Product category:
Fast prototyping equipment, pattern-making and services
News Release from: EOS Electro Optical Systems | Subject: Laser sintered automation parts
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 13 April 2006
Laser sintered automation parts seen in
action
Laser sintering generated components make possible such automation functions as removal, positioning, control, processing and depositing - 'pick, work and place' tasks.
EOS, the world-wide leading manufacturer of laser-sintering systems for Rapid Prototyping, Rapid Tooling and Rapid Manufacturing, presents itself from April 24th - 28th at the world's largest industrial fair At the leading trade fair 'Factory Automation', EOS exhibits in hall 17, stand A05, the advantages and potentials that laser-sintering offers in the field of factory automation
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 12 Oct 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Modern production requires automated production methods - this is where laser-sintering from EOS comes into play.
The name EOS stands for e-Manufacturing, the fast, flexible and cost-efficient production directly from electronic data.
Laser-sintering, the key technology for e-Manufacturing, is a generative layer manufacturing technology.
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German rapid prototyping systems maker is bringing a wealth of rapid manufacturing technology and experience based on laser-sintering machines and metals, plastics and sands powders.
Laser very fine grain metal powders to make moulds
TransCAT took only 16h using very fine-grained metal powders in a laser-sintering system to build the core and cavity of a plastics injection mould for producing thin-walled fan wheels.
Laser sintering offers flexible plastics parts
Recent developments in laser sintering of plastics and metallic parts include flexible, thin-wall plastics products and a plastics injection mould made from layers of 20 micron steel powder.
Without tools, the technology generates any three-dimensional geometry - efficiently, flexibly and automated.
The process offers advantages such as functional integration and a new freedom in design: laser-sintering produces nearly any shape, no matter how complex.
Furthermore it allows for the tool-less production of up to hundreds of - even individual - products with each single automated process cycle.
Highlight at the booth is a robot application for factory automation.
Using a laser-sintered stacking elevator, pencils are taken out of a storage reservoir and are separated from each other.
The pencils are handed over to a robot hand, which was also produced by laser-sintering.
During transportation, linear technology ensures that each pencil is positioned and printed.
In most cases, such complex tasks in the robot hand cannot be realised with conventional technologies.
With the laser-sintered application, functions such as removal, positioning, control, processing and depositing become possible.
You could summarise these tasks as 'Pick, Work and Place' tasks.
The application from EOS thus goes a step beyond the standard application field of robots, the so-called 'Pick and Place' functions.
The application is implemented in collaboration between EOS and the company LMD.
Furthermore, EOS exhibits on its booth different application examples of laser-sintering in key industries.
Plastics applications focus on factory automation and production aids in the automotive industry.
The metal applications show end products from the medical device industry, as for example patient-individual implants or dental restaurations.
The Eosint M 270, a system for Direct Metal Laser-Sintering (DMLS), demonstrates how such components are produced.
The machine builds different metal products live on the booth, from impellers to medical instruments - fully automatically and without requiring tools of course.
* 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 last business year on September 30th, 2005 with revenues of EUR 49 million and thus continues its ongoing growth.
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