EOS implements the CO-AM software from Materialise. With this, the 3D printer manufacturer wants to manage, trace and make more efficient the AM processes in Germany, the US and some locations in Asia-Pacific. CO-AM will support EOS’ internal AM workflow, from order management to production planning, construction monitoring and post-processing.
Materialize launched Co-AM on Formnext last year. It is an open MES platform, to which a number of other parties in the AM industry are already connected, including AM-Flow, Dye Mansion and PostProcess. The software links all steps in the workflow. The basis for CO-AM lies in the acquisition of the American Link3D by Materialize at the end of 2021. EOS will have access to tools via the platform for planning, managing and optimizing every step of the 3D printing process.
Efficiencyverbetering
“With the improved connectivity and traceability in CO-AM, we aim to improve the efficiency of our production process by reducing powder consumption and the number of machines required for our operations,” said Revor Kirsten, Head of Digital Manufacturing at EOS. This efficiency improvement outweighs the costs associated with the platform. The CO-AM Scheduler shows both planned and actual printer activities to support utilization improvements. Within the platform, Materialize’s AMWatch software will enable operators and engineers to monitor build status and process sensor data to reduce failure rates and improve quality control. EOS team members will also have access to data in the CO-AM platform collected through an iOS shop floor application. This digital feedback from the factory floor will help them monitor unpacking, depowdering and post-processing activities in real time.
Integration into existing production systems
One of the advantages of CO-AM is that the platform can be integrated with existing production technology and that users can adapt the software to their needs.