Materialise has reported 44% higher productivity during an evaluation of EOS’s soon-to-launch polymer 3D printing platform, compared with the previous EOS platform. The additive manufacturing service provider also measured build time per part falling from 19:53 to 13:51 minutes while producing a cable twist wheel for GKN Aerospace.
The results come before EOS has released full details of the system. The powder bed fusion company plans to unveil the new polymer platform at Formnext 2026, with complete specifications scheduled for November 17. Some EOS customers have already trialled the technology, and Materialise evaluated it under real production conditions.
A trial under production conditions
Materialise used the undisclosed EOS printer to make the GKN Aerospace cable twist wheel. The company was interested in more than whether the machine could print the part, although it did. It also assessed reliability, the effect of new features, productivity and efficiency, usability and control, and the ease of post-processing.
Those criteria reflect the demands on an AM service provider. Materialise needs high throughput and must adapt to different production applications. The trial therefore examined the platform as part of a production workflow rather than as a standalone technology demonstration.
Three lasers and dynamic load balancing
EOS has disclosed a few features of the new platform. It uses a three-laser architecture, intelligent utilization and dynamic load balancing. The load-balancing function is designed to maximize output per build by equally balancing the exposure workload. The system’s increased laser capacity is also linked to greater productivity.
Giovanni Vleminckx, process engineering manager at Materialise, said the three lasers make a visible difference in performance. According to Vleminckx, their intelligent utilization helps Materialise achieve considerably higher throughput while maintaining the part quality its customers expect.
Process control and powder removal
The platform also offers extended process controls. Users can work with validated parameter sets or open them up for greater control and alignment with specific applications and key performance indicators. Vleminckx said what stood out was not one isolated feature but the overall performance of the system. He added that it combines the productivity Materialise needs with the process stability and control required to bring demanding applications into production.
Downstream operations also showed benefits. An advanced roller recoater creates softer powder cakes, which makes it easier to depowder parts and reduces handling effort. Vleminckx described the soft powder cake as a very tangible improvement for operators, noting that parts are easier to unpack and depowder and that the overall workflow is noticeably more efficient.
What is still to be disclosed
EOS has not yet published all technical details of the platform. The available results cover one evaluated part and one customer’s production trial, while the full system specifications are due at Formnext 2026. EOS plans to show the polymer AM platform in person from November 17 at its booth in hall 12, stand D71.