Aerospace and automotive supplier, GKN Powder Metallurgy, has announced a strategic partnership with EOS, a leading technology supplier in the field of industrial 3D printing of metals and polymers.
“We’re thinking differently about what’s possible in manufacturing; metal 3D printing and rapid prototyping have become a formidable part of our business,” said Peter Oberparleiter, CEO of GKN Powder Metallurgy, which is based in Germany with locations around the world including North America.
The two companies have designed a new, high-productivity process for laser metal 3D printing, which has reduced production time by 70 per cent, and overall cost by up to 50 per cent.
“This collaboration makes laser metal 3D printing a viable long-term solution for manufacturers across the board that require fast delivery turnaround and could benefit from the high degree of design freedom that comes with laser 3D printing. Our customers will be able to produce higher quality parts faster than ever before, with absolutely no tooling,” Oberparleiter explained.
At present, additive manufacturing has been embraced by the automotive and industrial industries for rapid prototyping, however the process cost can be prohibitive for producing parts at full-scale production.
GKN’s innovative metal powder combined with EOS StainlessSteel 316L VPro, and EOS’s process and manufacturing expertise, makes it possible to create a high-performance part designed for end-use at scale.
“We found a perfect partner in GKN Powder Metallurgy. Based on this partnership, our customers will benefit from higher build speeds and lower material costs resulting in significantly optimized cost per part,” said Dr. Adrian Keppler, CEO at EOS. “This is going to lower the entry barrier and will enable completely new application fields.”
Image courtesy of GNK Aerospace