EOS GmbH, a global player in the field of additive manufacturing (AM), commonly known as 3D printing, is maintaining its double digit growth rate in India, supported by the increasing adoption of AM technology in aerospace, medical and oil and gas sectors.

The €315-million German company, which has been present in India since 1998, has been growing at more than 28 per cent year-on-year and is confident of sustaining the growth rate in the near term.

“Our growth has primarily been driven by aerospace and medical segments. While these segments will continue to see traction, we also expect faster adoption of AM technology in oil and gas and tool and die segments in the near term. There is also renewed interest in AM from auto sector, which may adopt the technology in a big way in the next two-three years,” Prakasam Anand, Country Manager, EOS-India, told BusinessLine .

Industrial use

In the medical field, the dental segment has been a fast adopter, while orthopaedics is expected to use this in a big way in the next three-four years. In oil and segment, EOS’ AM is used in parts relating to gas turbines and companies such as BHEL and Reliance have been adopting this technology.

He said automotive sector was using it predominantly in R&D to do quick proto-types for visualisation and other functions, while segments such as aerospace, medical and oil and gas used it production in addition to proto-typing.

By using AM in proto-typing, companies save on lead time and can do more iterations, resulting in developing a better product.

In production areas, AM promises to help cut cost per part by reducing weight and integrating many operations smoothly. Since it is a lean manufacturing process, it also helps reduce carbon emissions.

“AM is another manufacturing process and companies need to chose the right parts for this technology and redesign the same to realise the benefits,” said Prakasam.

EOS has positioned itself as a provider of complete solutions instead of being just a suppler of machines. “We also offer consulting, known as Additive Minds, to help customers achieve full benefits,” he added.

comment COMMENT NOW