EOS has officially launched its P3 NEXT powder bed fusion system, built on the success of its P396 machine.
Unveiling the new solution at Formnext, EOS suggests the P3 NEXT boasts enhancements to speed, cost-efficiency and material flexibility compared to its predecessor. It will be commercially available from December 2024.
Among the highlights of the P3 NEXT is a significant increase in productivity, with users said to be able to expect up to 50% greater productivity compared to the P396 thanks to ‘streamlined operational workflows’ and ‘optimised software.’ The 50% productivity enhancement is derived from the development of advanced algorithms that allow for accelerated pre-scanning, recoating and cool-down. This upgrade in productivity helps to achieve a reduced total cost of ownership of up to 30%, with EOS noting how its enhanced production workflows will reduce cost-per-part. EOS also says users can expect up to 90% machine utilisation.
Other key features of the P3 NEXT include real-time feedback and data analytics capabilities, which help manufacturers to ‘tailor production to specific needs’ and optimise for quality, speed and cost. Users will be able to fine-tune process parameters to achieve the ideal balance of surface finish, dimensional accuracy, and mechanical properties, while they will also have access to the full EOS software suite.
The P3 NEXT software leans on many of the capabilities that users of EOS metal additive manufacturing systems will be accustomed to, with polymer customers now having access to a ‘lot of export data’ that allows users to manage their printer fleet and generate quality reports.
As EOS unveils the P3 NEXT machine, it is also introducing the new ALM PA 950 HD and PA 2220 HighReuse materials, which – thanks to EOS optimising material reuse – boast recycle rates of up to 80% and 70% respectively. This is believed to be an increase from the 50% recycle rates of most other EOS polymer powders. Material availability at launch will include EOS' PA 2200, PA 2220 HighReuse, PA 2201, PA 1101, PA 3200 GF, PA 2141 FR and ALM PA 950 HD materials, with additional materials set to be qualified per customer request.
“What we have tried to do is make more positive business cases for our customers,” Virginia Palacios, Chief Business Officer of EOS Polymer Business, told the Additive Insight podcast. “We believe the growth in additive is going to come from new production applications, and the new production applications are going to come if they make economic sense for the customers.”
US service provider ADDMAN is among the first users of the P3 NEXT, with the company deploying the machine to bolster the work carried out in its ADDMAN HEAL Center, where the company works with partners to produce high-quality medical devices.
“Seeing the EOS P3 NEXT in action really solidified it for me—this is exactly the technology we need to meet the high standards of our medical manufacturing customers,” said Jay Dinsmore, Executive Vice President, ADDMAN. “The EOS P3 NEXT allows us to produce applications for the regulated medical market within a fully certified production environment, ensuring we meet both quality and compliance benchmarks.”
Fuelled by feedback
EOS’ introduction of the P3 NEXT represents a significant product launch for the company. Its P3 series of machines are responsible for around 900 of the 5,000 machines EOS has shipped around the world, with the P396 model representing more than 400 of those installations.
As the company has looked to develop the next generation of the P3 series, it has sought to maintain the ‘structure of everything that was working,’ and focused its innovation where it could ‘really add significant customer value.’ To do that, EOS has worked backwards from the applications that many of its users have developed with its P396 system, such as medical devices, eyewear and manufacturing fixtures. Along those lines, the company has developed prepackaged process parameters for some of its more common applications, though users will be able to edit those parameters per their specific requirements.
EOS
Not only has it used applications to inform the development of the machine, it has also leaned on customer feedback. Per EOS, there is a demand for materials with higher refresh rates because of the impact of materials waste on total cost of ownership and sustainability requirements, while EOS has also sought to enhance the lifetime of its thermal management tech to reduce the need for maintenance in response to customer feedback.
Another change to have come directly from this dialogue with end users relates to the logistics of print module cool-down. With the P396, the build unit had to remain inside the printer during the cool-down phase, but users of the P3 NEXT will now be able to remove the build module while it cools and insert another one to keep production rolling.
“We have enabled a hot swap functionality where you can exchange the [build] frame and then start printing again,” Palacios said of this particular development. “So, we have optimised the whole process for a 24-hour cycle with one shift of operator, because we believe an 8-5 [shift] is probably the most common in our customers today. With this new way of working, you can go, for example, from 24 parts to 56 parts of a given part in a 24/7 cycle, because you finish the build, you take the build out, and you immediately [start printing again].”
The P3 NEXT also has a slightly smaller overall footprint than the P 396 thanks to its integrated monitor, but maintains the same build volume of 340 x 340 x 600 mm.
Software solutions
Much of the user feedback pointed EOS to its software capabilities, with the company optimising the build processing, nesting and exposure strategy tools available to users of the P3 NEXT.
A series of user interface enhancements are also said to make it easier for customers to understand where errors are occurring and what the thermal history of the build is, while a more accurate build time prediction will help customers to better plan their operations.
EOS
Per Palacios, EOS is hoping to serve two different levels of users with the P3 NEXT: “The users that want to have a super streamline workflow, where it is very easy to import the parts, place the parts, move them around; you can do this automatically, you can decide the orientation that you want to have,” on the one hand, and on the other: “For the more advanced user, you can locally adjust the exposure that you want to have, you can edit all the parameters depending on what is what you are trying to improve – the productivity, the cost, the mechanical properties – the software will guide you on the things that you need to change to achieve what you are trying to achieve.”
Supporting sustainability
In developing the P3 NEXT, EOS has again reinforced its commitment to reducing C02 emissions, emphasising its ‘responsible manufacturing mantra.’
The first couple of materials to be launched in line with the new machine boast greater recyclability rates than the materials available on the P396, while EOS also points to the printer’s more efficient energy consumption and utilisation rates. At Formnext, the company is set to showcase multiple applications that exhibit significant reductions in CO2 emissions, with EOS highlighting its ‘very aggressive sustainability goals.’
“Sustainability is one of the key factors that we are pushing in the company, together with industrialisation and digitisation,” Palacios said. “At the end, the customer cares about ‘I need to produce this amount of parts, which is the best way to produce? So [we are] thinking from the customer standpoint; what is the business case for the customer, what is the final objective that they’re trying to accomplish, and how can we optimise that?”
EOS is showcasing the P3 NEXT from booth D41 in hall 11.1 at Formnext, with experts on hand to walk visitors through the various updates and upgrades.
