Rapid Manufacturing and Digital Forming technologies will be showcased in a free event called “Create and Make – Print in 3D” from 25 to 27 August, 2009, at the Science Museum, London. Courtesy of EOS Electro Optical Systems, the world leading manufacturer of laser-sintering systems and De Montford University in Leicester, a laser-sintering system called FORMIGA P 100 will be in operation at the Museum. At the event visitors can experience how mass customization of a variety of personalized products today is already reality and can be expanded further into the future. As part of the event Digital Forming, provider of an online platform offering 3D software solutions for the mass customisation of designed lifestyle products, will present a software that allows users to view and personalise the product they are about to buy in 3D. As such the software extends the freedom of choice and creation laser-sintering is offering as a production process into the sphere of personalised design.

Laser-Sintering: from fine grain powders to complex, high-performing products

Laser-sintering is the key technology for e-Manufacturing and enables a move from more static procedures towards fast, more flexible and cost-effective serial production directly from electronic data. It originates in prototyping where parts identical in construction are produced in smaller quantities, yet more and more becomes an interesting alternative for Rapid Manufacturing as well. Laser-sintering is an additive layer manufacturing process. Without any tooling or time-consuming milling very complex, three-dimensional geometries can be constructed. In production, the previously created 3D CAD model is being decomposed into 20 to 100 µm layers. The laser-sintering technology then produces the desired geometry layer by layer. In this process, the laser energy solidifies the powdered material, be it plastic, metal or foundry sand into parts previously designed in 3D. A huge advantage of laser-sintering is that – once the production data are created – parts can be built based on the electronic data – in any shape, at any time and anywhere.

The technology manufactures parts for every phase of the product life cycle - from pre-development and prototyping up to rapid manufacturing or the supply of spare parts. Stuart Jackson, Regional Manager UK for EOS adds: “laser-sintering accelerates product development and revolutionizes design - moving design rules from a ‘manufacturing-driven design’ to a ‘design-driven manufacturing’ approach. The technology frees design and construction from the restrictions of the production process – creativity is no longer subject to the limitations of conventional methods of manufacturing.” Focusing on the final product, the designer sketches individual, three-dimensional geometries and can create what is on his own and his customer’s mind: an end product with a high customer value.

Mass Customization:

In the digital world we live in today, customers are gradually demanding greater freedom of choice. Designers and brands are faced with new challenges in product diversity. Today, consumers not only demand possible modifications in colour or material but in product form too. Traditional manufacturing strategies simply cannot meet these requirements.

The Digital Forming platform consists of digital (software) and physical (supply chain) aspects which make mass customization a reality. For the first time ever, a set of 3D software solutions will allow the general public to co-create and co-design products with professional product designers through an online library or sales house. In a 3D environment, products can be modified in real time – stretched, twisted, embossed, assembled – all with the simple movement of a mouse. On top, users can adjust form, choose colour and material, save designs in an online library, and purchase when ready for delivery within two weeks. They will never be able to ruin the functionality of a pen, or the balance of a teapot – the software will simply not allow it.

Digital Forming’s approach of Co-Design profoundly challenges the traditional role of the designer and the user/consumer of a product and as such is a revolutionary concept in the history of design. The software provided by Digital Forming offers the users the option of Co-Creating and Co-Designing products with a professional product designer. By this, a user can “tweak” existing designs to their personal taste within the constraints set by the original designer. This approach profoundly challenges the traditional roles of the Designer and the User/Consumer of an object, and is a revolutionary concept in the history of Design. Facing a product produced by this industrial process, the User is now confronted with questions never before asked: do I purchase the product as designed, or do I change it?  And the Designer must now ask himself the question: when is this not my design anymore? The laser sintering technology and Digital Forming platform are arguably set to create an Industrial Revolution of the Digital Age.

About EOS:

EOS was founded in 1989 and is today the world 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 is 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 Digital Forming

Digital Forming, set up in November 2008 by four partners, was awarded goverment funding in May 2009 to develop the vision of an online platform for the “mass customization“ of designed lifestyle products. The company provides a platform that allows users to view and personalize the products they are about to buy in 3D. This platform will be presented to the public in October through www.UCODO.com. UCODO stands for ‘User Co-Designed Object’.

About the Science Museum

From June 2009 the Science Museum is celebrating its hundredth birthday and a century of science with a year-long centenary programme to take the renowned institution into the future. For 100 years the Science Museum has been world-renowned for its historic collection, remarkable galleries and inspirational exhibitions. With around 15,000 objects on public display, the Science Museum’s collections form an enduring record of scientific, technological and medical change from the past few centuries. Aiming to be the best place in the world for people to enjoy science, the Science Museum makes sense of the science that shapes our lives, sparking curiosity, releasing creativity and changing the future by engaging people of all generations and backgrounds in science engineering, medicine, technology, design and enterprise. Further information: www.sciencemuseum.org.uk.

Contacts:

EOS Electro Optical Systems
Claudia Jordan
PR Specialist
Tel.: +49 89 893 36 134
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Digital Forming

Lisa Harouni
Tel.: +44 7765 894 373
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Science Museum
Andrew Marcus
Press Officer
Tel.: +44 20 7942 4357
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EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems, the world-leading manufacturer of laser-sintering systems, will be offering a number of technical exhibits and resources at Booth #250 at the 2009 Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Unmanned Systems North America conference at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (Washington, D.C., August 10-13).

The company will be displaying parts made in their EOSINT P line of plastics laser-sintering systems as well as a range of parts in different metals from the EOSINT M 270. Udo Behrendt, Key Account Manager Aerospace at EOS, will be at the booth to answer questions and offer technical information. He has been responsible for business development in the civil aircraft, defense, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) industries.

“Weight optimization, different applications and flexibility in payload are critical to the design of UAVs,” Behrendt says. “The aircraft industry also primarily uses low-volume components. Laser-sintering technology enables companies to build highly integrated and very complex hardware directly from electronic data, eliminating tooling and other secondary operations, in production lots ranging from one part to several thousands.”

EOS customers Paramount PDS and Northwest UAV are attending the AUVSI conference. Paramount will be at booth #337, and Northwest will be at Booth #433.

“Plastics laser-sintering enabled us to manufacture aircraft components for a micro air vehicle as a cost-effective substitute for carbon-fiber parts,” says Jim Williams, President of Paramount PDS. “The parts have already been tested in flight and are in production.”

“We’ve been using EOS plastics laser-sintering to manufacture aircraft components for over a year,” says Chris Harris, President of Northwest UAV Propulsion Systems. “It meets our requirements for tight tolerances and consistent quality, and it shortens our time for supplying or redesigning parts to a few days, versus weeks previously.”

Laser-sintering’s capabilities for mass customization and building of intricate shapes also benefit the broader aerospace market. EOS customers have used such direct manufacturing methods to create components for commercial and defense aircraft. EOS is also a founding partner of the Direct Manufacturing Research Center (DMRC) at the University of Paderborn (Germany), a consortium that includes such companies as Boeing, Evonik and Siemens.  The DMRC was founded to advance direct manufacturing technologies and materials for aerospace and other industries.

For more information about the AUVSI conference, go to http://symposium.auvsi.org/attendees/registrationinfo.php

About AUVSI

With over 1,400 member companies and organizations from 50 countries, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) is the world's largest non-profit organization devoted exclusively to advancing the unmanned systems community. AUVSI, with members from government organizations, industry and academia, is committed to fostering, developing, and promoting unmanned systems and related technologies.

By providing opportunities for information exchange, networking and business development, AUVSI forums are the best resource for simply learning about unmanned systems or for staying abreast of the latest program and technology updates. www.auvsi.org

About EOS

EOS was founded in 1989 and is today the world 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 is 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.

FKM, one of EOS's e-Manufacturing partners, is the first company to purchase an EOSINT P 800 high temperature machine built by EOS, the worldwide market leader in laser-sintering. FKM has now increased its machine park to a total of 14 laser-sintering systems for processing plastic, metal and sand. The rapid technology specialist with this purchase obtains a machine with great future potential and which can process EOS's innovative high-performance polymer PEEK HP3.

Jürgen Blöcher, managing director at FKM, on the decision to purchase this system: "We were motivated to purchase another machine from EOS by a variety of reasons: in our opinion, laser-sintering is today one of the key technologies in the area of e-Manufacturing. It enables the manufacture of durable and close-to-production functional models. Buying an EOSINT P 800 was a logical step, because the machine complements our portfolio perfectly." Blöcher adds: "Not only that, but with EOS we have a broad range of applications know-how at our disposal, and this makes it possible for us to respond exactly to our customers' demands." The machine was presented for the first time at last year's Euromold, and Peter Klink, Vice President Sales at EOS, welcomes FKM's decision: "The long-standing cooperation between EOS and FKM is based on a high degree of mutual trust. FKM, as one of our e-Manufacturing partners, is always prepared to further and input on our ideas and visions. As a result of this, FKM is the first service bureaux which will offer this highly innovative technology."

EOSINT P 800 high-temperature system

Due to their excellent material properties, high-performance polymers are interesting for numerous applications and industries. Due to its suitability for process temperatures of up to 385°C, the new EOSINT P 800 is the first machine worldwide to open up this extremely interesting family of materials for laser-sintering. By adapting the well-proven and fully developed design of the EOSINT P730 with completely newly-designed components, the machine has been equipped to fulfil the demands of high temperature processes. The implementation of the high temperature levels within the machine has created completely new requirements as far as long-term strength, the control of thermal expansion and temperature distribution are concerned. EOS is therefore focusing on new materials which up until now have not been used in the construction of laser-sintering systems but with which the machines can fulfil both the demands of the process on temperature distribution and the mechanical precision requirements.

PEEK HP3: material of the future

With its PEEK HP3 material, EOS has made the first ever high-performance polymer available for use in laser-sintering. Products manufactured in this material achieve tensile strengths of up to 95 MPa and a tensile modulus of 4,400 MPa. Its excellent chemical resistance makes PEEK inure to all kinds of chemicals except corrosive acids. This results in outstanding application-specific properties. In applications where little weight and flame resistance are of the utmost importance, PEEK has developed into a popular replacement for metal. Due to its purity, solidity and chemical resistance it has also been promoted to the status of gold standard for HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) applications in analytical science. Its biocompatibility, sterilizability, tensile strength and lubrication properties make this material an ideal replacement in medical applications for stainless steel and titanium. PEEK is already considered as being one of the best-performing thermoplastic polymers and as having the potential to open up new application fields.

About EOS

EOS was founded in 1989 and is the worldwide market leader in the field of laser-sintering. Laser-sintering is the key technology for e-Manufacturing. Components can be produced fast, flexibly and cost-effectively, directly from electronic data. The method accelerates product development and modernizes production processes. EOS completed the 2007/2008 business year with a turnover in laser-sintering of 70M euro, which is an increase of 17 percent on the previous year. The company currently employs more than 280 employees worldwide - 230 of these at its headquarters in Krailling near Munich. www.eos.info

About FKM Sintertechnik

FKM Sintertechnik GmbH is based Biedenkopf-Wallau in Hesse. The development service provider was founded in 1994 and quickly became a specialist in laser-sintering. The company founders and managing directors are Jürgen Blöcher and Harald Henkel. This medium-sized enterprise is among the industry's leading service providers. It is a development partner of numerous well-known customers in the automotive engineering and consumer goods industries. FKM-Sintertechnik produces – almost exclusively on machines from the German manufacturer EOS in Munich – pre-series, functioning prototypes and small series parts out of plastic and metal. In 2008 and in more than 4,500 individual jobs the company produced a wide variety of part geometries in job lots of various sizes.

Contacts:

EOS
Claudia Jordan
PR Specialist
Tel.: +49 89 893 36 134
Tel.: +49 89 893 36 284
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Contact FKM:                                             
Jürgen Blöcher
Tel.: +49 6461 95510
Tel.: +49 6461 955112
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EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems and TRUMPF Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH + Co. KG announce that they have signed an agreement with MTT Technologies Ltd. in Stone, UK, and MTT Technologies GmbH in Germany.

Under the agreement, both MTT companies receive a non exclusive licence for certain EOS and TRUMPF patent rights regarding the laser-sintering process. The new contract replaces the previous agreement between EOS, TRUMPF, MCP Tooling Technology Ltd. (now MTT Technologies Ltd) and MCP-HEK Tooling GmbH (now MTT Technologies GmbH), which now includes the licence for the USA and Canada. Under the new agreement EOS has also withdrawn the lawsuit against MTT which was pending at the United States District Court of South Carolina. The parties have agreed not to disclose the level of licence fees to be paid by MTT.

About EOS

EOS was founded in 1989 and is the worldwide market leader in the field of laser-sintering. Laser-sintering is the key technology for e-Manufacturing. Components can be produced fast, flexibly and cost-effectively, directly from electronic data. The method accelerates product development and modernizes production processes. EOS completed the 2007/2008 business year with a turnover in laser-sintering of 70M euro, which is an increase of 17 percent on the previous year. The company currently employs more than 280 employees worldwide - 230 of these at its headquarters in Krailling near Munich.

About Trumpf (www.trumpf.com)

With sales totalling € 2.14 billion for the 2007/08 fiscal year and about 8,000 employees, the TRUMPF Group ranks among the leading manufacturing companies worldwide. The three following business divisions are combined under the umbrella of a holding company: Machine Tools/Power Tools, Laser Technology/Electronics and Medical Technology. Its core business are machine tools for flexible sheet metal processing for punching and forming, laser processing and bending. In the field of industrial lasers and laser systems, the company is the technological leader on the world market. With about 50 subsidiaries and branch offices, the Group is represented in almost every European country, in North and South America as well as in Asia. Production locations can be found in Germany, Austria, China, Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Switzerland and the USA.

About MTT Group (www.mtt-group.com)

Over a period of 50 years the MTT–Group of companies (former MCP-Group) has grown to be a leading innovator with a worldwide reputation for supplying, installing and training in processes for the production of prototypes in many diversified materials. The Selective Laser Melting (SLM™) process has been successfully supplied by MCP into various market segments such as medical implants, dental applications and industrial applications for the last 6 years.

Today EOS, the world leading manufacturer of laser-sintering systems, and Advanced Laser Materials, LLC (ALM), a developer and manufacturer of materials for rapid manufacturing processes, announced a strategic partnership. Under the agreement, EOS will act as a majority shareholder obtaining 51 percent of the ALM shares. The collaboration benefits both partners. Combining the knowledge of both companies, they will together further advance the development of plastic materials for rapid manufacturing via laser-sintering, the key technology for e-Manufacturing.

For example, ALM recently introduced the new fire-retardant polyamide, FR-106, an engineered material for use in the laser sintering process. Its introduction represents a major breakthrough in rapid manufacturing. As such it is a particularly applicable material for the aerospace industry which EOS counts among their key target industries as well. At the same time, ALM finds a very strong industry partner in EOS which will open up new markets for them in Europe. ALM also benefits from the patent portfolio EOS offers. EOS, on the other hand, with this partnership will secure and extend closer collaboration with their customers, particularly in the US market.

Johann Oberhofer, Chief Operating Officer at EOS emphasizes: “With ALM we found a partner which is a perfect fit for us. The collaborative work of both research facilities will result in acceleration of materials development that will be felt worldwide in the e-manufacturing industry. We welcome ALM as an affiliate to the EOS family and are very confident that both companies can jointly use the synergies created from this cooperation to advance the industry as a whole.”

Bruce C. Thornton, Chairman of ALM, LLC adds: "The strategic partnership of ALM with EOS makes another large step forward in the transition of laser sintering from rapid prototyping to rapid manufacturing of functional parts. The new generation of EOS laser sintering machines is being designed for manufacturing, and the development of materials for the manufacturing of functional parts is the primary focus of the ALM-EOS joint effort.”

About EOS

EOS was founded in 1989 and is today the world 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 is 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 Advanced Laser Materials, LLC (ALM)

Advanced Laser Materials (ALM) is a Texas-based company that consults, researches, develops, and manufactures materials for use in rapid prototyping and manufacturing processes such as laser sintering. ALM specializes in working closely with rapid prototyping and manufacturing companies to develop custom materials designed to meet their specific application needs. ALM has several key partnerships with material suppliers and developers, maintains its own in-house analysis and development laboratories, and provides extensive quality control data on its products. The company was started in 2003 with the participation of the University of Texas at Austin Office of Technology Commercialization, the Cockrell School of Engineering and a group of Texas-based investors. For more information visit www.alm-llc.com

Contacts:

Advanced Laser Materials (ALM)
Neil Lehman Tel: +1 254 773 3080
Cell: +1 215 815 7327
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Dental industry still on the upswing despite difficult economic times

One particular sector of the rapidly growing healthcare industry is expanding even further: the market for dental implants. It is indisputable that even with the best of dental hygiene, nearly everyone will at some point or other need a dental implant of some sort. Cost consciousness, especially in the type of difficult economic circumstances that we are currently experiencing, is increasing all the more. There are already automated processing centres producing individual dental implants of the highest accuracy out of EOS CobaltChrome SP2, a biocompatible and CE-certified material, with e-Manufacturing on the basis of laser-sintering. This cost-effective method of making dental implants offers the possibility to challenge even manufacturers in the Far East and keep jobs in Europe.

Europe's dental industry continues to grow

According to a survey conducted by the Millenium Research Group [1], the European market for dental crowns and bridges will continue to grow steadily in the next few years. The factors expected to influence this development are manifold. Technological innovations in the field of manufacturing methods, such as laser-sintering, are all part of the process. New treatment methods as well as new materials are additional factors which will increase the number of dental restorations in the coming years. The survey calculated the market value in Germany in 2007 for crowns and bridges already to be US$ 900M - almost one half of the European dental industry's entire turnover. The Millenium Research Group estimates that the European market for crowns and bridges will grow annually by an average rate of eight percent until 2012.

Technological advancements in the field of dental care are contributing to this by employing production methods like laser-sintering to provide dental restorations which are simultaneously more affordable, more readily available and of high quality.

From casting to laser-sintering - producing dental implants today

Until now, dental implants have traditionally been made out of metal via a casting process. This process enabled a technician to produce 20 dental frames per day. Laser-sintering is a significantly superior method: one fully-automated laser-sintering machine can produce up to 450 parts for dental crowns and bridges within 24 hours, and all of the finished parts will be of the same consistently high quality. The time savings and the financial advantage that the dental laboratories gain are huge. The "messy" tasks of deflasking and cleaning moulds are dispensed with, thus allowing the dental technician to concentrate on his or her core competence, namely the post-processing of the metal structure and its aesthetic upgrade: ceramic veneering.

The technological heart of dental e-Manufacturing: EOSINT M 270

EOS's EOSINT M 270 laser-sintering system can manufacture dental implants by "direct metal laser-sintering" (DMLS) using a focused solid-state laser. The machine uses CAD data to produce, from metal powder and in only a few hours, the most complex of geometries which exhibit excellent mechanical properties, surface quality and detail resolution. The CE-certified EOS CobaltChrome SP2 alloy was developed by EOS especially for the dental industry for use in the EOSINT M 270.

EOS will be showing the entire process chain at the 33rd International Dental Show (IDS) from 24 to 28 March 2009 in Cologne. All the steps involved in laser-sintering crowns and bridges will be demonstrated, from the initial scanner to the creation of the 3D CAD data and the laser-sintering machine, and ending with the finished veneered product - the skill which will remain in the hands of the dental technician. Martin Bullemer, EOS Key Account Manager Medical is convinced that "cost control as well as flexible and rapid product cycles will determine the future of the dental industry. Manufacturing with laser-sintering can offer all of this."

Dental models of the future

The further development of dental CAD/CAM applications with new impression and intraoral scanners will make it possible to send high-quality data directly to the processing centre. The only thing missing would be a dental model for occlusion testing and post-processing, or a workpiece holder for use during veneering.

Such a model can be laser-sintered on a FORMIGA P 100 from PA 2200, a top-quality plastic, on the basis of already available data. Consequently, laser-sintering provides a complete solution for the manufacture of dental implants.

About EOS

EOS was founded in 1989 and is the worldwide market leader in the field of laser-sintering. Laser-sintering is the key technology for e-Manufacturing. Components can be produced fast, flexibly and cost-effectively, directly from electronic data. The method accelerates product development and modernizes production processes. EOS completed the 2007/2008 business year with a turnover in laser-sintering of 70M euro, which is an increase of 17 percent on the previous year. The company currently employs more than 280 employees worldwide - 230 of these at its headquarters in Krailling near Munich.

[1] Millenium Research Group, European Markets for Crowns and Bridges 2008

EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems, the world-leading manufacturer of laser-sintering systems, today announced that Galloway Plastics Inc. (GPI) is using an EOSINT M 270 direct metal laser-sintering (DMLS) system as part of a larger business strategy to support the expansion of GPI Prototype and GPI Anatomicals. This is the first installation of an M 270 in the Chicago area.

For GPI Prototype, a complete service bureau, the equipment will broaden their in-house offerings. GPI Anatomicals, the largest manufacturer of anatomical/medical device models, will use it to further expand their core orthopaedic device capabilities.

“We see DMLS as a huge step toward eliminating the gap between prototyping and production,” says Scott Galloway, president and owner of GPI. “Also, with it we can create parts that would not be possible to manufacture using traditional methods.”

DMLS on the EOSINT M 270 is an additive manufacturing process. It starts with a CAD file that defines each layer of a cross-sectioned model. 20 to 40 µm thin layers of metal powder are deposited onto a build platform and laser-sintered by a focused laser beam. The platform is then lowered and the process repeated layer-by-layer until a three-dimensional metal part is produced. DMLS can “grow” parts — even those with extremely complex geometries — in just a few hours.

The M 270’s abilities for mass customization and building of intricate shapes make it an ideal technology for the orthopaedic, device implant, and aerospace markets. GPI will be using DMLS in these fields as well as creating device tooling, tooling inserts for molds, and short-run or custom-metal parts for field use.

“We are all looking forward to watching GPI apply its many years of expertise in creating elaborate prototypes, models and finished products to DMLS,” says Jim Fendrick, vice president of EOS of North America. “It is always exciting to see what comes of putting this equipment in the hands of innovative, imaginative companies.”

About Galloway Plastics Inc.; GPI Prototype

Galloway Plastics Inc., founded in 1980, is a custom plastics product design/engineering and manufacturing firm that specializes in medical models and rapid prototype/mfg. services. It employs a wide range of prototyping services in house and offers direct manufacturing in Lake Bluff, Illinois and also in Shenzhen, China since 1994. GPI Anatomicals is North America’s largest manufacturer of anatomical models; over 5 million models have been sold worldwide.

For more information visit: www.gpiprototype.com

EOS and Victrex have agreed on a close cooperation in the future. EOS was founded in 1989 and is today the world leading manufacturer of laser-sintering systems, the key technology in e-Manufacturing. Laser-sintering is the fast, flexible and cost-effective production of parts, directly from electronic data. It accelerates product development and optimizes production processes. Right on time for the Euromold 2008, EOS introduced the EOSINT P 800, the world’s first high-temperature system for laser-sintering of high-performance polymers.

According to Dr. Hans Langer, EOS founder and CEO: “The development of this system was a logical step forward into the future because laser-sintering is ideally suited for premium and complex applications which are frequently based on high-performance polymers. The EOS PEEK HP3 material based on VICTREX PEEK polymer has been developed in close cooperation with Victrex and is exclusively marketed by EOS. This is the first PEEK material that can be sintered and processed on the high-temperature system P 800. It will help to constantly further develop this material segment. Consequently, we look forward to close co-operative relations with the global leading PEEK manufacturer,” adds Dr. Langer.

This high-performance polymer ranks among the key materials of the future.  Be it for automotive, aerospace, medical or industrial engineering applications: The PEEK material is characterized by the exceptional combination of properties such as resistance to fire, lightness, high tensile strength and biocompatibility.

The sinter technology provides greater freedom of design to engineers, developers and product designers in all industries.  The generative layer build-up process results in maximum flexibility because three-dimensional geometries can be created and produced with utmost efficiency and cost effectiveness.

EOS and Victrex plan to conduct joint workshops and informative meetings in the future in order to present to the target groups the tremendous potential of this technology.

About EOS:

EOS was founded in 1989 and is today the world 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 is 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.

About Victrex:

Headquartered in the UK, Victrex plc is the leading manufacturer of high performance materials, including VICTREX® PEEK™ polymer, APTIVTM film and VICOTE™ Coatings. These materials are used in a variety of markets and offer an exceptional combination of properties to help processors and end users reach new levels of cost savings, quality, and performance. All production at the plant comes under Victrex’s existing ISO 9001 quality registration. VICTREX® is a registered trademark of Victrex Manufacturing Limited. PEEK™, PEEK-HT™ and APTIV™ are trademarks of Victrex plc. VICOTE® is a registered trademark of Victrex plc.

Contacts:

Catharina Fritz
Marketing & Communication Specialist Europe
Tel. +489 (0) 61 92 96 49 27  
e-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

High-performance polymers are among the key materials of the future. As a result of their outstanding material properties, they are well-suited for numerous applications such as aviation, medical devices or mechanical engineering: this group of materials stands out due to an extraordinary combination of properties such as flame retardance, light weight, high tensile strength and biocompatibility. In order to make the modern e-manufacturing way of production possible also for these promising materials, world market leader EOS has developed with EOSINT P 800 the world's first high-temperature system for laser-sintering of high-performance polymers. As the first material from this group the EOS PEEK HP3 material – belonging to the group of polyaryletherketone – has been fully developed for use on the new system. The new system EOSINT P 800 saw its world premiere introduction at EuroMold 2008.

“As a market leader in the field of e-Manufacturing the development of a system for high-performance polymers has been a logical step for us, because laser-sintering is ideally suited for premium and complex applications which are very often based on high-performance polymers” says Dr. Hans Langer, founder and CEO of EOS. “However, the development of such a system initially was considered to be hardly feasible in technical terms due to the high temperatures involved. As a technology leader we nevertheless took on the challenge - and we succeeded.”

Interplay with heat: EOSINT P 800

High-performance polymers are very interesting due to their excellent material properties for a number of applications and industries. However until now they could not be used in the laser-sintering process due to their melting point between 220°C (428°F) and 380°C (716°F) degrees. Due to its capability for process temperatures up to 385°C (725°F) the new EOSINT P 800 is the world's first system which enables the laser-sintering production process for this highly interesting group of materials. It builds on the proven and mature design of the EOSINT P 730. Through a number of completely redesigned components such as the processing chamber and a removable frame it has now been advanced to the level of requirement necessary for a high-temperature processes. Establishing a temperature level that is around 200°C (392°F) higher than with ordinary laser-sintering applications presented new challenges regarding long-term stability, managing thermal expansion and temperature distribution within the system. As a consequence EOS applied new materials that had not previously been used in laser-sintering system design. The patented deployment of glass ceramics for the removable frame serves as a good example here. As such, the design not only fulfils the process requirements of temperature distribution but also the mechanical accuracy requirements, taking into account as well the thermal expansion.

Materials with promising future

With PEEK HP3 EOS for the first time presents a high-performance polymer for laser-sintering. The raw material is converted into powder by EOS and processed to be suitable for the production process. Laser-sintered products reach a tensile strength up to 95 MPa and a Young's Modulus of 4,400 MPa. These values are up to 100 percent higher than for the materials PA12 and PA11 which are currently dominating the market. The continuous operating temperature is – depending on individual cases – between 260°C/500°F (electrical), 240°C/464°F (mechanical static) and 180°C/356°F degrees (mechanical dynamic).

Apart from aggressive acids, the extraordinary chemical stability makes PEEK resistant to any kind of chemicals. In applications such as aerospace – where lightness and flame retardance are of major importance – PEEK has developed into a popular alternative to metals. Due to it purity, its high stability and chemical resistance it has also proceeded to become the gold standard for HPLC applications (high performance liquid chromatography) in analytical science. In medical applications properties such as biocompatibility, sterilisability, high tensile strength and conductivity make this material an ideal substitute for stainless steel and titanium. Another reason which makes developers and designers search more and more for new material solutions and processing technologies in plastics is the high cost and innovation pressure. PEEK is considered to be one of the highest performing thermoplastic polymers and as such is seen as a promising material for the future.

About EOS

EOS was founded in 1989 and is today the world 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 2007/2008 with revenues of approximately 70 million Euro which is 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.

At this year’s EuroMold in Frankfurt, Germany, (3-6 December 2008), the topic of e-Manufacturing will be dominated by industrial series production – no matter if in aerospace, the medical sector or the toolmaking industry. The world market leader EOS will be presenting several technological highlights for increasing the quality and efficiency for e-Manufacturing with laser-sintering technology at stand F70 in hall 8.0. These include an entirely unique high temperature system for processing high-performance polymers extremely well suited for use in the aerospace industry and many other special applications. The EOS IQMS (Integrated Quality Management System) is being augmented with yet another important module through the introduction of an Online Laser Power Control (OLPC) that takes process control, parts quality and traceability to a whole new level. Another important EOS highlight at EuroMold 2008 is the Integrated Process Chain Management (IPCM) system for EOSINT M, which facilitates fast, user-friendly and secure handling of metal powders and parts.

Focus on series production

“Our stated goal is to establish e-Manufacturing wherever there is demand for highly complex and customized parts and products”, says Dr. Hans Langer, founder and CEO of EOS in Krailling near Munich. “Our presence at this year’s EuroMold therefore is devoted entirely to technical innovations that all contribute to increasing the quality and efficiency of serial production with e-Manufacturing.”

A world first: e-Manufacturing with high-performance polymers

Just in time for EuroMold, EOS is presenting a first in the industry highlight – EOS P 800, the first high temperature system for laser-sintering of high-performance polymers. As a result of their outstanding material properties, high-performance polymers are well suited for numerous applications such as aerospace or Formula 1. The EOS high-performance polymer PEEK HP3 has a tensile strength of up to 95 MPa and a Young’s modulus of up to 4400 MPa, values up to 100% above those attained by the PA 12 and PA 11 materials currently available. Depending on the field of application, the continuous operating temperature is between 180 °C (356 °F) and 260 °C (500 °F). This makes for excellent application-specific properties, such as flame retardancy, biocompatibility and sterilisability. Thanks to suitability for process temperatures of up to 385 °C (725 °F), the high temperature system is the first system worldwide to make use of this interesting material group for laser-sintering technology. The system is based on the sophisticated, tried-and-proven EOSINT P 730 and is built to withstand the demands of high temperature processing with newly designed modules such as processing chamber and exchangeable frame. EOS PEEK HP3, a material from the polyaryl ether ketone family, was the first high-performance polymer selected for use in the new system and readied for market by EOS.

Quality and efficiency innovations

EOS will also be debuting several innovations at EuroMold 2008 for enhancing quality and efficiency of the plastic laser-sintering process. The new Online Laser Power Control (OLPC) unit, for example, ensures a more constant flow of energy to the part built through regular control and readjustment of laser energy. This enables EOS to enhance the part quality as well as the quality control of the entire laser-sintering process. OLPC is available for the EOSINT P 730.

Another efficiency-increasing highlight in direct metal laser-sintering is the IPCM M, which consists of various optional modules that can be used in a variety of ways to suit the customers’ needs. A conveyor system facilitates fast and convenient emptying of metal powder from the EOSINT M systems. A sieve station for reused powder ensures constant powder and process quality and is capable of sieving even large amounts of powder. Laser-sintering operations are not interrupted during sieving, as required in a production environment. The IPCM-M furthermore enhances the traceability of the material used with exchangeable, clearly labelled powder containers. This factor is important for fields of application such as the medical sector, where proof must often be provided of the origins and composition of the material used. Last but not least, a platform-handling module makes it easier removing completed jobs from the system, even in conjunction with reference positioning of the building platforms. All modules are designed for efficient and economical use, even with installations of multiple EOSINT M systems.

Just in time for EuroMold, EOS is also presenting various new materials that open the door to new e-Manufacturing fields of application. They include Inconel 718, which is frequently used to produce aircraft engines and other components subject to high stress levels.

EOS will be located at stand F70 in hall 8.0 at EuroMold 2008, where it will display the new high temperature system as well as the familiar EOSINT M 270 and FORMIGA P 100 systems.

About EOS

EOS was founded in 1989 and is today the world 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 of 59.7 million Euro which is an increase of 14 percent compared to the previous year. The company employs more than 250 people worldwide, more than 200 of them at its headquarters in Krailling near Munich, Germany.

Contacts:

Isabel Radwan / Dieter Niewierra
Sendlinger Straße 42 A
D-80331 München
Germany
Phone: +49 89 211871 39 / 37
Fax: +49 89 211871 50
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it / This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: www.schwartzpr.de

EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems, the worldwide leading manufacturer of laser-sintering systems, today announced the results of data gathered by Linear Mold & Engineering (Livonia, MI) comparing manufacturing times for creating molds and mold inserts in Direct Metal Laser-Sintering (DMLS) against traditional machining processes. The data were assembled during two-and-a-half years of costing out more than 50 commercial tool and mold projects across a wide variety of industries. The results demonstrate that, for many applications, DMLS significantly reduces production times and therefore costs. Cost savings using DMLS range between 15 and 30 percent, depending on the complexity of the part.

Because Linear has longstanding experience with machining, CNC tooling, EDM, and other tool and moldmaking processes, the company has a library of benchmark figures for how long different projects will take using these methods. Over the past three years, Linear has manufactured molds and inserts in maraging steel, stainless steel, and bronze using DMLS.

John Tenbusch, president of Linear, says, “Given the high cost of materials and energy these days, we are always on the lookout for savings and efficiencies. Often, when we compare our production times between laser-sintering and other manufacturing methods, using DMLS is the obvious choice.”

“Linear is a creative, innovative customer,” comments Jim Fendrick, Vice President of EOS of North America. “John and his staff are constantly exploring the capabilities of DMLS to shorten manufacturing cycles and grow parts that wouldn’t be as cost-effective, or wouldn’t even be manufacturable, using traditional processes.”

DMLS on the EOSINT M 270 is a form of additive manufacturing. The process begins with a CAD file that defines each layer of a cross-sectioned model. 20 to 40 µm thin layers of metal powder are deposited onto a build platform and laser-sintered by a focused laser beam. The platform is then lowered and the process repeated layer-by-layer until a three-dimensional metal part is produced. DMLS can “grow” parts, even those with extremely complex geometries, in just a few hours.

About Linear Mold & Engineering (www.linearmold.com)

Linear Mold & Engineering, founded in 2003, is a precision manufacturer of injection molds and prototype tooling for a wide variety of plastic components. An ISO 9001:2000 certified company, Linear has more than thirty-five years of expertise in product design, mold manufacturing and injection molding of finished and prototype products. The company employs a wide range of in-house prototyping and machining processes to ensure that it can provide the most cost-effective molding and tooling products to its customers.

About EOS of North America Inc. (www.eos.us)

EOS of North America Inc. sells, services, supports, and markets the entire EOS line of rapid prototyping, rapid tooling, and rapid manufacturing systems. This includes solutions for plastic laser-sintering as well as Direct Metal Laser-Sintering (DMLS). Founded in 1989, EOS GmbH is the world leader in the manufacture of laser-sintering systems. Laser-sintering is the key technology for e Manufacturing: the fast, flexible and cost-effective production directly from CAD data. The technology accelerates product development and optimizes production processes. EOS has completed its business year 2006/2007 with revenues in laser-sintering of €59.7 million (approximately $88 million), which is an increase of 14 percent compared to the previous year. EOS GmbH is headquartered in Krailling/Munich, Germany.

EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems, the world-leading manufacturer of laser-sintering systems, today announced that Northwest UAV Propulsion Systems (NWUAV), an aerospace supplier, has purchased an EOSINT P 390 plastics laser-sintering machine. Northwest is using the equipment to produce high-quality aircraft components, including laser-sintered PA 2201 and PrimePart DC parts for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

NWUAV manufactures complex cylinder head temperature controllers, cylinder head shrouds and a variety of other parts for UAVs from Insitu, Inc. “Our greatest concern is meeting the tight tolerances and consistent quality that aircraft designs require,” says Chris Harris, president of NWUAV. “The EOSINT P 390 provides us with consistent, uniform, high-quality production parts that eliminate the need for secondary finishing operations such as sanding.”

With assistance and training from EOS technicians, NWUAV was able to go from installation to part production on the P 390 in just ten days. An essential step in the process was tuning parameters to meet design criteria within 0.001”.

Previously, NWUAV ordered the parts from an outside vendor and performed sanding and other finishing processes on them. Purchasing the P 390 and manufacturing the parts in-house has reduced the company’s supply chain and infrastructure costs such as part inspection, inventory, and storage. Northwest is now able to supply the components just-in-time and implement design changes within a couple of days versus weeks.

“The use of rapid manufacturing is booming in the aerospace industry,” says Jim Fendrick, vice president of EOS North America. “This growth continues to be driven by the ingenuity and innovation of industry leaders such as Northwest UAV Propulsion Systems.”

About Northwest UAV Propulsion Systems

Northwest ULD Inc., doing business as Northwest UAV Propulsion Systems, was founded in 2002 and has produced over 1,500 turnkey propulsion systems for Insitu Inc. of Bingen, WA. NWUAV coordinates closely with the customer to ensure manufacturing and design criteria are achieved. Engine run-in stations/dynamometers ensure performance criteria prior to shipping. Through various industrial skill sets and partners in manufacturing, NWUAV provides excellence in all aspects of production of propulsion systems. Circuit card manufacturing, machining, aluminum castings and rapid manufacturing, using the in-house EOS P390, are a small sampling of the company’s capabilities. NWUAV is on track to achieve AS9100 certification in the fall of 2008. Visit www.nwuav.com for further information – or Contact Chris Harris @ 971-241-6696 / 503-434-6845 / This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

About EOS

EOS was founded in 1989 and is today the world-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 of 59.7 million Euro, which is an increase of 14 percent compared to the previous year.

EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems, the worldwide leading manufacturer of laser-sintering systems, today announced that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the United States District Court, South Carolina, against MCP Tooling Technologies Ltd. and MCP-HEK Tooling GmbH. The lawsuit alleges infringement of U.S. Patent No. 5,753,171 through the manufacture, sale and use of the Realizer product line from MCP in the US.

In February 2008, EOS and Trumpf had announced a patent license agreement with MCP. Under the agreement, MCP received a non-exclusive license for certain EOS patents, as well as some patent rights from Trumpf regarding the laser-sintering process. These patents are relevant to MCP’s product line “Realizer”. However, the license does not extend to the USA and Canada. 3D Systems and MCP then announced in the same month that the MCP Realizer would be distributed in the US. As a consequence, EOS filed the patent infringement lawsuit against MCP on May 8th, 2008.

Johann Oberhofer, COO and managing director of EOS, comments: “Filing this patent infringement lawsuit is an essential step for protecting our patent rights in the US. We hope that this litigation will quickly resolve the situation".

EOS has had patents granted for a considerable number of its own inventions in the field of laser-sintering. Today, the EOS patent portfolio includes more than 50 patent families worldwide. The company also owns exclusive worldwide rights to all patents owned by 3D Systems Corporation applicable to the field of laser-sintering which were filed prior to August 20th, 2002.

About EOS

EOS was founded in 1989 and is today the world 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 of 59.7 million Euro which is an increase of 14 percent compared to the previous year.

EOS the world’s leading manufacturer of laser-sintering systems, will present two new commercial materials at SME’s RAPID 2008 Conference and Exposition on May 20-22, Booth #500. The materials increase the range of prototyping and manufacturing capabilities for EOS’s equipment, enabling companies to further reduce production times and costs.

The new plastic, PrimePart DC, is an impact-resistant polyamide with a tensile strength of 48 MPa. It also has an outstanding elongation at break of 50 percent - that is about twice as high as those of previously available materials. The material is thus well-suited for automotive components such as interior parts but also for aerospace applications. For Direct Metal Laser-Sintering (DMLS), new EOS StainlessSteel PH1 offers high hardness, very good corrosion resistance and excellent mechanical properties, matching the traits of stainless steels currently in use in the medical and aerospace industries. It complements the existing EOS StainlessSteel GP1 material, which is a 17-4 stainless steel.

“We have already seen our customers achieve remarkable innovations with EOS equipment and our existing materials,” says Peter Klink, Executive Vice President Global Sales at EOS. “We are proud to showcase our new plastic and metal offerings at Rapid 2008, where forward-thinking product developers who are extending the boundaries of their individual industries gather to evaluate new technologies.”

Rapid 2008 will be held at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort and Convention Center in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. EOS, presenting sponsor of the show, will demonstrate its FORMIGA P 100 plastics laser-sintering equipment and the EOSINT M 270 for Direct Metal Laser-Sintering at its booth (#500). Dr Michael Shellabear, Vice President, is also a conference speaker at the Rapid Manufacturing session held on May 21st, detailing on quality requirements for industrial applications of DMLS.

Exhibiting EOS customers will include Morris Technologies, Paramount PDS, JonaTek, Solid Concepts, and Synergeering.

About RAPID 2008

RAPID is North America's largest annual rapid manufacturing conference and exposition. The event brings buyers, sellers and end-users of design, prototyping, tooling, and direct manufacturing technologies together in an environment that facilitates networking and business interaction. Attendees can evaluate the latest materials and machinery, compare processes, talk to industry experts, and make valuable contacts. Exhibitors can meet new customers, discuss projects face-to-face and generate sales. For more information, please visit www.sme.org/rapid and for a free voucher www.eos.info/rapid.

About EOS of North America Inc.

EOS of North America Inc. sells, services, supports, and markets the entire EOS line of rapid prototyping, rapid tooling, and rapid manufacturing systems. This includes solutions for plastic laser-sintering as well as Direct Metal Laser-Sintering (DMLS). Founded in 1989, EOS GmbH is a world leader in the manufacture of laser-sintering systems. Laser-sintering is the key technology for e Manufacturing: the fast, flexible and cost-effective production directly from CAD data. The technology accelerates product development and optimizes production processes. EOS has completed its business year 2006/2007 with revenues in laser-sintering of €59.7 million (approximately $88 million), which is an increase of 14 percent compared to the previous year. EOS GmbH is headquartered in Krailling/Munich, Germany.

EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems, BEGO Medical GmbH and BEGO Bremer Goldschlägerei Wilh. Herbst GmbH & Co. KG announce that they have reached a patent licence agreement. Under the agreement, EOS receives a world-wide licence for all patents from both BEGO companies which are relevant for laser-sintering. This especially pertains to the production of dental prostheses and/or dental auxiliaries using laser-sintering.

The licensed patents include among others EP 1021997 and US 7,084,370. The parties have agreed not to disclose the financial conditions of the agreement. Johann Oberhofer, COO of EOS, is very pleased about the agreement: “The agreement provides legal security for our customers. It also enables us to be a strong partner for further technical advancements as well as for the market development of dental applications At a very early stage, BEGO has recognized the potential of laser-sintering for the manufacture of dental products. The company has consistently developed the application and has also secured the relevant patent rights."

Christoph Weiss, managing director of the BEGO group, is also full of expectations: “The long R&D activities of BEGO in the field of laser-sintering finally pay out – the unbeatable advantages of the technology in the dental area are obvious. The company EOS with its comprehensive technology know-how is a very attractive cooperation partner. We look forward to various future synergy effects not only for a joint market development but also with regards to the next advancements of the technology."

Laser-sintering produces dental bridges and crowns layer by layer directly from CAD data. The basis are powdered metal materials, in the dental industry mainly cobalt-chrome alloys. One laser-sintering system produces up to 500 dental units per day. The automated production eliminates certain laborious and expensive processes for the dental laboratory, such as casting. The technology thus increases the efficiency of the dental industry and the productivity of dental laboratories.

About EOS

EOS was founded in 1989 and is today the world 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 of 59.7 million Euro which is an increase of 14 percent compared to the previous year.

About BEGO (www.bego.com)

The Bremen-based Goldschlägerei BEGO is one of the leading dental companies world-wide. The company is managed by its owners and offers a broad range of products and services “made in Germany“ with its three business units BEGO Dental, BEGO Medical and BEGO Implant Systems. Since its foundation in 1890, the company is very active in research and development. It intensively fosters co-operations with universities and master schools and holds a variety of patents.