Hopefully, regular readers of 3DPI will know who EOS is, but for anyone not familiar with the company, it is the German manufacturer of industrial 3D printers based on the laser sintering process — for metal and plastic. 3D-Micromac, however, may not be so familiar. Also based in Germany, it is a leading provider of highly efficient laser micromachining systems. These two companies have formed a collaboration to develop Micro Laser Sintering technology (MLS) and formed a new company in the process — 3D MicroPrint GmbH. The goal is to advance the development and commercialization of MLS technology, and to identify and establish more solutions in the field of micro technology.
It seems the preparation has being going on for quite some time, behind the scenes as 3D-Micromac and EOS now say they have been developing MLS since 2006.
According to Hans Langer, founder and CEO of EOS: “Demand for very small parts which are difficult to manufacture using conventional processes is rising tremendously. Micro Laser Sintering provides solutions for three major trends: individualisation, functional integration and miniaturisation.” Joachim Göbner, one of the business managers of 3D MicroPrint, added: “Working with layer thicknesses of ≤ 5 µm, focus diameters of ≤ 30 µm and powder particle size of ≤ 5 µm, the MLS technology opens up new dimensions. With MLS it is even possible to produce moveable component assemblies.”
And Tino Petsch, CEO of 3D-Micromac further commented: “Our timing is virtually perfect. The current 3D printing hype shows that our investment in the development of Micro Laser Sintering systems was exactly right. Together we now offer a trend-setting solution that opens up new approaches in product development and manufacturing for our customers.”
Joachim Göbner, formerly project head MLS at EOS and head of the technical centre Chemnitz, and Tino Petsch, CEO of 3D-Micromac, were appointed as business managers of 3D MicroPrint. The company’s headquarters is in Chemnitz, Germany.
That’s a HUGE match!