New Rapid Tooling Products from EOS

From: Shellabear@EOS-GmbH.de
Date: Mon Nov 30 1998 - 11:46:18 EET


Press Release

New Rapid Tooling Products from EOS

EOS Announces EOSINT M250 Xtended Laser-Sintering System with Steel Powder

November 1998 - EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems of Planegg, Germany,
announces a series of new products for Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS).

In 1995 EOS introduced the world's first Rapid Prototyping systems for
building parts directly in metal, the EOSINT M series for Direct Metal Laser
Sintering. Since then a number of improvements have been introduced,
including in 1997 a 50 micron powder for high precision and surface quality.
The DirectTool process has established itself as the most direct route to
Rapid Tooling, and EOSINT M systems are currently being used by customers in
at least ten countries in Europe and Asia. Now, EOS is proud to announce a
new generation of materials, machines and post-processing methods which set
new standards in tool life, surface quality and process chain efficiency.

DirectSteel - another first for EOS
As another worldwide first, EOS introduces Rapid Tooling directly in steel.
DirectSteel 50-V1 is a new steel-based powder for DMLS which combines all
the advantages of the proven DirectMetal bronze-based powders with greatly
improved mechanical properties. With a maximum particle size of just 50
microns it can reproduce very fine details, and the small layer thickness
produces smooth surfaces requiring only a minimum of polishing. Using the
same patented principle as the existing DirectMetal powders, DirectSteel has
negligible shrinkage during the laser-sintering process and therefore
achieves the same high accuracies which are so important for tooling
applications. What is more, DirectSteel parts require no infiltration and no
furnace cycle or other post-processing to remove binders - this process
really is direct. With a high tensile strength of 500 N/mm2 and Brinell
hardness of 60-80, tooling built with DirectSteel should be suitable for up
to hundreds of thousands of injection moulded plastic parts or hundreds of
die cast metal parts. Indeed in a project already carried out by development
partner Electrolux Rapid Development, 70 complex die-cast parts have been
produced in magnesium from a DirectSteel die without any visible wear in the
tool.

EOSINT M 250 Xtended - the New Laser-Sintering System
EOSINT M 250 Xtended is a new version of the established EOSINT M 250 system
which incorporates many improvements and new features. The new system offers
higher precision and increased productivity which further accelerates the
production of high-quality tool inserts in the DirectTool process. All
DirectMetal and DirectSteel materials can be used with this system. The new
features include:
An atmosphere module comprising integrated nitrogen generator with active
atmosphere control provides an inert atmosphere for building with
DirectSteel and simultaneously protects the scanner optics from dust etc.
On-line calibration during the building process measures and controls the
laser beam position, power and spot size to eliminate drift and other
variable effects.
Active cooling of the scanner mirrors ensures highest precision even over
long exposure periods with high laser power.
Stronger, stiffer mechanics and improved machine elements ensure highest
precision and extended lifetime.
An improved building platform concept with three-point mounting and a
special clamp system allows precise absolute positioning of the
laser-sintered parts with reference points. Not only is this quicker and
more convenient for starting the laser-sintering process, but a reference
coordinate system from the CAD data can also be transferred via the DMLS
process to enable for example milling or EDM of the parts or integration
into standard tooling elements with simple and precise alignment.
A new process software with a fully automated process start and new exposure
strategies provides for easier handling, further increased part quality and
accelerated building speeds.

EOSINT M 250 Xtended and DirectSteel 50-V1 will be commercially available in
the first quarter of 1999. Existing EOSINT M 250 users can upgrade their
systems to use the powder and take advantage of all the extra features of
the EOSINT M 250 Xtended.

Micro Shot-Peening - Improved Surface Finishing for DMLS
EOS is also introducing a new post-processing method for quickly and easily
improving the surface finish of DMLS parts. This is based on a two-step
shot-peening process using special jets and materials. The first step cleans
the surface and smooths the surface topography, while the second step
compacts and seals the surface, resulting in a surface quality better than
Rz 20 microns. Additional polishing can increase this to better than Rz 3
microns. The entire shot-peening process is much faster and easier than
manual finishing and can be used even for detailed structures such as 1mm
slots. This method is well suited to both DirectMetal and DirectSteel parts
and can significantly improve the time and cost-effectiveness of the entire
Rapid Tooling process.

EOSINT M 250 Xtended is being exhibited at Euromold '98 in Frankfurt,
Germany, from December 2nd - 5th.

For further information about the full range of EOSINT laser-sintering
technologies visit our website
http://www.eos-gmbh.de or contact EOS: info@eos-gmbh.de,
phone: ++49 (0)89 / 856 85-0, fax: ++49 (0)89 / 859 74 22.

For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/



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