EOS and MTU Partner on Additive Manufacturing

EOS GmbH (Munich, Germany), a global technology and quality leader for high-end additive manufacturing (AM) solutions, and MTU Aero Engines (Munich, Germany), a leading German engine manufacturer, are closely cooperating to develop quality assurance measures for metal engine components using additive manufacturing. The two manufacturers have now signed a framework agreement for the joint strategic development of their technologies.

The first result of these joint endeavors is the optical tomography (OT) developed by MTU, an ideal and powerful complement to the modular EOS monitoring portfolio. In addition to several sensors that monitor the general system status, the camera-based OT technology controls the exposure process and melting characteristics of the material at all times, to ensure optimum coating and exposure quality.

Adrian Keppler, head of sales and marketing at EOS, says, “We have been working together intensively for several years and this collaboration is now about to develop into an even closer, partner-based technological cooperation, centered on their quality assurance tool. The OT solution enables us to perform an even more holistic quality control of the metal additive manufacturing process, layer by layer and part by part. A very large proportion of the quality control process that previously took place downstream can now be performed during the manufacturing process, with a considerable saving in quality assurance costs. This also allows us to satisfy a central customer requirement in the area of serial production.”

Thomas Dautl, the head of production technologies at MTU in Munich, adds, “By employing the quality-assurance system developed by us for use in serial production, they are backing an industrially proven solution for its Direct Metal Laser-Sintering (DMLS^TM) process. It has proven itself in practical testing and we now intend to make it available to other customers too.”

MTU has been amassing experience over several years by deploying the tool on EOS systems; not only does this ensure comprehensive transparency but it also provides a quality analysis method for the entire manufacturing process and supports its full documentation. Says Dautl, “In this way, we are jointly furthering the qualified use of additive manufacturing in aerospace engineering while also reducing costs. The monitoring solution represents a value enhancement not only for the EOS technology but for each and every customer as well.”

Quality assurance is especially important in the field of serial production, because it is vital both for ensuring repeatable high component quality and for continually reducing the quality control costs of components made using the technology, which ultimately serves to reduce unit costs.

The system settings and process parameters are constantly monitored in the ongoing manufacturing process on EOS systems, to ensure that system and manufacturing process conditions are ideal for maximum component quality.

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