Specialist manufacturer FIT AG trusts in EOS solutions for additive manufacturing factory
FIT AG invests in five EOS M 400-4 systems for manufacturing metal components via industrial 3D printing
FIT AG, specialist for Additive Manufacturing (AM) solutions, is expanding its industrial 3D printing capacities and investing in five EOS M 400-4 systems. The EOS solutions will be part of a factory with 4,200 m² of floor space, specially designed for serial production using industrial 3D printing technology. FIT AG is therefore continuing to build on its globally leading position as a special provider in the field of AM. At the same time, EOS will be strategic supplier to FIT AG, which is planning to use EOS systems to manufacture products mainly for the automotive industry, the world of motorsport, the medical technology sector, and the aerospace industry.
As a specialist manufacturer of prototypes and pilot series, FIT AG offers its customers a broad portfolio of AM solutions that feature short lead times as well as software and hardware solutions. Both national and international companies from numerous industries rely on FIT AG to supply them with optimized, additively manufactured components more quickly and with greater efficiency. In turn, FIT AG is relying on the 3D printing solutions of EOS, in order to meet the continually growing market demand for high-quality products. EOS is the world's leading technology supplier in the field of industrial 3D printing of metals and polymers.
Seamless AM integration in industrial manufacturing
The newly purchased EOS M 400-4 systems are equipped with four lasers to ensure greater productivity and excellent part quality. At the same time, the system features a particularly large build platform of 400 x 400 x 400 mm, making the EOS M 400-4 the ideal machine for manufacturing high-quality metal components on an industrial scale. With these five new systems, FIT AG is looking to increase the diversity of the materials it can process in-house and thereby boost its overall manufacturing capacity. FIT AG aims to automate its processes and therefore drive the future of large-scale industrial Additive Manufacturing.
Accordingly, building on a wealth of experience gathered over decades, in April 2016 FIT AG began operating the first factory specially designed for Additive Manufacturing – the FIT Factory – where it already deploys a number of EOS systems. By the end of 2017, FIT AG plans to establish an additional AM factory on its AM campus, where the five new EOS M 400-4 systems will be initially installed.
Carl Fruth, CEO of FIT AG explained, “The new generation of EOS systems not only convinced us with the outstanding quality of the components it produces, but above all with its open interfaces, which allow us to seamlessly integrate these machines in our quality assurance concepts – a further big step towards achieving the industrial-scale Additive Manufacturing of components." He continued by saying, “It is our declared objective to supply our customers with components of exceptional quality from one single source. We intend to achieve this objective as we move forward with EOS as a dependable partner and long-term supplier."
Dr. Adrian Keppler, CEO of EOS GmbH, stated, “I am delighted that over 20 years of successful collaboration between EOS and FIT AG in the field of Additive Manufacturing of polymer parts are now being extended to include metal components. Carl Fruth of FIT AG is one of the most experienced pioneers in 3D printing manufacturing. We are therefore proud that he has placed his trust in EOS when it comes to establishing his AM factories. The investment in five EOS M 400-4 systems shows that our solutions are ideally suitable for an integrated large-scale AM production scenario."
About EOS
EOS is the world's leading technology supplier in the field of industrial 3D printing of metals and polymers. Formed in 1989, the independent company is pioneer and innovator for comprehensive solutions in additive manufacturing. Its product portfolio of EOS systems, materials, and process parameters gives customers crucial competitive advantages in terms of product quality and the long-term economic sustainability of their manufacturing processes. Furthermore customers benefit from deep technical expertise in global service, applications engineering and consultancy.
About the FIT Group:
Founded in 1995, FIT AG is a leading German provider of rapid prototyping services and additive design and manufacturing (“ADM”) via its subsidiaries FIT Prototyping GmbH and FIT Production GmbH. Group revenue in 2016 was EUR 24 million – an increase of forty per cent versus prior year. FIT employs today 330 people, most of them at the company’s headquarters in Lupburg, Germany. The FIT Group operates further subsidiaries, e.g. in Brasov (Romania), and Boston, MA (USA). www.fit.technology