Rapid Prototyping (RP) systems lead to faster product development and a reduction in the time to market, bringing crucial competitive advantages. With over 700 installed stereolithography (STL) machines worldwide, 3D Systems (26081 Avenue Hall, Valencia, CA 91355, USA) is the number 1 on this dynamic market which has grown at an annual rate of 40% in the last two years. The company expects growth on a similar scale in the future too, as Eugen J. Geyer, the president and CEO of 3D Systems Europe (Röntgenstr. 41, D-64291 Darmstadt) explained in an interview with PIE. European markets will grow even faster, since RP applications there are three or four years behind developments in the USA. The largest national market is Germany, where 3D Systems has sold 70 of the 200 systems which have been installed in Europe. Next come Great Britain and France, followed by Italy and Spain. Geyer sees Italy and Spain as "up-and-coming markets", along with Turkey, South Africa and India.

3D Systems' customers include large companies in the automotive and electrical industries as well as small service providers which have specialised in supplying RP to third parties and, increasingly, mould makers.

For use specifically in design and development offices, 3D has designed "Actua 2100". The machine, which is based on "multi-jet modelling" (MJM) technology enables developers to produce three-dimensional models at the workplace quickly and easily. This machine is produced along with all the others at the new factory in Grand Junction, Colorado/USA, which began operations in October 1996.

3D Systems, which was founded in 1986 and has 500 employees, achieved a turnover of USD 79m in 1996, of which USD 25m was in Europe. In the next few years Geyer expects turnover to increase at an annual rate of at least 40%, in line with the growth of the market, if not more. 15% of the shares in 3D Systems are held by Ciby-Geigy AG (CH-4002 Basel), the majority by institutional investors, and about 20% by the company's founder Charles W. Hull. Ciba-Geigy also supplies the epoxide resin "Cibatool" which was developed specially for stereolithography.

READER SERVICE: 3D press release on current system installations: PIE-No. 40804 – Brochure on "Actua 2100": PIE-No. 40805 – Set of leaflets on STL plants: PIE-No. 40809 – Technical data on "Cibatool" resins : PIE-No. 40806 – Customer magazine "The Edge", Vol. V, No. 2, 1996 (German): PIE-No. 40807.