Materialise has evaluated EOS’s soon-to-launch polymer powder-bed fusion platform under real production conditions, reporting 44% higher productivity than the previous EOS system and a reduction of more than six minutes in build time per part. The trial comes ahead of the platform’s full unveiling at Formnext 2026, where EOS plans to present the system on November 17 at its booth in hall 12, booth D71.
For the evaluation, Materialise used the new EOS 3D printer to produce a cable twist wheel for GKN Aerospace. The additive manufacturing service provider was not only checking whether the machine could print the part, which it did; it also assessed reliability, the impact of new features, productivity and efficiency, usability and control, and the ease of post-processing the printed parts.
Three-laser architecture and process control
EOS has not yet released all technical details about the polymer platform, but the system includes a three-laser architecture, intelligent utilization and dynamic load balancing. The latter is designed to maximize output per build by equally balancing the exposure workload, while the increased laser capacity contributes to higher productivity.
Giovanni Vleminckx, process engineering manager at Materialise, said the three lasers make a visible difference in performance. Their intelligent utilization helps Materialise achieve considerably higher throughput while maintaining the part quality its customers expect, he said. The system also offers extended process controls, allowing users to work with validated parameter sets or open them up for greater control and alignment with specific applications and KPIs.
Vleminckx added that the overall performance of the system stood out, rather than one isolated feature. He said it combines the productivity needed with the process stability and control required to bring demanding applications into production.
Build-time and downstream improvements
When printing the cable twist wheel, Materialise recorded the 44% productivity gain compared with the previous machine and saw build time per part fall from 19:53 to 13:51 minutes. The service provider also noted downstream benefits from an advanced roller recoater that creates softer powder cakes. This feature makes it easier to depowder parts and reduces handling effort.
Vleminckx said the soft powder cake is a very tangible improvement for operators. Parts are easier to unpack and depowder, making the overall workflow noticeably more efficient, he added. For a manufacturing service with high-throughput requirements and the need to adapt to different production applications, the combination of the three-laser architecture, new roller recoater and open process controls is significant.
Materialise’s evaluation indicates that the platform’s relevance extends beyond raw build speed to reliability, process stability, usability and downstream handling. EOS has not yet released all technical details about the platform; more information is expected at Formnext 2026.