German industrial 3D printer manufacturer EOS has announced the forthcoming launch of a new polymer additive manufacturing line, starting with the P 500 laser sintering system.
In an event held at the company’s Customer and Technology Center in Krailling, Germany, 3D Printing Industry has been given a deep dive on the latest EOS technology that is “shaping the digital factory of the future”.
![EOS Customer & Technology Center in Krailling, Germany. Photo by Beau Jackson for 3D Printing Industry](https://3dprintingindustry.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/IMG_2267-1024x768.jpg)
Quality, automation and materials
Welcoming international press and corporate customers, EOS CTO Dr. Tobias Abeln states that the P 500 is the company’s “first step” toward digitization, contributing to the cyber-physical system of Next Gen AM – a vision shared by industry partners at Daimler and Premium AEROTEC.
Overall, the machine has been developed with three main goals in mind:
- Reproducible part quality job to job and between machines.
- Automation for Industry 4.0 – capable of delivering all kinds of data, and easy integration with existing manufacturing environments.
- Material versatility – pursuing 3D printability for any kind of powdered materials.
A complementary polymer platform
The P 500 consists of 4 modules, and an external dock to enable automated transfer between jobs.
![Graphic demo of the EOS P 500 polymer 3D printer. Image via EOS](https://3dprintingindustry.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/EOS-P-500_PolymerPlatfom_2-1024x576.jpg)
The modular design continues on the interior, preparing the machine for future innovations including addition of a third laser, and larger build plate.
In comparison to the P 396, one of EOS’s existing laser sintering systems, the new P 500 is capable of producing double the output, with a 30% reduction of cost per part.
![The P 500 is made to complement EOS's existing polymer range of industrial laser sintering 3D printers. Photo by Beau Jackson for 3D Printing Industry](https://3dprintingindustry.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/IMG_2281-1024x768.jpg)
High performance plastics
Adding to a building trend in the industry, the EOS P 500 system opens up development of high performance polymers to external partners and research institutions.
Specifically, R&D focus is in materials that are 3D printed at around 300 degrees Celsius, offering mid range temperature resistance.
PEEK/PEKK is one industrial grade plastic that can be considered as an example material, but EOS are aiming for still more advanced polymers capable of enduring higher stresses.
The P 500 system will be officially launched by EOS at Formnext 2017 in Frankfurt, with first deliveries of the system expected mid-late 2018. Sign up here for updates from 3D Printing Industry.
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Featured image: Graphic demo of the EOS P 500 polymer 3D printer. Image via EOS