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EOS Remains Nimble in Rapidly Changing Metal 3D Printing Industry https://ift.tt/qQ3j9bT German 3D printer manufacturer EOS is not only a pioneer in the additive manufacturing (AM) industry, but it also maintains the market share for metal 3D printing with its own take on laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology. However, the industry is rapidly changing, with competition coming in the form of an increasing number of metal LPBF machine makers and large conglomerates upping their stakes in the metal AM sector. At the 2023 Additive Manufacturing Users (AMUG) Conference, we had the chance to sit down with the EOS team to learn about how the pioneer remains nimble amid this competitive landscape. Greg Hayes, Senior Vice President of Applied Technology, and Michael Wohlfart, Senior Additive Manufacturing Consultant, indicated that part of the answer lays in the research and development expertise of the company, as well as its organizational structure. “Support-Free” Metal 3D PrintingThanks to the introduction of Silicon Valley startup Velo3D (NYSE: VLD) to the market, the concept of “support-free” metal 3D printing has become a hot topic in the world of LPBF. This is because support structures are a key hassle when it comes to parts made with the technology and Velo3D’s initial marketing campaigns showcased the ability of its machines to 3D print metal components without supports. In turn, other LPBF machine makers had to show the public that they too could achieve “support-free” 3D printing. What has become clear more recently is that most, if not all, LPBF machines could potentially be used to produce parts without the use of support structures, but that their strategy isn’t always made public. At the 2022 RAPID+TCT show, for instance, AddUp had displayed several metal items 3D printed without the use of supports. More recently, EOS has launched its own marketing campaign devoted to the topic.
In most cases, support-free 3D printing is accomplished by drastically slowing down the print process or by pre-calculating a build and addressing specific areas of a specific geometry. However, in the case of EOS, it’s the result of a new software solution: Smart Fusion, that the company is releasing at this year’s RAPID+TCT event, called Smart Fusion—and it’s not just about eliminating support structures. It’s about the much larger and more important issue of in-process quality control.
He went on to explain that, using the EOSTATE ExposureOT Monitoring System, it is possible to capture light emissions from the melt pool in the printer. Measuring the light emissions, it’s possible for Smart Fusion to automatically detect overheating and then adjust the process parameters in the subsequent layer.
In other words, EOS has developed a tool for improving build outcomes altogether in an automated fashion. Support-free 3D printing just so happens to be a side benefit. And it is able to achieve this without slowing down the build rate of the equipment at all. A Changing Metal 3D Printing MarketIt’s not just the ability to 3D print without supports that is shaking up the metal AM industry, however. Given the current economic climate and Nikon’s acquisition of SLM Solutions, the scent of mergers and acquisitions is in the air. How will EOS fair? Hayes was quick to point out the legacy behind the German stalwart.
The legendary Langer family that founded and owns EOS may not be interested in selling to a corporate behemoth lurking in the shadows and waiting to pounce into AM. As the industry expands quickly (expected to reach $25 billion by 2025, according to SmarTech Analysis), will EOS then grow just as fast? We can imagine that the firm could acquire its fair share of businesses or merge with another AM stalwart—though I would guess an offer from Nano Dimension wouldn’t be considered too seriously. Hayes pointed out that EOS may not need to build up its own relative size in order to remain the market leader. For instance, EOS will not be releasing its own large-scale metal 3D printer under the traditional EOS brand, as it already does that through AMCM. The EOS subsidiary was an early innovator in 3D printing for space applications and continues to be a large supplier to the new space market. Meanwhile, AM Ventures, an independent firm that was launched with seed investment from the Langer family, has built out a portfolio of startups that offer a variety of unique capabilities to the 3D printing market. Their focus ranges from orthodontic solutions and manufacturing execution software to electric motor components and micro metal 3D printing. As stand-alone businesses, they operate flexibly in the market, but they can also act as crucial business partners for EOS. DyeMansion is a case in point. The post-processing startup has been important for EOS customers who need to finish their polymer printed parts, but Stratasys has also taken to DyeMansion’s technology for its own polymer PBF technology. Meanwhile, in at least one case, an EOS competitor, 3D Systems, has acquired an AM Ventures business, Additive Works. Because there is no formal relationship between the portfolio businesses and EOS, they are able to move freely in the AM space. However, they and EOS’s other operations may give the German stalwart the nimbleness to adapt to the industry as it continues to change shape in a post-COVID environment. Hayes concluded the interview summing the sector up this way:
The post EOS Remains Nimble in Rapidly Changing Metal 3D Printing Industry appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://ift.tt/nWmYjQ8 March 30, 2023 at 09:19AM
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