[rp-ml] Fw: Wohlers Report 2004 Finds Unprecedented Growth in Low-End Rapid Prototyping Machine Sales

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Wohlers Report 2004 Finds Unprecedented Growth in Low-End Rapid Prototyping Machine Sales
Rapid Prototyping Industry Reverses Its Downward Trend
 
DEARBORN, MICHIGAN, USA, May 11, 2004 -- Wohlers Associates, Inc. today announced the availability of Wohlers Report 2004, a worldwide progress report on the rapid prototyping, tooling, and manufacturing state of the industry. The report covers all facets of the industry, including business, product, market, technology, research, and application. Forty-five experts, 42 service providers, 28 system manufacturers, and countless others assisted with its development. To support the review and analysis, the softbound publication includes 23 charts and graphs, 38 tables, 79 photographs and illustrations, and seven appendices.
 
Last year, the rapid prototyping industry reversed its downward trend, the 270-page report reveals. Revenues returned to levels of the past, with product revenues gaining impressively. "Low-end machine sales soared to unprecedented heights, with 3D printers becoming the crown jewel of the RP industry," stated Terry Wohlers, principal author of the report and president of Wohlers Associates. "With the increase in the number of machines sold and installed, the total number of models being produced annually also grew," he explained. "Consequently, material sales were strong."
 
The release of the new report coincides with the Society of Manufacturing Engineer's Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing 2004 Conference and Exposition, which began today and ends May 13 here in Dearborn. In today's plenary session, Terry Wohlers presented highlights of the report in his annual State of the Industry address. RP&M 2004 marks the 12th consecutive year in which Wohlers has presented his views, analysis, and opinions on this constantly changing industry at the RP&M event.
 
In today's presentation and in the report, Wohlers explained that Stratasys is inching its way toward dominance as it unseats 3D Systems as the king of rapid prototyping. And Z Corporation has moved up to the number two position in annual unit sales. Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to maintain its grip on both the production and consumption of RP systems.
 
The new report sells for $425 in the U.S. and $445 in all other countries. The report's table of contents, as well as additional information on the RP market and industry, are available at http://wohlersassociates.com.
Wohlers Associates, Inc. is an 18-year-old independent consulting firm that works closely with manufacturing organizations to identify the best approaches to rapid product development. As the company's principal consultant, Terry Wohlers tracks new methods and technologies and determines a strategic direction that gives companies an edge. His highly sought-after views and opinions come from years of collecting and analyzing market data, coupled with work as an advisor to major organizations in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
 
 
 
Report Development Team
 
The following 45 individuals and organizations contributed to Wohlers Report 2004 and served as important sources for information.
 
Paulo Jorge Bártolo
Institute Polytechnic of Leiria (Portugal)
 
Joseph Beaman
University of Texas at Austin
 
Alain Bernard
Ecole Centrale de Nantes (France)
 
Paul Besl
General Motors
 
Nico Blessing
FhG Institute for Mfg. Eng. & Automation (Germany)
 
David Bourell
University of Texas at Austin
 
Tim Caffrey
Caffrey Consulting
 
Andy Christensen
Medical Modeling LLC
 
Vesna Cota
Tyco Electronics Canada Ltd. (Canada)
 
Deon de Beer
Technikon Free State (South Africa)
 
Jonas de Carvalho
University of São Paulo - São Carlos (Brazil)
 
Carl Dekker
Met-L-Flo Inc.
 
Philip Dickens
Loughborough University (England)
 
Mike Durham
Accelerated Technologies
 
Jim Gentrup
Provident Equity Research
 
Vito Gervasi
Milwaukee School of Engineering
 
Ian Gibson
University of Hong Kong (China)
 
Tim Gornet
University of Louisville
 
Joe Greco
Greco Consulting
 
Andrzej Grzesiak
FhG Institute for Mfg. Eng. & Automation (Germany)
 
Richard Hague
Loughborough University (England)
 
Russ Harris
Loughborough University (England)
 
Berndt Holmer
IVF Industrial Research and Development Corp. (Sweden)
 
Neil Hopkinson
Loughborough University (England)
 
Masato Imamura
Sintokogio Ltd. (Japan)
 
Luca Iuliano
Politecnico di Torino (Italy)
 
Rik Knoppers
TNO Industrial Technology (The Netherlands)
 
Tahar Laoui
University of Leuven (Belgium)
 
Candice Majewski
Loughborough University (England)
 
Bent Mieritz
Danish Technological Institute (Denmark)
 
Bill Morgan
Plastech, a division of Mobile Area Networks, Inc.
 
Tom Mueller
Express Pattern
 
Claire Reed
Wohlers Associates, Inc.
 
Joel Segal
University of Nottingham (England)
 
Michael Siemer
Walt Disney World Company
 
Adam Smith
Utah State University
 
Geoff Smith-Moritz
CAD/CAM Publishing
 
Rupert Soar
Loughborough University (England)
 
Tom Sorovetz
DaimlerChrysler
 
Brent Stucker
Utah State University
 
Chris Tuck
Loughborough University (England)
 
Jukka Tuomi
Helsinki University of Technology (Finland)
 
Jonas Van Vaerenbergh
University of Leuven (Belgium)
 
Pamela Waterman
EngineeringInk
 
David Wimpenny
De Montfort University (England)
Received on Tue May 11 20:21:26 2004