English university opens high-temperature polymer additive manufacturing center

Exeter, England--The University of Exeter opened its Center for Additive Layer Manufacturing (CALM), which features machines that can work with several materials to allow for a huge range of possibilities in potential products. The first facility of its kind in the UK, the Center offers the EOSINT P800 laser sintering system from EOS, which can build parts at temperatures up to 385°C and enables production using high-performance polymers, such as PEEK.

The European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company N.V. (EADS) supports CALM, which is in part financed by the EU and the European Regional Development Fund under the competitiveness operating program (£1.5 million).

The partnership enables the University of Exeter to provide additive manufacturing facilities for the southwest of the UK, further helping to raise awareness for a technology that is currently shifting paradigms in design and manufacturing, says Dr. Hans J. Langer, founder and CEO of EOS. The company also looks forward to expanding the use of the PEEK material, which is being processed on the P800, in the aerospace, medical and motorsports arena.

The CALM facility targets businesses that are producing prototypes and developing products, and enables businesses, entrepreneurs, and researchers to harness the potential of additive manufacturing. With EOS' manufacturing technology, complex or bespoke parts and complete products can be created by building them up one layer at a time via laser sintering, which significantly reduces the time it takes to get a product from the design stage into market.

For more information on CALM, please visit www.exeter.ac.uk/calm.

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