EOS is preparing to unveil a new polymer 3D printing platform at Formnext 2026, and one early customer has reported a substantial productivity improvement after testing the system in production conditions.
Materialise, an additive manufacturing service provider, evaluated the soon-to-launch EOS machine and recorded 44% higher productivity than with the previous EOS platform. Build time per part fell by more than six minutes, from 19:53 to 13:51 minutes, according to the company.
Production trial with aerospace part
As part of the evaluation, Materialise used the new EOS printer to produce a cable twist wheel for GKN Aerospace. The company said the machine successfully printed the part. The trial also examined reliability, the effect of new features, productivity and efficiency, usability and control, and ease of post-processing.
Full technical details of the platform have not yet been released; it is scheduled to be shown from November 17 at Formnext 2026, at its booth in hall 12, stand D71. The available information describes a three-laser architecture, intelligent laser utilization and dynamic load balancing. The system’s dynamic load balancing is designed to maximize output per build by equally balancing the exposure workload, and increased laser capacity contributes to greater productivity.
Giovanni Vleminckx, process engineering manager at Materialise, said the three lasers make a visible difference in performance. He said their intelligent use helps the service provider achieve considerably higher throughput while maintaining the part quality its customers expect.
Controls and downstream handling
The platform also offers extended process controls. Users can work with validated parameter sets or open them up for more control and alignment with specific applications and key performance indicators.
Vleminckx said the overall performance of the system stood out, rather than one isolated feature. According to him, it combines the productivity Materialise needs with the process stability and control required to bring demanding applications into production.
Materialise also reported downstream benefits from an advanced roller recoater that creates softer powder cakes. The feature makes it easier to depowder parts and reduces handling effort. Vleminckx described the soft powder cake as a very tangible improvement for operators, adding that parts are easier to unpack and depowder, making the overall workflow noticeably more efficient.
The evaluation therefore covered both the printing cycle and the handling steps that follow it, an important scope for a service provider with high-throughput requirements and varied production applications.
The combination of the three-laser architecture, the new roller recoater and open process controls is significant for a manufacturing service with high-throughput requirements that must adapt to different production applications.