From Benchmark to Breakthrough
FKM Increases Productivity by 67%
FKM Uses New Polymer Platform Ahead of Market Launch
Even before the official launch, FKM Additive Manufacturing was able to use the next generation of the EOS polymer platform for real-world applications and gain valuable experience under production conditions. The production of the first components showed clear potential for more economical production. In a specific application, productivity increased by 67 percent. At the same time, the build time per component was reduced from over three hours to less than two hours.
The new platform was tested using a powder dispenser with a diverter flap developed in-house by FKM and used in its own production environment. In addition to higher productivity, another key benefit became evident: significantly improved dimensional accuracy, directly enhancing part functionality. As Matthias Henkel, Managing Director of FKM Additive Manufacturing, explains: “For us, the key factor is that a new technology delivers measurable economic value in practice. The higher productivity of the new system generation fits perfectly with our single-shift operation. We can complete a full build job every day and achieve significantly better machine utilization. This simplifies production planning and has an immediate positive impact on profitability.”
Higher Productivity for Additive Serial Production
As a specialist in additive serial manufacturing, FKM produces both medium-sized components in higher quantities and large- series production format parts. For these applications, productivity, repeatability, and planning reliability are critical success factors. In the evaluated application, the new EOS platform significantly reduced build time per part. This enables existing production capacity to be utilized more efficiently and allows a greater number of parts to be manufactured within the same timeframe. For contract manufacturing, this creates an opportunity to meet growing demand without having to expand production space or machine capacity at the same rate.
At the same time, innovative process features offer additional opportunities to optimize manufacturing parameters such as surface quality, detail resolution and mechanical properties specifically for the respective application. Beyond efficiency gains, FKM also benefited from highly stable and homogeneous process conditions. Early access to the new process options allows users to build manufacturing know-how and application expertise at an early stage. It also creates the foundation for achieving reproducible part properties regardless of a component’s position within the build chamber. For industrial applications with recurring batch sizes, this consistency is a crucial requirement for reliable serial manufacturing.
For industrial users, this means not only high repeatability but also reduced risk when introducing new applications. Fewer design iterations and lower qualification effort can significantly accelerate the transition into production.
Reproducible Manufacturing for Diverse Applications
The practical impact of the new EOS system generation is demonstrated by FKM’s powder dispenser with diverter flap. Due to increasing material volumes, this component is required within the contract manufacturer’s automated powder handling system. The additively manufactured, compact solution can serve different system configurations and adapt flexibly to different installation situations.
For such applications, it is not only the dimensional accuracy of a single component that counts. It is crucial that variants and adaptations can be manufactured reproducibly and with consistent quality. The high dimensional accuracy of the new EOS system generation creates the basis for this and supports the efficient implementation of future variants without additional design effort. "Experience has shown that many applications evolve over time," says Matthias Henkel. "Existing solutions often need to be modified while maintaining quality and process reliability. This combination of reproducibility and flexibility provided by the EOS system is particularly valuable to us.”
Where Technology Meets Application Expertise
Early evaluation made it possible to demonstrate productivity and quality advantages under real production conditions. This enables innovation leaders such as FKM to industrialize applications more quickly and align their production capacities with future market requirements at an early stage. “Our customers expect more than just powerful manufacturing technology,” summarizes Matthias Henkel. “They want a partner who understands their application, can contribute engineering expertise, and can manufacture reproducibly for years to come. This is exactly why we combine engineering know-how, quality assurance and modern machinery, for which we rely heavily on EOS."
As a manufacturing partner, FKM masters the entire process chain from design and co-engineering to quality assurance. Combined with the new EOS technology, this enables solutions that are precisely tailored to different application requirements while delivering a high level of process reliability.
Results at a Glance:
- 67% higher productivity compared to the previous machine
- Build time per part reduced from 3:10 h to 1:54 h
- Improved dimensional accuracy for mission-critical geometries
- Enhanced surface quality, detail resolution, and mechanical properties.
- Consistent quality across the entire build area
- Reduced qualification and implementation effort
- Reproducible quality for industrial series production
- Lower post-processing effort for functional components
Short Company Profile
FKM is a pioneer and innovation driver for powder bed based laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) in Germany and Europe. They are committed to innovation since 1994: With the revolutionary possibilities of additive manufacturing, they are changing products, processes, companies and entire industries. Where tool and mold making used to determine the design rules, additive manufacturing has established completely new design and manufacturing processes with selective laser sintering (SLS) and selective laser melting (SLM).
Further Information: https://www.fkm.net
