EOS, Grenzebach Strengthen Partnership for Efficient, Safe Additive Manufacturing

To further advance the additive manufacturing (AM) of metal and polymer parts, technology provider EOS and automation specialist Grenzebach are strengthening their partnership to develop efficient, safe and holistic automation processes.

“It is essential for us to further automate and network industrial 3D printing as intelligently as possible with different processes,” says Dr. Marco Nock, EOS senior vice president business unit systems and innovation management.

Since the start of the collaboration, a variety of periphery equipment has been developed, including automation systems and transport solutions for the respective system platforms. In 2017, the NextGenAM project focused on creating fully automated series production of quality metal components. An aerospace and automotive manufacturer in Baden-Württemberg successfully used the automated solution which Grenzebach and EOS had jointly developed.

That led to more automation solutions for EOS machines in the metal sector, such as the unpacking station. The developed solutions in the metal sector were then adapted to the industrial 3D printing of polymer components. In the Polyline project, a fully automated cell was achieved and an automotive OEM customer from Bavaria tested the solution to verify that it met all requirements of the automotive industry. Within the scope of the project, the EOS P 500 will be equipped with the fully automated feeding of the exchange frames.

The partners are cooperating on further research and customer projects, developing individual configurations and deriving holistic process and production solutions to meet the requirements of common customers. The projects are focused on the highest possible utilization of the industrial 3D printer and the accompanying periphery, efficient and robust production processes, and optimal occupational health and safety production.

Grenzebach has also continued to extend its portfolio for industrial 3D printing, including 3D printer-specific automation and transport solutions such as automatic storage as well as bin picking and sorting solutions to further advance the automation of upstream and downstream process steps.