UK's UCL Bartlett School of Architecture Picks EOSINT P

The EOSINT P machines are able to create automatically an exact physical replica of a computer-aided design by cutting the electronic model into thin horizontal slices. The data is used to drive a laser that fuses successive layers of plastic powder, typically 0.10 or 0.15 mm thick, until the plastic component is complete.

Martin Watmough (right) and Gregor Anderson discussing architectural design
produced from plastic powder in one of UCL Bartlett’s EOSINT laser-sintering machines

Heading the department at UCL Bartlett, which started operations in February 2009, are Martin Watmough and his colleague, Gregor Anderson. Extolling the virtues of laser-sintering over other ALM processes, Mr Watmough pointed to the plastic roof of a 1:400 model produced for the Ecumenical Council of Turin by Kasper Ax, a degree student in his final year. “The fine lattice detail would have been impossible to produce by any means other than laser-sintering,” said Mr Watmough.

Two EOSINT plastic laser-sintering machines in dedicated room
at UCL Bartlett. FORMIGA P 100 is in foreground and P 385 is pictured right

The multi-disciplinary Faculty of the Built Environment at UCL Bartlett comprises three departments: architecture and design; planning; and construction. Students in all three disciplines are helped in their project work by the ALM facility, as are undergraduates in other UCL departments such as medicine and engineering.

Outside organisations that take advantage of the ALM facility include many well-known architectural practices, the Royal College of Arts, Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, Imperial College London and other prestigious educational establishments. Companies, consultants and even the public use it too.

P 385 in operation at UCL Bartlett

In addition to making prototypes and models to help visualize new designs, short production runs are carried out in the EOSINT P machines, as components produced by laser-sintering are in many cases sufficiently robust to be used for their intended purpose.

Continued Mr Watmough, “ALM is a necessity for design these days. That became apparent when I set up a digital manufacturing bureau at the Royal College of Art in 2003, which grew to become one of the largest of its type in the world, with 10 ALM machines.

As part of his final year project, Kasper Ax, student at UCL Bartlett, produced
 this 1:400 design study for Ecumenical Council of Turin. The roof, with its fine lattice detail, would have been impossible to produce by any means other than laser-sintering

“I always thought laser-sintering was the superior process, so when we set up the UCL Bartlett facility last year, we decided to major on EOSINT P machines. These are supplemented by two 3D printing machines for early design visualization and low-cost applications.“

An enormous variety of components was produced in the laser-sintering machines during the first four months alone. Apart from architectural models, work included the production of two Wedgewood-style tureens that were ceramic coated and used to adorn the main staircase in an ocean liner. The project underlines the main benefit of laser-sintered components, namely that their strength and rigidity allows them to be used as functional items.

A better example of this is the Crud Catcher mudguard for mountain bikes, which was developed by a Yorkshire firm, Sensible Products. Early design prototypes were laser-sintered at UCL Bartlett in an EOSINT P machine using standard EOS PA 2200 polyamide powder.

Another student’s design produced in an EOSINT P machine at UCL Bartlett

All-terrain testing was subsequently carried out on these prototypes, such was their robustness, prior to making the graphite injection moulds for large volume production. Consideration is even being given to laser-sintering bespoke versions of the finished product directly in the plastic material.

To stress the diversity of applications that the EOSINT machines at the School of Architecture undertake, Mr Watmough cited a job carried out for sculptress and artist, Annie Cattrell. Having a particular interest in turning body scan data into physical models, she asked UCL Bartlett to laser-sinter a plastic representation of an FMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) scan of a brain. The piece, which was made for internationally-renowned neuroscientist, Dr Morten Kringelbach, mapped the shape and edges of brain activity when a person was in pain. It formed part of a study into how to alleviate pain by stimulating centers in the brain.

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 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 2007/2008 with revenues of approximately 70 million Euros, which was an increase of 17 percent compared to the previous year. The company employs 280 people worldwide, 230 of them at its headquarters in Krailling near Munich, Germany.

For more information, visit www.eos.info 

About UCL Bartlett School of Architecture

British architectural education began at UCL in 1841, and since then the Bartlett School of Architecture has always been at the forefront of the international architectural debate. This is a reputation strengthened by the most recent period of its history, during which a cohort of highly innovative teachers, designers, researchers and students have created a new wave of different architectures. The school’s current staff and students, as well as its graduates, are now all inextricably involved in the production of new buildings, designs, books and all manner of architectural outputs. This a school where people constantly design, invent, explore, write, draw, teach, speculate, theorize, film, map, critique, analyze and imagine.

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See Also

EOS Systems website
Rapid Prototyping Products and Companies - list by TenLinks.com

Additional News

Jan 20 - EOS Ships Metal Powders for Aerospace Industry
Dec 3 - EOS, BESTinClass Joint Venture to Offer MMP in UK
Dec 3 - EOS to Present Part Property Profiles System at EuroMold
Dec 3 - Germany's LBC to Use 3rd EOSINT M 270 System
Dec 3 - EOS to Present EOSINT P Laser Sintering Systems at EuroMold
Aug 3 - UK's UCL Bartlett School of Architecture Picks EOSINT P
Apr 15 - EOS Holds 51% of Advanced Laser Materials Shares
Mar 9 - GPI Expands Prototype, Anatomicals with EOSINT M 270
Feb 18 - EOS, Victrex to Develop Peek Material for Laser-Sintering
Jul 9 - Aerospace, Manufacturing Firms Join to Form Research Center

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