Additive Manufacturing Rises to the Top

That’s not all. Extraordinary advances in design and manufacturing from EOS will be on display at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Booth S-8754, where machine tool builder GF AgieCharmilles will join EOS to showcase an innovative start-to-finish manufacturing process chain that will create, at the show, actual titanium tibial trays for surgical knee implants.

GF AgieCharmilles is a leading North American supplier of laser texturing solutions, wire EDM, CNC and manual diesinking systems and high speed/high performance 3- and 5-axis milling machines.

The manufacturing process starts with an FEA/CAD design of a lightweight, yet strong tibial tray developed using WITHIN Medical software. The part’s extremely complex geometry involves variable pore sizes on one side (to promote osseointegration) and a smooth surface on the other (to support loads on the tibia).

An EOSINT M 280 direct metal laser-sintering (DMLS™) system will then automatically build the component as a single near-net piece, layer by layer. The final step is surface machining, first on a Mikron HPM 450U 5-axis milling machine, then with a CUT 20P wire EDM machine, both from GF AgieCharmilles.

“This blend of our technologies goes far beyond what most other product developers are presently doing,” says Gisbert Ledvon, the director of business development at GF AgieCharmilles U.S. “We have combined the visionary design and manufacturing capabilities of WITHIN and EOS with our long-established production expertise and high-precision equipment. The result is a cutting-edge turnkey manufacturing system that operates with very little human intervention and a minimum of scrap material.”

“While the demonstration at IMTS is of a medical component, this type of process chain is applicable to practically any industry,” says Andrew Snow, the regional sales director of EOS of North America, Inc. “A look around the booth shows attendees the range of parts possible for aerospace, automotive, tooling with conformal cooling, consumer, and other sectors as well.”

The GF AgieCharmilles booth is divided into four distinct areas, each one featuring a different industry. Within the medical area, attendees will be walked through the operating GF AgieCharmilles/EOS manufacturing production line and will be able to see each step and each system in action. Technical experts from both manufacturers will be available at the booth to answer questions.

Joining them will be Dr. Siavash Mahdavi, the chief executive officer of WITHIN. “As a manufacturing process, laser sintering affords designers so much freedom that it’s sometimes hard to know where to begin,” Mahdavi says. “Our software and the partnership between EOS and GF AgieCharmilles point the way to others who wish to explore the benefits that design-driven, additive manufacturing can bring.”

The show takes place September 10-15 at McCormick Place in Chicago, where GF AgieCharmilles and EOS will hold a joint press conference on Wednesday, September 12, 2012 at 8 am in Room S-505A. AgieCharmilles will be highlighting the 60th year celebration of their long history of manufacturing innovation.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Germany, EOS is a technology and market leader for design-driven, integrated e-Manufacturing solutions for industrial applications. The company offers a modular solution portfolio including systems, software and materials and their further development, including services like maintenance and training as well as specific application consulting and support. www.eos.info