3D Printing Pioneer Still Enthusiastic 30 Years Later

Hans Langer, 36 at the time with two young children and just over $50,000 to his name, founded EOS, a 3D printer manufacturer. The year was 1989, and it was the dawn of the new printing technology. Although he saw the potential in the new cutting-edge technology, he knew he could lose big if things went the wrong way. It has indeed been a bumpy 30 years. But at 67 now-billionaire Langer is as enthusiastic as ever about 3D printers and their ability to significantly better today's technology and people's lives. 

Tucked away in the forests of Bavaria, in a building that once housed the printing presses for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, is one of the largest 3-D printer factories in the world. On a late-winter morning, it is quiet inside the cavernous space as workers install lasers and wiring in machines that are taller than a person and wider than a desk. When finished, these printers can make everything from parts for rockets to hip implants. The 100,000-square-foot factory is not quite half full, but when it reaches capacity, it will be able to ship 1,000 printers a year.

The man responsible for all this is 67-year-old Hans Langer, one of the original entrepreneurs in the 3-D printing world, who started the company that produces these machines, EOS GmbH, 30 years ago. —Amy Feldman, Forbes

Dr. Langer was honored at the 2019 3D Printing Industry gathering in London in June 2019:

As previously announced Dr. Hans Langer, founder and CEO of EOS, was awarded the lifetime achievement Outstanding Contribution to 3D Printing award in 2019. See our interview with Dr. Langer here for further insight into his direction of the company, and note prior winners Dr. Adrian Bowyer, and Fried Vancraen here. —Beau Jackson, 3D Printing Industry

Photo: Hall with EOS systems for additive manufacturing. Courtesy of EOS