Vantico Confident in Ability to Supply Stereolithography Materials Directly to Prototypers

From: Don Tregartha (don@tregartha-dinnie.co.uk)
Date: Thu Sep 13 2001 - 11:11:03 EEST


News Release

    
Vantico Confident in Ability to Supply Stereolithography Materials Directly
to Prototypers

EAST LANSING, Mich., September 11, 2001 - Vantico Inc. expressed the strong
belief that it can begin selling all of its commercially available Cibatool"
SL photopolymers for stereolithography (SL) directly to customers beginning
February 18, 2002*, when its 1990 Research and Development and Distribution
Agreements with 3D Systems (Nasdaq: TDSC) are terminated. The announcement
comes in response to 3D Systems' September 4 claim to the International
Chamber of Commerce requesting that Vantico be enjoined from selling its
Cibatool SL resins until February 19, 2005.

George Sollner, president of Vantico's Adhesives & Tooling Division, North
America, explains, "We believe 3D Systems has misinterpreted the terms of
our Research and Development and Distribution Agreements. We initiated the
decision to terminate our exclusive agreement with 3D Systems for the
distribution of Vantico's SL materials to bring Vantico in closer touch with
the SL resins marketplace. We took this action to provide prototypers and
rapid manufacturers with direct access to the advanced technical and
applications
support and broad product offering Vantico has the long-term expertise to
supply."

Vantico pioneered the development of the Cibatool line of photopolymers for
stereolithography during the late 1980s, based on its patented photopolymer
chemistries. Under the terms of its 1990 Research and Development Contract
with 3D Systems, Vantico believes that all right, title and interest
relating to chemicals, the chemical composition or process for creating the
products or chemicals for product formulation belong to Vantico. Moreover,
it is Vantico's position that its intellectual property ownership includes
the right to manufacture and sell all Cibatool SL products.

Vantico's comprehensive family of SL photopolymers includes 16 different
materials that are used for the production of accurate, durable models with
such diverse characteristics as humidity and high-temperature resistance and
tough, polypropylene-like properties. Vantico also manufactures and markets
a broad range of epoxy and polyurethane systems for modeling, moldmaking,
prototyping and forming initial parts to the automotive, foundry, aerospace
and general
manufacturing industries. The company has been a world leader in plastic
tooling materials for more than 60 years.

Headquartered in Luxembourg, Vantico had 2000 sales of nearly $1 billion
with 3,000 employees and manufacturing sites in 18 countries around the
world. The company operates three global divisions: Adhesives & Tooling,
Electronic Polymers and Polymer Specialties.

*Vantico currently supplies SL materials directly to customers in Japan and
will maintain its existing sales channels in Japan without change.

ENDS

For further product enquiries please contact:
David Schofield at Vantico Ltd.
Duxford, Cambridge
CB2 4QA
England
Email: david.schofield@vantico.com

For more information about the rp-ml, see http://rapid.lpt.fi/rp-ml/



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