DTM(TM) DISTRIBUTES DESKARTES' RAPIDSHELL SOFTWARE
Developed for Casting Applications, Shelling Software Offered to all
Users of the Company's Sinterstation(R) Systems for Rapid Prototyping
Austin, Texas July 9, 1997: DTM Corporation announced today that
it has entered into a distribution agreement with DeskArtes, Oy, of
Helsinki, Finland and DeskArtes North America, a division of NEST
Technologies, of Studio City, CA. As part of this agreement, DTM
Corporation will offer certain modules of DeskArtes' Rapid Tools
Software to its current and future Sinterstationr System users
worldwide. DTM is the developer of the SLS(R) Selective Laser
Sintering process and manufacturer of the Sinterstation family of
rapid prototyping systems.
The specific software modules to be offered by DTM include: Rapid
Editor, Rapid Offset, and Rapid Refine. These three modules will be
combined into a shelling software bundle to be named RapidShell and
offered to DTM customers. The RapidShell product is being recommended
to all users of DTM's TrueForm(TM) PM Polymer, a sintering powder used
to produce shelled patterns for the investment casting process.
Within the investment casting process, shelling is used to minimize
material shrinkage or distortion in certain features or geometry of
the pattern or part. Producing a shelled TrueForm pattern with the
RapidShell process involves creating a thin outer shell of the pattern
which contains unsintered TrueForm material within its exterior
boundary. The outer surface of the part remains unchanged. The shell
thickness can be defined by the user, but is typically .75 mm (0.030
inches).
The two major benefits of using the RapidShell software when building
patterns for investment casting are:
ú improved dimensional accuracy, as a result of minimizing the amount
of material sintered
ú increase in build speed and machine throughput for parts with large
cross sections.
According to Margo Myers, DTM's Product Marketing Manager, "Our goal
is to provide our customers with total solutions for their rapid
prototyping requirements. We evaluated a number of other part
shelling techniques, but selected the DeskArtes' product due to its
intuitive user interface and reliability compared to other software
packages. Our evaluations indicate that use of the RapidShell
software, in association with our TrueForm casting material, yield
dimensionally superior parts for most geometries."
TrueForm PM Polymer, released by DTM in 1996, is an acrylic-based
polymer designed for creating parts with superior feature and edge
definitions and extremely smooth surface finishes. The material, used
as a pattern, is compatible with the standard investment casting
process.
DTM's patented Sinterstation Systems process a range of materials
including: engineering plastics, thermoplastic elastomers, sand
casting materials, and metal. Currently, there are eight commercially
available, powdered materials: polycarbonate, two nylons,
ProtoForm(TM) Nylon Composite, RapidSteel(TM), TrueForm, SandForm(TM),
and SOMOS(R) 201 Polymer. These advanced rapid prototyping materials
were developed and optimized for use in the SLS process to support
three critical areas in the product development process: functional
models, prototype manufacturing, and manufacturing.
RapidShell is a portion of DeskArtes' extensive Rapid Tools software
package consisting of seven modules for comprehensive manipulation and
conversion of STL and IGES files. DeskArtes, Oy , based in Finland,
is a recognized leader in software development for rapid prototyping
and industrial design. DeskArtes - North America, a division of NEST
Technologies, is responsible for marketing, sales, and technical
support of Rapid Tools software in the U.S. and Canada. NEST
Technologies specializes in technology products for enhancing the
benefits of rapid prototyping for product design, prototype
development, tooling, and low volume manufacturing. Worldwide support
of the RapidShell Software Module will be provided by DeskArtes' local
support agents.
DTM Corporation develops, manufactures and markets the Sinterstation
family of rapid prototyping products for application in the growing
rapid manufacturing marketplace. DTM has an exclusive worldwide
license to Selective Laser Sintering technology. The company's
products are sold, serviced, and supported directly through DTM in
North America and in Europe through DTM GmbH (Germany), a wholly-owned
subsidiary, as well as agents located in various European countries.
DTM products are also available through an extensive network of
international agents and distributors throughout the Pacific Rim and
South America.
####
DTM(TM), RapidTool(TM), SandForm(TM), TrueForm(TM), ProtoForm(TM),
Sinterstation(R), and SLS(R) are trademarks and registered trademarks
of DTM Corporation. Somos(R) is a registered trademark of E.I. du
Pont de Nemours and Company
c DTM Corporation
All rights reserved
For More Information:
DTM Corporation: Mr. Kent Nutt, Marketing Communications Manager
Tel: (512) 339-2922, Fax: (512) 832-6753
DeskArtes, Oy: Dr. Charles Woodward, Managing Director
Tel: 358-9-644-335, Fax: 358-9-644-330
DeskArtes - North America Mr. Michael Tsenter, Vice President
Tel: (818) 761-6500
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