Materialise has reported a 44% productivity gain after evaluating EOS’s not-yet-launched polymer powder bed fusion platform in a production setting. The evaluation was carried out under real production conditions, before EOS’s planned full unveiling of the system at Formnext 2026 on 17 November.
For the evaluation, Materialise used the printer to make a cable twist wheel for GKN Aerospace. The printer successfully produced the part, and Materialise also examined reliability, the effect of new machine features, productivity and efficiency, usability and control, and the ease of post-processing. EOS has not yet released the platform’s complete technical specifications.
Three-laser architecture and process control
Some details are already known. The platform uses a three-laser architecture, intelligent laser utilization and dynamic load balancing. Dynamic load balancing maximizes output per build by equally balancing the exposure workload, while the added laser capacity contributes to higher productivity.
Giovanni Vleminckx, process engineering manager at Materialise, said the three lasers produce a visible performance difference. In his account, intelligent use of those lasers supports considerably higher throughput without sacrificing the part quality customers expect.
The system also offers extended process controls. Users can work with validated parameter sets or open them up to gain more control and align processing with specific applications and key performance indicators. Vleminckx said the overall performance of the system stood out, rather than any single feature, because it pairs the required productivity with the process stability and control needed for demanding production work.
Build-time and downstream effects
In the cable twist wheel trial, Materialise measured a 44% productivity increase compared with the previous EOS platform. Build time per part fell from 19 minutes 53 seconds to 13 minutes 51 seconds, a reduction of 6 minutes 2 seconds.
Materialise also observed benefits after printing. An advanced roller recoater creates softer powder cakes, which makes it easier to remove powder from parts and reduces handling effort. Vleminckx described the softer powder cake as a tangible improvement for operators, adding that parts are easier to unpack and depowder, making the workflow noticeably more efficient.
For Materialise, the combination of three-laser operation, the new roller recoater and open process controls is significant for a manufacturing service with high-throughput requirements and a need to adapt to different production applications. EOS plans to present the platform from 17 November at Formnext 2026 in hall 12, booth D71.