The success of DMLS is also confirmed by different customers who already use several systems, for example from the company FIT. “We have already manufactured more than 2,000 tools with the DMLS technology. The EOSINT M 270 for DMLS offers a build envelope of 250 mm x 250 mm x 215 mm (9.85 x 9.85 x 8.7 in.). It also provides convincing solutions for the direct production of metal products – for example, if a functional metal prototype is to be delivered within one day, or if hundreds of individualized implants in a bio-compatible alloy are to be economically manufactured each week. For us, the advantages are mainly the short lead times and - as a consequence - the ability to react fast and flexibly to product changes“, stresses Charly Fruth, managing director of FIT GmbH.
JAguAR
production aids with EoSINT p laser-sintering technology
Requirement: • cost-efficient manufacture of production aids for the assembly process of a window lift mechanism Solution: • Laser-sintering with EOSINT P in the material PA 2200 Result: • 3,000 assembly aids have already been produced at Jaguar using laser-sintering • Time and cost savings during the assembly process
First Rapid Implant manufacturing Forum a complete success
The first Rapid Implant Manufacturing Forum took place in Leuven on September 12th. Organised by Materialise in collaboration with EOS, the forum provided a platform for discussing the latest trends in implant development and production using layer manufacturing technologies such as laser-sintering. The event was attended by more than sixty people from 16 different countries. Several speeches highlighted how layer manufacturing technologies are used today in the medical implant industry, and they also gave an outlook to the future. Peter Ostiguy from DePuy Spine gave an impressive presentation on the use of the Direct Metal Laser-Sintering (DMLS) technology. The company is relying on the technology just since February 2007 and has already produced more than 1,200 parts. So far these parts are mainly used for evaluation purposes and Using DMLS, DePuy has reduced lead times in some projects by up to 50 per cent, even if product iterations became necessary. DePuy also predicts a wider use of DMLS manufactured instruments to be used in operating theatres once the new, hardenable material EOS StainlessSteel PH1 is commercially launched. The material fulfils the ASTM E8 specifications as built and complements the existing material EOS Stainless Steel 17-4. It is currently being tested at pilot customer sites. sales samples. “Furthermore, we see a large potential in the surgical arena”, foresees Ostiguy, the company’s Staff Team Leader. He continues: “The DMLS technology spawns a new foundation on how we design our components. In the past we designed for manufacturability. Now, with laser-sintering, we can design for functionality.”
SIRoNA
Dental technology as the forerunner of e-manufacturing for metal products
Requirement: • economical method of rapidly producing dental restorations • high accuracy for complex geometries • biocompatible material Solution: • DirectPart® on EOSINT M 270 with EOS CobaltChrome SP1 • development cooperation between EOS and Sirona Result: • technically and commercially viable process • commercial production of up to 500 dental units per day feasible on one EOSINT system
mATERIAL TRENDS
Say yes to stainless steel
The new material EOS StainlessSteel 17-4 is a pre-alloyed stainless steel in fine powder form. Its composition corresponds to US classification 17-4 and European classification 1.4542 and fulfils the requirements of AMS 5643 for Mn, Mo, Ni, Si, C, Cr and Cu. This kind of steel is characterized by having very good corrosion resistance and mechanical properties, for example a tensile strength of 1050 ± 50 MPa and a Young’s Modulus of 170 ±20 GPa. “StainlessSteel 17-4 opens the way to new industrial applications for functional parts, small series, one-offs and spare parts“, so the vision of Dr. Michael Shellabear, Vice President of the DMLS technology at EOS.
Titanium now among the laser-sintering materials
EOS enlarges its material portfolio by new titanium materials. EOS Titanium Ti64 is a prealloyed Ti6AlV4 alloy in fine powder form. This well-known light alloy is characterized by having excellent mechanical properties and corrosion resistance combined with low specific weight and biocompatibility. The ELI (extra-low interstitial) version has particularly low levels of impurities. This material is ideal for many high-performance engineering applications, for example in aerospace and motor racing, and also for the production of biomedical implants. Parts built in EOS Titanium Ti64 fulfil the requirements of ASTM F1472 (for Ti6Al4V) and ASTM F136 (for Ti6Al4V ELI) regarding maximum concentration of impurities. The material is suited for different post-processing steps: Parts built from EOS Titanium Ti64 can be machined, spark-eroded, welded, micro shot-peened, polished and coated.
Status October 2007. Technical data subject to change without notice.
EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems Corporate Headquarters Robert-Stirling-Ring 1 D-82152 Krailling/Munich Phone +49 89 893 36-0 Fax +49 89 893 36-285 EOS of North America, Inc. 28970 Cabot Drive, Ste. 700 Novi, MI 48377-2978 Phone +1 248 306 0143 Fax +1 248 306 0298
Further EOS subsidiaries EOS France, Lyon Phone +33 437 49 76 76 EOS India, Chennai Phone +91 44 2815 8794 EOS Italy, milan Phone +39 233 40 16 59 EOS Singapore Phone +65 65 62 78 50 EOS UK, Warwick Phone +44 19 26 62 31 07 Furthermore, EOS has distribution partners worldwide. For more information about our international sales organisation please visit our homepage www.eos.info · info@eos.info
E-mANuFACTuRINg SoLuTIoNS FoR pLASTIC pRoDuCTS
plastic laser-sintering – directly from CAD data to the end product
Plastic laser-sintering builds products layer by layer directly from CAD data – without tools, fast and cost-efficiently. The technology enables complex geometries such as undercuts and inner structures. It frees designers from the so far existing restrictions of conventional manufacturing technologies. This opens up new opportunities in product development, but also for new business models.
very versatile – new material variants for plastic laser-sintering
New at EOS are two coloured material variants: “PA 2203 grey“ and “PA 2202 black“ are polyamide powders containing pigments. Its properties correspond to a large extent to the well-proven PA 2200. The new materials will be the first choice in industries in which the colour of parts is relevant. This is for example the case for components in the automotive industry, where white parts are not desirable. The new powders are solidcoloured. That makes them resistant against scratches, abrasion and dirt. The parts are thus very well suited for mechanically stressed applications or dirty environments. The latest R&D development at EOS is PrimePart DC. It is a natural-coloured polyamide that distinguishes itself by high impact strength and elongation at break. In addition, EOS has developed a thermoplastic elastomer for parts with rubberlike properties. PrimePart ST is suited for all flexible and tough components such as sealings, hoses or shoe soles. It is the only currently available laser-sintering material that produces flexible and dense parts without infiltration.
The right design with EoSINT p enables better products
Starting point: conventional gripper consisting of • assembly from at least 9 parts, leading to high assembly effort • gripper fingers and connecting flange manufactured separately • high weight • available only as construction kit sets, limiting the individual layout Solution: • Laser-sintering with EOSINT P Result: • The gripper withstands 2 bar permanently (15.000.000 cycles in endurance testing) • End stops for angle limitation are realized • High gripping power • Extremely low weight • Walter Reis Innovation Award for Robotics 2006 Project partner: Fraunhofer IPA
Direct metal Laser-Sintering (DmLS) – revolution in tooling
The DMLS technology manufactures series tooling in different metal materials. DMLS is a flexible and well-established technology especially for injection moulding. The technology is best known for reducing lead times and for enabling a fast and flexible reaction to product changes. DMLS produces series injection moulding tools cost-efficiently and directly from CAD data. Further advantages are: • fully automatic additive manufacturing by laser • no CNC programming, machining or EDM needed • optimized thermal management of tool • 3D cooling channels for reduced cycle time and improved part quality • optional building on clamping system or preform
New tool steel EoS maragingSteel mS1
EOS MaragingSteel MS1 is a pre-alloyed ultra high strength steel in fine powder form. Its composition corresponds to US classification 18% Ni Maraging 300 and European 1.2709. This kind of steel is characterized by having very good mechanical properties, and a simple thermal age-hardening post-treatment. The material can be post-hardened to achieve hardness of 50-54 HRC and tensile strength of up to 1950 MPa. EOS MaragingSteel MS1 is ideally suited for heavy duty injection moulding tools. The material reaches a tool life of up to millions of parts in all standard thermoplastics.
Improved quality and economics in tooling with tempering inserts
Requirement: • mould elements for specific cooling or tempering of injection moulding tools • long pins with thin cooling channels, cannot be manufactured conventionally • high hardness, wear resistance and thermal conductivity Solution: • Laser-sintering on an EOSINT M 270 in EOS MaragingSteel MS1 Result: • improved cooling, especially in critical areas • productivity gain through shortened cycle time • high product quality due to less distortion of moulded parts Project partner: LBC
Status October 2007. Technical data subject to change without notice.
EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems Corporate Headquarters Robert-Stirling-Ring 1 D-82152 Krailling/Munich Phone +49 89 893 36-0 Fax +49 89 893 36-285 EOS of North America, Inc. 28970 Cabot Drive, Ste. 700 Novi, MI 48377-2978 Phone +1 248 306 0143 Fax +1 248 306 0298
Further EOS subsidiaries EOS France, Lyon Phone +33 437 49 76 76 EOS India, Chennai Phone +91 44 2815 8794 EOS Italy, milan Phone +39 233 40 16 59 EOS Singapore Phone +65 65 62 78 50 EOS UK, Warwick Phone +44 19 26 62 31 07
Furthermore, EOS has distribution partners worldwide. For more information about our international sales organisation please visit our homepage www.eos.info · info@eos.info