EOS joins Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing

Novi, MI - The first additive manufacturing (AM) OEM invited to join the Virginia-based Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM) is EOS, a company that provides design-driven, integrated e-manufacturing solutions in the AM and industrial 3D printing sector.

CCAM will have one of the earliest installations of EOS' latest direct-metal laser sintering (DMLS) systems, the EOS M 290, in its large-scale production lab. There, they will further explore the technology's ability to manufacture end products for aerospace and other industries. EOS will work with CCAM members to develop AM solutions that match the needs of the organizations involved.

"EOS often partners with its customers to refine their use of laser sintering," says Andrew Snow, senior VP at EOS North America. "CCAM will enable us to draw on the experience of our fellow members and collaborate to create organization-specific additive applications."

For instance, collaborating with a company that creates surfacing tools may help determine whether an abrasive polish or a coating method will offer the right finish for a particular alloy. In the case of a near-net DMLS part, a milling or CNC cutting process might be more appropriate. And the resulting production line may be guided via the control hardware and software produced by yet another member.

CCAM is unique among industrial consortia in that it offers its members a shared facility for R&D while protecting their individual intellectual property and market position. Through the use of joint resources, the Center provides a hub for the most advanced manufacturing techniques and procedures being practiced today. Companies such as Rolls-Royce, Siemens, and Chromalloy are working alongside not only one another, but in collaboration with academic teams from Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, Old Dominion University, and Virginia State University. Roughly 50 student interns participate in the Center.

The 62,000 square-foot facility at the Center's Prince George County home includes computational software and hardware as well as production labs with a broad range of technologies, including die-sink EDM and 5-axis cutting machines, CMM equipment, and surfacing apparatus such as plasma spray, thermal spray, and media blasting systems. The facility also has high bays to accommodate commercial-scale equipment.