NewsBreak

EOS to Introduce Laser Sintering Powders at MACH 2008

Metal powders

EOS MaragingSteel MS1 is a new, martensite-hardening steel of high strength and toughness, suited to producing heavy-duty tooling inserts. It is at least on a par with, or even superior to, conventional tool steels. Other applications are the production of high-performance parts for the aerospace industry.

The material’s composition corresponds to US classification 18 maraging 300, European 1.2709 and German X3NiCoMoTi 18-9-5. It is easily machinable after the building process, has a tensile strength of 1,950 MPa and can be post-hardened to approximately 55 HRC by simple thermal age-hardening.

Commented Dr Michael Shellabear, Vice President at EOS, “MaragingSteel MS1 is one of the reasons that our metal technology is currently booming. Sales of EOSINT M systems have increased over the last three years by an average of 43 per cent annually.

“There have been other drivers as well, for example our new titanium TiAl6V4”, he continued. “Various manufacturers in the medical device industry are testing and qualifying the material. It also has the significant advantage of helping to decrease weight in the aerospace industry, reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.”

Plastic powders

PrimePart DC is a new, impact resistant plastic material from EOS. The natural coloured polyamide offers a fracture elongation of 50 percent, which is about double that of previously available materials. It has a tensile strength of 48 MPa and a Young’s modulus of 1,550 Mpa. Other mechanical properties are comparable to those of the proven PA 2200 polyamide.

”We are seeing a lot of interest from the automotive industry for applications that require good impact performance, such as interior parts”, said Thomas Mattes, Vice President for plastic laser-sintering at EOS.

A further new powder is PrimePart ST, a flexible material with a 250 percent fracture elongation. Parts laser-sintered from this material are fully dense, so gas-tight products can be produced directly. Compared to other flexible laser-sintering materials available, PrimePart ST shows a four times higher tensile strength of 8 MPa. Moreover, it is the first flexible material in the world of layer manufacturing that does not require post-infiltration. Potential applications are shoe soles, seals and hoses.

In future, EOS will offer a wider choice of polyamide colours. PA 2202 black is a polyamide material containing black pigments, the resulting parts being colored throughout their whole volume, which makes them resistant to scratches, abrasion and dirt. The parts are thus well suited to mechanically stressed applications or dirty environments, such as under vehicle bonnets. PA 2203 grey is a further alternative in light grey.

Laser-sintering machines

The machines that make these parts will not be on the stand, but details will be available of the latest introductions.

As regards metal powder processing, the latest model is the EOSINT M 270, which uses a 200 watt Yb fiber laser capable of being focused to 100 microns diameter, allowing very fine detail resolution on the surface of the part. It includes an innovative dual-focus feature that automatically switches between different laser spot sizes during laser-sintering to optimally combine detail accuracy and build speed.

EOSINT M 270 has been sold successfully in the UK market since its introduction, notably into the aerospace, motor sport, medical and academic sectors.

EOSINT P 730 is a plastic laser-sintering machine based on the EOSINT P 700, the only twin-laser system on the market. The new model is one of the largest available, with a build chamber diagonal of more than one metre. The machine is up to 75 per cent more productive than the P 700, depending on component geometry.

Another recent introduction is the entry-level FORMIGA P 100, capable of turn-around times of less than 24 hours. The fine focus diameter of the laser enables wall thicknesses down to 0.4 mm to be created for manufacturing small, detailed plastic components, such as connectors. Preparation and control of the building process is conveniently carried out off-line at the user’s desk.

Humeral mount for an arm prosthesis produced from the new EOS titanium TiAl6V4 alloy powder in a single, 15-hour build, despite the component’s complex shape

Air conditioning system fan produced in a FORMIGA P 100 using the new EOS PA 2203 grey polyamide powder. Wall thickness is down to 0.4 mm

About EOS

EOS was founded in 1989 and is today the world’s 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 business year 2006/2007 with revenues in laser-sintering of 59.7 million Euro, which is an increase of 14 percent over the previous year. For more information visit at www.eos.info.

--------

If news like this is important to you, sign up for our TenLinks Daily at http://www.tenlinks.com/NEWS/sub_unsub.htm.

Related News

Source: Material used in press releases is often supplied by external sources and used as is.