(no subject)

From: Trevor James (trevor_rp@hotmail.com)
Date: Fri May 28 1999 - 22:28:27 EEST


Penn State and DTM Team Up to Expand Metal
Options for Users of SLS Technology and
Sinterstation Systems; New Developments Will
Open More Options for Rapidly Producing Metal
Prototypes and Parts

05/25 13:43

AUSTIN, Texas, May 25 /PRNewswire/ -- DTM Corporation(Nasdaq: DTMC) and Penn
State's Powder Metallurgy (P/M) Lab have announced a collaborative effort to
commercialize additional metal-based powders for use with DTM's SLS®
Selective Laser Sintering technology and Sinterstation® systems. Expanding
the range of metal materials that can be processed on these systems will
help companies and organizations to rapidly produce more varieties of metal
parts directly from 3-D CAD files. Creating metal parts in this way
streamlines time-to-market and minimizes or eliminates the delays and
expenses associated with traditional manufacturing and tooling processes.

DTM already offers two metal-based powders used exclusively with the SLS
process and Sinterstation systems. These are RapidSteel® 2.0, a stainless
steel metal infiltrated with bronze, which is used to create mold inserts
for plastic injection molding, and Copper Polyamide, a copper and plastic
composite used to create mold inserts for short runs of production plastic
parts. Both materials are being used commercially.

http://www.dtm-corp.com)
Under terms of the new agreement, DTM will support Penn State's P/M Lab
through funding. In return, Penn State will help develop SLS-compatible
aluminum materials as well as those based on other metals. In order to
achieve these goals, specific efforts by Penn State will focus on: fine
tuning SLS material formulations and processes; increasing the range and
complexity of geometric shapes and dimensional tolerances attainable with
the SLS process; and the ability to produce complex metal parts with the
properties of cast metal parts in three days or less via the SLS process.

"We've partnered with Penn State before and view this initiative as a
long-term collaborative effort that will help speed the development and
commercialization of more metal-based SLS materials," said Kevin McAlea,
DTM's Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. "In turn, this
will further expand the ways in which the SLS process can be applied as a
method of rapid prototyping, rapid tooling, and rapid manufacturing."

The Penn State team is headed by Rand German and Ron Iacocca, who are
experts in metal powders and sintering technologies. Professor German states
that the collaboration is ideal since, "The P/M Lab emphasizes the net shape
production of sintered materials. Recent efforts have given attention to new
component shaping technologies that exploit the ability to shape powder, and
even tailor new microstructures via powder mixtures. Sintering is a bonding
and densification process applied to the shaped powders formed in the DTM
Sinterstation system. This combination provides for unique, collaborative
efforts between leaders in the two respective aspect of rapid prototype
metallic structures."

DTM is working closely with other organizations in similar, but
complementary efforts. DTM announced in April that it is working with
Rockwell International to advance the direct fabrication of metal parts
using Rockwell's Direct Metal Fabrication (DMF) process. DMF combines the
SLS process with another process called Liquid Phase Sintering to create
three-dimensional objects from CAD data.

"Both the Penn State/DTM and Rockwell/DTM ventures are complementary efforts
that will advance and expand the commercial use of metals with the SLS
process," says McAlea.

More about DTM
DTM Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets Sinterstation systems
for applications in the growing rapid prototyping and manufacturing
marketplace. These systems utilize SLS Selective Laser Sintering technology
to create 3-D objects directly from 3-D CAD files using a CO2 laser to fuse
plastic, metal and ceramic powders. DTM's products are sold, serviced, and
supported directly through DTM in North America, the United Kingdom,
Germany, and Singapore, and through distributors worldwide.

For more information
Contact DTM Corporation, 1611 Headway Circle, Building 2,
Austin, TX, USA 78754;
phone +1-512-339-2922;
fax +1-512-832-6753;

web site: http://www.dtm-corp.com; email: marketing@dtm-corp.com.

Forward Looking Statement and Safe Harbor Disclaimer This release contains
forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, which may
cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely. Many of such
factors are detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including our recent filings on Forms 10-K and 10-Q.

DTM, RapidSteel®, CastForm™ PS, DuraForm™ PA, Sinterstation®, and SLS® are
trademarks and registered trademarks of DTM Corporation.

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