EOS has adopted Materialise's CO-AM software platform to manage its additive manufacturing application engineering and internal sinter production processes.
The company expects the platform to improve the traceability, connectivity and efficiency of AM production across its global facilities.
EOS' production facilities across Germany, the US and APAC region serve internal demands and support the company's application engineering services. CO-AM will be applied across these facilities to help EOS 'plan, manage and optimise' every step of the 3D printing process. The software platform will be integrated into EOS' existing infrastructure, including data and customer relationship management software, and connected to its fleet of equipment. It will also support the EOS internal AM workflow from order management through production scheduling, build monitoring and post-processing.
With the CO-AM Scheduler, EOS will be able to see both planned and actual printer activities to support utilisation rate improvements, while Materialise's AMWatch software will enable operators and engineers to monitor build status and process sensor data to decrease scrap rates and improve quality control. EOS staff will also be able to access data gathered through a shop floor iOS application, which cane be used to monitor unpacking, depowdering, and post-processing in real-time.
“It is critical that tools such as CO-AM are able to provide improvements in the efficiency of AM production that outweigh the cost of using the tool,” commented Trevor Kirsten, Head of Digital Manufacture at EOS. “With enhanced connectivity and traceability in CO-AM, we aim to improve efficiency in our production process by reducing powder consumption and the number of machines required for our operations.”
“One of the primary benefits of the CO-AM platform is the open and flexible architecture that allows companies to integrate the software with their existing manufacturing technology and adapt it to their needs,” added Jim Carlson, Head of Global Customer Success at Materialise. “EOS and Materialise share a long partnership and we are looking forward to collaborating with them to create a more efficient and connected additive workflow.”
