EOS showcases its software for the digital factory of the future
November 17, 2017
EOS, Krailling, Germany, presented its extensive software portfolio at formnext 2017. The company showcased the latest versions of EOSPRINT 2 for job and process management, the process monitoring suite EOSTATE and EOSCONNECT, which provides industrial grade connectivity.
Dr Tobias Abeln, Chief Technical Officer at EOS, stated, “We understand the challenges of our customers with regards to industry 4.0 and the need for increased productivity. EOS’ software solutions support companies across all process steps in Additive Manufacturing – from an efficient preparation of the AM build job with EOSPRINT to quality control as part of the EOSTATE monitoring suite.”
“And with EOSCONNECT, all the machine and production data collected can be made usable on a live basis,” he continued. “To enable this, EOS offers an open interface capable of providing integration either into intelligent EOS applications providing productivity increase or to be used by third party applications. This way we lay the foundation for companies to truly integrate additive manufacturing in industrial production environments.”
EOSPRINT 2 – Job and process management
EOSPRINT 2 is a CAM tool designed to allow businesses to optimise CAD data for EOS systems. Together with data preparation software such as SIEMENS NX™ or Magics, it offers an extensive AM CAM environment for engineers who want to fully leverage the benefits of Additive Manufacturing with production-ready design.
The tool offers a number of new features enhancing productivity such as Z-segmentation and unique exposure patterns. Customers integrating AM and post-process machining might also profit from the reference point calibration feature. The feature is essential to set the same zero point across different machine types, such as milling and turning machines and industrial AM systems.
EOSTATE – Process Monitoring Suite
EOSTATE is a ‘multi monitoring suite’ which enables customers to conduct real-time quality assurance of all production and quality relevant data. It is composed of four different monitoring tools: System, PowderBed, MeltPool and Exposure OT (optical tomography).
EOSTATE Exposure OT provides real-time, camera-based monitoring of the additive, metal-based build process. The solution fully maps each part throughout the build process, layer by layer, regardless of its geometry and size.
Developed in close collaboration with EOS’ strategic partner MTU Aero Engines, EOSTATE Exposure OT aims to enable companies to significantly reduce costs for non-destructive examination in computer tomography after the build process, as potentially defective parts can be rejected at an earlier stage.
EOSTATE MeltPool makes it possible to transparently display the complex melting process. During the build process, the tool measures the light emissions of the melt pool by means of sensors. For this, the process light is separated from the reflected laser light using elaborate hardware. The data thus captured is additionally processed and interpreted by the software system. EOSTATE MeltPool is reportedly aimed at users who want to advance their research and process development or optimise their manufacturing methods.
EOSCONNECT – Industrial grade connectivity
According to EOS, its solutions are highly connective to on premise MES/ERP solutions but also serve upcoming digital marketplaces and IoT platforms. EOSCONNECT enables machine and production data to be gathered and made available in near real-time.
This high connectivity is reported to enable companies to gain seamless handover of production data into Computer Aided Quality systems for secure traceability, helping to validate processes for production and offering transparency with visualisation and readout of real-time production KPIs. This connectivity aims to help businesses improve their productivity.
