Incremental improvements

Finally back to the office after an extended absence, part of which included braving the cold and subsequent travel chaos to attend this year's Euromold in Frankfurt, Germany.


Now in its 17th year, Euromold is a staple on the calendars of anyone involved in the product design, development and manufacturing chain. Taking up three halls of the Messe Frankfurt exhibition centre, the event was well attended despite the closure of Frankfurt airport and the cancellation of hundreds of inbound flights.


Although there were no major tech developments at the show, there were a number of important incremental developments for visitors to learn about:

• EOS introduced the EOSINT M 280 — a development of the established M 270 system with a 400W fibre laser and redesigned flow within the build chamber.
• Objet unveiled two 3D printers starting from $19,900 — the Objet24 and Objet 30 replace the Alaris30 and signal a shift away from the subdivisions (Alaris, Eden, Connex etc) that have driven Objets marketing of late. While the Objet24 prints only in a single resin the Objet30 can use multiple materials (though not simultaneously) broadening the scope of applications.
• MTT Technologies Group has split into two separate entities; MTT Technologies Ltd in the UK and SLM Solutions GmbH in Germany. The move sees both companies acting independently in the global marketplace.
• SensAble Technologies announced a new dental partners SILADENT in Germany and Innodema in Belgium,  along with news that its 3D modelling software, FreeForm, was availble as a version 11 release.
• Delcam and Marcam Engineering announced a plan to work in partnership to develop joint solutions for the AM market. Though not currently legally-binding, the proposed agreement would see Delcam acquire a 24.9% stake in the German software developer, which currently offers AutoFab and VisCAM software.

A number of innovations in materials were also shown at the event including:

• EOS launched new materials for both metal and plastic SLS; EOS NickelAlloy IN625 in the metals, while for plastic parts, PrimePart FR (PA 2241 FR, a new, flame retardant material that is particularly suitable for applications in the aerospace industry) and PrimePart ST (PEBA 2301, a flexible elastomeric material offering a wide range of mechanical properties, depending on the laser exposure strategy selected) were launched. 
• Objet began to address some ongoing concerns in the materials field by launching new 'functional' resins that will be available from next year: Objet Clear Material featuring true transparency with high dimensional stability; Objet High Temperature Material, bringing 3D printing models into a new era of thermal functionality; and Objet first-generation of ABS-like Material, bringing 3D model properties closer than ever to engineering plastics. Objet VeroWhitePlus will be released concurrently to replace VeroWhite.
• DSM Somos demonstrated some prototypes made by European bureaux using the company's NeXt SL resin.

Keep an eye on the website in the coming days for more news from the show along with updates from the latest issue. 

Did you attend Euromold? What caught your eye this year, and how did it compare to previous outings?