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News Release from: EOS Electro Optical Systems
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 07 February 2008
E-manufacturing is ready for mass
production
Survey revealed that in the future, e-Manufacturing with laser-sintering is a key technology that will strongly compete with conventional technologies, such as casting.
Mass production in the Western world is on the brink of a silent revolution and e-Manufacturing is an important part of that change These are some of the conclusions of a survey conducted by EOS at recent trade shows in Germany
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 12 Oct 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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EOS interviewed industry experts at the K 2007 show in Duesseldorf and Euromold 2007 in Frankfurt, Germany.
Respondents were asked to focus on the following core questions.
* What will the production of tomorrow look like.
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* Is individualized series production from CAD data going to prevail in the future.
* Which technologies will drive this type of production.
Their answers confirmed that industrial production is facing a 'paradigm shift': e-Manufacturing with laser-sintering is a key technology that will strongly compete in the future with conventional technologies, such as casting.
* Defining e-Manufacturing - the e-Manufacturing process delivers end products, functional parts and tools directly from CAD data - hence the 'e' in e-Manufacturing.
A laser heats and melts powdered plastics or metals layer by layer, until the build is complete and a final product can be taken out of the system.
Whether it is jewelry, clothes, lamps, chairs or functional parts for industry that are being manufactured, e-Manufacturing enables the creation of products with highly complex and filigreed structures and forms that are unthinkable geometries for conventional series production.
* Mass production with e-Manufacturing - 70% of the interviewees answered 'yes' to this question.
33% believed that individualised production with laser-sintering is already market-ready, while 37% predicted the establishment of the technology in the market within the next three years.
The rest anticipated the establishment of e-Manufacturing within five years, with only 4% seeing a lag of ten years.
* Mass customisation - what actually drives e-Manufacturing? The key answer is the trend towards individualised series production - also called 'mass customisation'.
Industry and end consumers increasingly request individually manufactured products, creating a potential demand for mass customisation of those products.
And this is exactly where e-Manufacturing comes into play, as follows.
* 28% of those interviewed said that the trend towards individualised series production is the most important factor for the success of the technology.
* Nearly a quarter of the interviewees saw greater 'cost savings compared to conventional technologies'.
* 22% judged that e-Manufacturing will overtake traditional technologies due to 'shorter product life cycles'.
* Significantly fewer interviewees counted factors such as 'automated, unmanned production' (15%) and 'decentralised production' (11%) as primary success factors.
* Challenges and barriers - as with every innovative technology, e-Manufacturing with laser-sintering is not completely immune to competition from other methods; conventional technologies still offer some advantages, according to survey participants, as follows..
* 29% of the interviewees called the limited choice of materials as the greatest barrier to implementation of e-Manufacturing technology.
* Approximately a quarter of the respondents judged the 'lack of know-how in the industry' as a hindrance.
* Another quarter think that lack of awareness about the technology is the main obstacle.
** The rest cited 'lack of innovative power across companies' (12%) and 'outdated production structures' (11%).
The majority of the interviewees thus felt that the difficulty is not so much the emerging technology itself, but rather a lack of knowledge and openness in the industry.
W* Will there be a change in mass production - finally the interviewees were asked for their predictions about production methods 20 years in the future, as follows.
* A clear majority (63%) forecasted the establishment of individualised mass production in the Western world.
* 21% believed that end customers will have their own mini-factories and produce their own products with Rapid Manufacturing.
* About 9% of those asked went so far as to remark that, in 20 years time, manual manufacturing will only take place on the PC.
Founder and CEO of EOS, Dr Hans J Langer, felt that the results of the survey confirmed his evaluation of the market.
He said: "We have been observing the trend towards Mass Customization for a few years already," he said.
"The number of consumer goods applications is increasing significantly, and manufacturers are seeing clear advantages with e-Manufacturing, especially when it comes to freedom of design".
He added: "EOS is currently working intensively on the development of new materials.
We are fully aware that material choice is going to be a significant driver for our future business".
* About EOS of North America - EOS of North America Incorporated sells, services, supports, and markets the entire EOS line of rapid prototyping, rapid tooling, and rapid manufacturing systems.
This includes solutions for plastics laser-sintering as well as Direct Metal Laser-Sintering (DMLS).
Founded in 1989, EOS 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 optimises production processes.
EOS has completed its business year 2006/2007 with revenues in laser-sintering of EUR 59.7 million (approximately US$88 million), which is an increase of 14% compared to the previous year.
EOS is headquartered in Krailling/Munich, Germany.
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