new sla machine

From: Todd Reese (todd.reese@carpediem.com)
Date: Mon Feb 08 1999 - 21:12:07 EET


Monday February 8, 7:59 am Eastern Time

Company Press Release

3D Systems' New SLA 7000 Breaks the Performance Barrier, Advances
Technology Beyond
Prototypes Into Production Arena

Production Solid Imager Delivers Unparalleled Speed, High Surface Finish

VALENCIA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 8, 1999-- 3D Systems Corp.
(Nasdaq/NMS:TDSC - news) Monday announced the SLA 7000 Production Solid
Imager, its
fifth-generation system that is four times faster than its current
high-end system, and capable of delivering near production quality parts
with superior surface finish.

``We broke all the boundaries by creating a system with a new
architecture and outstanding capabilities,'' said Richard Balanson, 3D
Systems president and chief operating officer. ``We
believe the SLA 7000 system sets a new industry standard for performance
by being an order of magnitude faster than its nearest competitor.''

The SLA 7000 is ideal for concept modeling, rapid prototyping, tooling
and near production applications in a wide variety of industries,
including automotive, aerospace, consumer
products, consumer electronics, toys, entertainment, and medical
imaging.

``Past process improvements were in the range of 10 to 25 percent, so
400 percent is tremendous,'' said Steve Deak, manager of rapid
prototyping at Hasbro Inc., and also one of the first
purchasers of the new system. ``We believe the SLA 7000's speed and
surface finish improvements will permit Hasbro to shorten product
development lead times and reduce project costs.
We're looking forward to reduced cost of ownership through lower
operating and maintenance expenses.''

According to Charles Wilson, 3D Systems vice president of worldwide
sales and marketing: ``The SLA 7000 system -- integrated with our new 3D
Lightyear software and high-speed
resin -- means better, faster, cheaper parts to meet our customers'
time-to-market and time-to-volume demands. And it brings us one step
closer to our ultimate goal of developing an
SLA that will take us into final production.''

New Design Benefits Customers

Equipped to build ultra-thin .001 inch (.025 millimeter) layers, the SLA
7000 system produces parts with excellent surface finish. This is a
critically important feature for rapid tooling
and other applications that require extreme part precision and high
surface resolution. This fine layer thickness also reduces the need for
hand finishing of parts.

The SLA 7000 system's high throughput and efficiency is due in part to a
dual-spot, high-power laser. A totally self-contained, maintenance-free
cooling system creates greater system
stability by tightly controlling the temperature of the laser. Combined
with a revolutionary build process, the system allows the customer to
tailor build speed and surface finish to meet
application needs.

The SLA 7000 has a maximum build area of 20 x 20 x 23.62 inches (508 x
508 x 600 mm), which allows customers to produce a significantly large
part, or multiple smaller parts
simultaneously.

With a U.S. list price of $799,995, the SLA 7000 offers three times the
price performance of the SLA 5000, the current industry leader. The SLA
7000 will begin shipping worldwide in
March 1999.

New Windows NT Software Platform

The SLA 7000 includes the company's new highly integrated 3D Lightyear
part preparation software, designed for the Windows NT operating
environment, plus companion NT-based
Buildstation 5.0 software to control the mechanical functions of the
machine.

Easy-to-use 3D Lightyear software provides significant performance
improvements over Maestro, 3D Systems' comparable Unix-based software.
3D Lightyear verifies files up to 150
times faster, renders parts up to 6 times faster, and prepares files
more than twice as fast. ``The net effect is that the SLA 7000 system
stays productive and continuously builds parts,
instead of waiting for file preparation and transfers,'' said Balanson.

The new Windows NT part preparation software will operate with all SLA
devices, including the SLA 190, SLA 250, SLA 350, SLA 500, SLA 3500 and
SLA 5000 systems.

New Generation Solid Imaging Materials

Developed by Ciba Specialty Chemicals Corp. in conjunction with 3D
Systems, the new SL 7510 high-speed, multi-purpose stereolithography
resin is an integral component in the SLA
7000 process. SL 7510 resin features fast photospeed and improved
mechanical properties.

SL 7510 is the latest development in a 10-year joint effort by 3D
Systems and Ciba Specialty Chemicals to develop advanced photopolymers
for stereolithography. 3D Systems is the
exclusive worldwide distributor of Ciba's photopolymer products produced
under this development partnership.

``This integrated combination of hardware, software and materials gives
3D Systems the broadest family of solutions in the marketplace today,''
concluded Balanson.

About 3D Systems

3D Systems provides solid imaging products and services that allow users
to move quickly from three-dimensional designs to finished parts, at a
significantly lower cost and higher
quality than more traditional methods.

The company's systems, through patented stereolithography and 3D
printing technologies, fabricate solid objects from digital input,
substantially cutting the time and cost of product
development, resulting in shorter time to manufacturing and time to
market. Based in Valencia, Calif., 3D Systems was founded in 1986, and
is recognized as the world leader in solid
imaging.

To obtain additional information about the SLA 7000 and other 3D Systems
products and services, call 888/337-9786 (toll-free) and request
extension 700, or visit the company Web site
at www.3dsystems.com. For investor information, call the 3D Systems
shareholder communications service at 800/757-1799.

Note to Editors: 3D Systems, 3D Lightyear, and SLA are trademarks of 3D
Systems Inc. Cibatool is a registered trademark of Ciba Specialty
Chemicals Corp. Windows NT is a
trademark of Microsoft Corp.

--
Todd Reese                                      Compression, Inc.
todd.reese@carpediem.com                        7752 Moller Road
Ph: (317) 228-2200 x219                         Indianapolis, IN  46268
Fax: (317) 228-6390                             www.compression.com

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