EOS, a leading technology supplier in the field of industrial 3-D printing (of metals and polymers), has acquired Vulcan Labs, expanding its capacity and capabilities in additive manufacturing (AM) relating to powder bed fusion technology.

Glynn Fletcher, president of EOS North America (www.eos.info), said that the Vulcan Labs team members bring decades of industry experience to EOS’s technical centre in Pflugerville (Texas) and its ALM materials research and production facility in Temple (Texas), further strengthening its ability to ensure customer success in industrial 3-D printing.

“Additive manufacturing is advanced manufacturing, and it is not as easy as simply pushing a ‘print’ button.

“Our job is helping to ensure that our customers are productive and successful, which sometimes requires non-standard solutions that are customised to very specific applications.

“With this acquisition of top AM industry talent, we have formed a dedicated engineering services group focused on meeting these requirements.”

While some former Vulcan Labs engineers are helping to form the new engineering services group, others are helping to further the development and commercialisation of the new Integra P 400 polymer 3-D printer, which is designed for high- quality mid-temperature AM applications.

Launched in December 2018 and currently available only in North America, the Integra P 400 is manufactured in Texas and has already won orders from nearly a dozen organisations.

David Leigh, Former Vulcan Labs CEO, will now be the chief operating officer at EOS North America. He said: “The time is perfect for EOS and Vulcan Labs to join together.

Industrial 3-D printing is still relatively new, but it has moved from the theoretical to the practical.

"As organisations wrestle to integrate AM into their production chain, experts like EOS will make the difference between struggle or success.

"That success requires a ‘stable’ of experts and a robust ecosystem of partners. Vulcan Labs augments existing EOS know-how and brings high-value solutions to our customers.”