3D Systems' New SLA 7000 Breaks the Performance Barrier
Advances Technology Beyond Prototypes Into Production Arena
(Business Wire; 02/08/99)
VALENCIA, CALIF. (Feb. 8) BUSINESS WIRE -Feb. 8, 1999--
Production Solid Imager Delivers Unparalleled Speed, High Surface Finish
3D Systems Corp. (Nasdaq/NMS:TDSC) 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.
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CONTACT: 3D Systems Corp., Valencia Mary Woods, 805/295-5600, ext. 2508
Foley Freisleben LLC 818/986-5700
Lynn Fireside, fireside@folfry.com Jerry Freisleben, freislbn@folfry.com
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