EOS To Exhibit At Plastics And Rubber Event
Electro Optical Systems (EOS) will showcase e-manufacturing solutions in a joint booth with LBC and Materialise at the International K Trade Fair, which is targeted at the plastics and rubber sectors. The company, which will be found in Booth 2E23, Hall 2, will demonstrate the extent of its portfolio with two laser-sintering systems - the Eosint M 270 for metals and the Formiga P 100 for plastics. According to Peter Klink, executive vice-president of sales at EOS, the company will showcase new approaches to serial tooling - such as conformal cooling channels - at the event, which is scheduled to run from 27 October until 3 November 2010 in Dusseldorf.
'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 individualised products promotes the development of new business areas,' he said. Current injection-moulding processes can be improved with EOS's optimised cooling solutions.
During production, component-specific conformal-cooling channels are directly integrated into a tooling insert. These channels provide efficient cooling, reducing the cycle time and resulting in better-quality parts in shorter production times. Conformal cooling provides lower per-unit costs and reduced energy consumption per product unit. Regardless of market segment, there is currently a demand for increasing product customisation; this is especially true for the medical industry, according to EOS. EOS e-manufacturing partner Materialise produces patient-specific drill guides for surgical procedures - such as knee implants - with EOS layer-manufacturing technology.
To ensure crucial precision and quality for surgical procedures, requirements include: 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, said: 'Our goal is to provide an economically acceptable method for the production of customised 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 customised components,' he added.
EOS works with its customers to analyse the process chains of their products, including energy consumption. This involves both production and utilisation phases (lifecycle analysis). Current analyses suggest that energy savings can be created in the course of laser sintering as well as later in the lifecycle. Applications such as conformal cooling channels have already shown a cycle time reduction of up to 60 per cent, which promotes lower energy consumption. Reliable part quality is important in choosing a manufacturing process. EOS monitors, supports and documents process assurance, part quality and traceability with its Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS).
The company then implements its Part Property Management (PPM) concept. Based on the Part Property Profiles (PPP), EOS ensures the standardisation and comparability of building processes and results that provide designers and users with a reliable tool. The quality of the finished, fully functional parts, the productivity of the systems used, their high degree of automation and the professional material handling and ergonomic peripherals make EOS's laser-sintering technology an ideal production tool for economic, lot-oriented part production.
'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 individualised products promotes the development of new business areas,' he said. Current injection-moulding processes can be improved with EOS's optimised cooling solutions.
During production, component-specific conformal-cooling channels are directly integrated into a tooling insert. These channels provide efficient cooling, reducing the cycle time and resulting in better-quality parts in shorter production times. Conformal cooling provides lower per-unit costs and reduced energy consumption per product unit. Regardless of market segment, there is currently a demand for increasing product customisation; this is especially true for the medical industry, according to EOS. EOS e-manufacturing partner Materialise produces patient-specific drill guides for surgical procedures - such as knee implants - with EOS layer-manufacturing technology.
To ensure crucial precision and quality for surgical procedures, requirements include: 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, said: 'Our goal is to provide an economically acceptable method for the production of customised 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 customised components,' he added.
EOS works with its customers to analyse the process chains of their products, including energy consumption. This involves both production and utilisation phases (lifecycle analysis). Current analyses suggest that energy savings can be created in the course of laser sintering as well as later in the lifecycle. Applications such as conformal cooling channels have already shown a cycle time reduction of up to 60 per cent, which promotes lower energy consumption. Reliable part quality is important in choosing a manufacturing process. EOS monitors, supports and documents process assurance, part quality and traceability with its Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS).
The company then implements its Part Property Management (PPM) concept. Based on the Part Property Profiles (PPP), EOS ensures the standardisation and comparability of building processes and results that provide designers and users with a reliable tool. The quality of the finished, fully functional parts, the productivity of the systems used, their high degree of automation and the professional material handling and ergonomic peripherals make EOS's laser-sintering technology an ideal production tool for economic, lot-oriented part production.
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