Spritzguss + Formenbau Bergmann purchases first metal Additive Manufacturing system from EOS. To become EOS service provider

Spritzguss + Formenbau Bergmann has purchased the EOSINT M 280, its first metal additive manufacturing system, from EOS, the technology and market leader for design-driven, integrated e-manufacturing solutions in the field of additive manufacturing (AM). Bergmann designs and produces injection mould tools and produces high-grade, custom plastic components on a large number of injection-moulding systems. The purchase of the EOSINT M 280 represents the addition of an innovative and forward-looking technology to its existing activities. At the same time, Bergmann is to start as a service provider for EOS.

Purchase of new EOSINT M 280 metal system for manufacturing high-grade tool inserts
The EOSINT M 280 metal system from EOS now enables Bergmann to produce high-grade tool inserts (such as cores or slides) and prototypes directly from metal. The high productivity and ergonomic peripherals make the system ideal for use in economic, batch-adjusted component production in all phases of the product life cycle, using additive manufacturing. The system is based on the innovative DMLS process (Direct Metal Laser Sintering) from EOS, which builds up components layer by layer on the basis of 3D CAD data. Constant process monitoring ensures maximum reproducible quality of all components. Using the technology tool making, it is possible to achieve extremely complex geometries, which can include freeform surfaces, fins and cooling channels. In particular, it is possible to create conformal cooling channels using DMLS, which results in reduced cycle times and quality optimisation in the components produced.

The system can be employed extremely flexibly and be easily integrated into existing production environments. The material most commonly employed in tool construction is EOS MaragingSteel MS1.

Augustin Niavas, business development manager for tooling at EOS points out: “We are pleased to have found a strong and highly professional partner for injection moulding, one who has many years of experience with conventional technologies but who is at the same time also open to innovative technologies. The fact that Bergmann has chosen the EOS technology reflects the level of maturity that additive manufacturing has now attained. Together, we are now able to cover the entire process chain, from the engineering design stage of the tool to the finished plastic component. This is a foundation on which we will continue to jointly support customer projects in the future and in turn continue to develop the market for additive manufacturing in tool construction.“

André Gerbert, assistant to the senior management at Spritzguss + Formenbau Bergmann adds: “Right from the start we were convinced about the benefits of the EOS additive manufacturing process. Not only can we employ the new metal system for tool making on the premises but we can now also perform contract work for our customers, based on this new manufacturing technique. This means that we are already able to achieve considerable reductions of up to twenty percent in cycle times. Moreover, as additive manufacturing enables conformal cooling of tool cores we can implement a fifty percent increase in the quality of the tool produced. It should also be noted that half of the tool cores that we are now able to produce using the EOS system could previously not even be manufactured using conventional methods.“

About Spritzguss + Formenbau Bergmann
Bergmann Spritzguss + Formenbau were founded in 1989 and now maintain two sites with approximately 250 employees, where it produces high-grade plastic parts. The company operates more than seventy injection moulding systems and is equipped with the latest production technology for tool making. It produces everything from miniature precision parts to large items weighing up to five kilograms each, for use in individual applications in a wide variety of industries, and it supports its customers in their development activities. As a system supplier, Bergmann operates a very high depth of production. Its customers operate in a wide range of fields: industry, construction, automotive, mechanical engineering, vehicle construction, heating and sanitation, dental technology, pharmaceuticals and electrical engineering. By employing additive manufacturing, the company is now able to exploit further possibilities in quality and productivity enhancement. For more information please visit www.spritzguss-bergmann.de.