Application of Additive Manufacturing Technology in the Industry 4.0 Era: Opportunities and Challenges Coexist

In 2019, the scale of the global additive manufacturing (industrial 3D Printing) industry is still expected to achieve steady growth, and it is expected to increase to approximately US$5.66 billion by 2023. In the context of Industry 4.0, additive manufacturing will continue to penetrate into various fields such as aerospace, automotive, and mold manufacturing, promote the acceleration and optimization of product manufacturing processes and links, and help realize the transformation and upgrading of manufacturing. The development of any industry is accompanied by challenges. For the domestic additive manufacturing industry, although the overall application scale of related technologies has shown an upward trend in recent years, the growth rate has gradually slowed down. How to move from exploratory contact with 3D Printing technology to being able to maturely apply the technology to create value is still a big problem faced by many companies. As a global technology leader in metal and polymer materials industry 3D printing, EOS believes that the core of the future development of additive manufacturing lies in the perfect return to application of new technologies. Through continuous investment in talent training, it gradually improves the integration of materials, systems, processes and services. The integrated industrial 3D printing ecosystem meets the needs of additive manufacturing applications in different industries. To

(EOS headquarters in Clarin, Germany) 3D printing technology has penetrated into various domestic fields for many years. EOS keeps in mind the importance of China as the largest market in the Asia-Pacific region and attaches great importance to the huge role played by the Chinese market under the industry 4.0 trend. While continuing to cooperate with domestic companies, EOS adheres to the customer-oriented belief, strengthens innovation, and promotes the application of industrial 3D printing in various fields such as aerospace, automotive and mold manufacturing. ·

Aerospace: EOS has been involved in the production of aircraft functional components since 2002, and the nylon flame-retardant materials it launched have been widely used in civil aircraft. At the same time, EOS also signed a cooperation agreement with the Beijing Aviation Materials Research Institute of China Aviation Development in 2018 to strengthen the research and development and promotion of advanced materials and manufacturing technologies. (EOS signed a cooperation agreement with the Aeronautical Materials Institute)

· Automotive industry: EOS additive manufacturing technology has been widely used in the production of auto parts to meet the individual needs of consumers. In addition, EOS also teamed up with the Tongji University Yichi Team to use EOS M290 equipment to innovatively modify the brake pads of the racing car to achieve rapid heat dissipation while reducing weight. (A racing film produced using EOS additive manufacturing technology)·

Mold manufacturing: In terms of mold manufacturing, EOS and Shenzhen Deke Precision Technology Co., Ltd. (dMac) jointly established the Mold Additive Innovation Center to further develop the industrial 3D printing industry by organizing project training, exhibitions, seminars and exchange meetings. The application potential of the mold industry enhances the core competitiveness of domestic enterprises in the mold manufacturing industry.

(Interior view of Mould Additive Manufacturing Center) Deeply cultivate the Chinese market and improve the application level of additive manufacturing technology. As a global leader in industrial 3D printing, EOS has always been committed to improving the application level of industrial 3D printing technology. China is the center of the global supply chain and one of the most diverse manufacturing markets. At present, the steadily increasing manufacturing demand will further deepen the application prospects of additive manufacturing in the Chinese market, and also create more opportunities for the development of EOS in China. Since entering China, the number of EOS system installations has exceeded 300. Many well-known domestic 3D printing service providers such as Sunshine, Bright, Shining 3D, Shenzhen Deco, etc. are all EOS service customers. In May 2017, in order to meet the challenges of Industry 4.0, to accelerate the transition from additive manufacturing to more intelligent production based on the realization of product lightweight and functional integration, EOS and the aircraft manufacturing structure supplier Premium AEROTEC, automobile manufacturers Daimler jointly launched the “NextGenAM” project to jointly build an intelligent “factory of the future” and develop a new generation of all-digital production lines. At present, the project has achieved initial success: Premium AEROTEC’s overall production process has reduced manufacturing costs by up to 50% compared with the existing 3D printing system-this is a big step forward for industrial 3D printing automation. In China, smart manufacturing is also an important development direction for the transformation and upgrading of the current manufacturing industry and the future of Industry 4.0. In order to meet the needs of digital transformation of domestic enterprises, EOS has worked closely with technical experts in different additive manufacturing application fields such as COMAC and Shanghai Electric, hoping to share the additive manufacturing technology by learning from EOS’s existing additive manufacturing digital test results Apply experience and cutting-edge technology to help local companies realize the value of innovation. In the future, EOS will continue to strengthen innovation cooperation with related companies in different fields, and provide technical and service support for Chinese companies to achieve business transformation, so as to achieve high-quality development in the manufacturing industry and help Industry 4.0 achieve a breakthrough leap.