EOS is preparing to unveil a new polymer powder bed fusion platform at Formnext 2026, with full details scheduled for November 17. Ahead of the launch, additive manufacturing service provider Materialise has evaluated the system under real production conditions and reports 44% higher productivity than on the previous EOS platform, together with a reduction in build time per part of more than six minutes.
Production trial with an aerospace part
As part of the evaluation, Materialise used the unnamed EOS printer to produce a cable twist wheel for customer GKN Aerospace. The service provider said it wanted to know not only whether the machine could print the part, which it did, but also to measure reliability, the impact of the platform's new features, productivity and efficiency, usability and control, and how easy the prints would be to post-process.
Three lasers and dynamic load balancing
EOS has not yet released the full technical specification of the platform. What is known is that it uses a three-laser architecture with intelligent utilisation and dynamic load balancing. That balancing function is intended to maximise output per build by distributing the exposure workload evenly, while the added laser capacity is credited with the productivity increase.
Giovanni Vleminckx, process engineering manager at Materialise, said the three lasers make a visible difference in performance, and that their intelligent use helps the company achieve considerably higher throughput while holding the part quality its customers expect.
Process control and downstream effects
The system also offers extended process controls, allowing users to work with validated parameter sets or to open them up for closer control and alignment with specific applications and key performance indicators. Vleminckx said what stood out was not one isolated feature but the overall performance of the system, which pairs the productivity the service needs with the process stability and control required to move demanding applications into production.
On the cable twist wheel build, Materialise recorded productivity gains of 44% against the previous machine, with build time per part falling from 19:53 to 13:51 minutes. The company also pointed to downstream benefits from an advanced roller recoater that creates softer powder cakes, which makes parts easier to depowder and reduces handling effort. Vleminckx described the softer powder cake as a tangible improvement for operators, noting that parts are simpler to unpack and clean, making the overall workflow noticeably more efficient.
Materialise said the combination of the three-laser architecture, the new roller recoater and open process controls matters for a manufacturing service with high-throughput requirements that has to adapt to different production applications.
EOS intends to show the platform in person from November 17 at Formnext 2026, at its booth in hall 12, booth D71.