Join the Expert Committee for the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards to help select the winners!
Machinery manufacturing company Atlas Copco has significantly reduced production costs and lead times by transitioning to in-house polymer-based AM using EOS technology.
This shift has reduced production costs by 30% and lead times by 92%, while also lowering the company’s environmental impact by streamlining the supply chain.
Over the past 18 months, Atlas Copco implemented in-house 3D printing for components used in industries such as automotive. With its consulting division Additive Minds, EOS provided a full solution beyond just the equipment, including cost-per-part analysis, powder selection, post-processing, and training programs. This comprehensive support helped Atlas Copco successfully transition to polymer-based AM serial production.
Nathan Rawlings, Sales Manager at EOS UK, said, “This project shows how important the trust and collaboration is between all parties if a company is to embark on such a dramatic change to its core manufacturing business. No company should feel that it cannot transition to AM, and EOS helps organizations to make sure it is a success through strong communication, cooperation, and a unified team spirit.”
EOS technology enables massive efficiency gains
Atlas Copco selected the EOS P 396 3D printer for its reliability, flexibility, and high-quality production, supporting 14 materials and 26 parameter sets. Alongside this, Atlas Copco employed the DyeMansion DM60 coloring solution through the EOS partner network to color certain products, including those used in automotive safety equipment.
By bringing 3D printing in-house, Atlas Copco was able to reduce its reliance on third-party suppliers, cutting lead times from 6-12 weeks to just 3-4 days. The company has also achieved near-zero waste, down from around 7%, due to the precision of the EOS P 396. This shift has further reduced the environmental impact of production, as fewer transport resources are needed.
Due to its investment in AM, Atlas Copco also received a return on investment (ROI) within 18 months. The company can now prototype new products, simplifying designs and accelerating production rapidly. For example, a spool carrier previously made through casting and machining has been redesigned into a single, lighter, printed component, which is more cost-effective to manufacture.
Atlas Copco said it plans to continue scaling its 3D printing capabilities, using AM’s flexibility to develop new products while remaining competitive. Its collaboration with EOS and Additive Minds provides ongoing support in process optimization, enabling Atlas Copco to adapt to future production needs with greater efficiency.
Is polymer 3D printing a growing niche?
Polymer 3D printing has seen increased use for its customization, cost savings, faster production, and sustainability. While Atlas Copco has leveraged its potential, other entities have explored different avenues in this technology.
Last year, the POLYLINE project successfully established an automated additive manufacturing production line for large-scale polymer parts. Over three years, partners including BMW, DyeMansion, EOS, and Grenzebach collaborated to advance 3D printing for serial production at BMW’s Additive Manufacturing Campus. Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, with €10.7 million, the project achieved automation across the production chain, integrating printing, post-processing, and transport systems.
In September 2022, researchers at the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) developed a method to enhance the strength of 3D printed polymeric lattice parts by 100 times and increase their ductility by partially carbonizing them during pyrolysis.
By carefully controlling the heating process, the team created hybrid-carbon micro-lattices with enhanced mechanical properties that outperform traditional plastic parts. This process also improves biocompatibility, making it suitable for medical applications such as coronary stents and bio-implants.
One year before this, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) researchers developed a method that combines Digital Light Processing (DLP) with polymerization-induced phase separation (PIPS) to 3D print nanoporous polymers with complex geometries.
This technique enables the production of objects ranging from 100 μm to several centimeters in size, with controlled nanoporosity for optimized adsorption, catalysis, and separation. The team printed intricate shapes, including a hexagonal mesh box, crown, lattice cube, and gyroid, and achieved pore sizes from 10 nm to 1,000 μm.
What 3D printing trends do the industry leaders anticipate this year?
What does the Future of 3D printing hold for the next 10 years?
To stay up to date with the latest 3D printing news, don’t forget to subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter or follow us on Twitter, or like our page on Facebook.
While you’re here, why not subscribe to our Youtube channel? Featuring discussion, debriefs, video shorts, and webinar replays.
Featured image shows the EOS P 396 3D printer. Image via EOS.
