3D Systems announced today that its fab-grade 3D printers effectively matched and exceeded the productivity of traditional injection molding in the direct manufacture of functional parts. This breakthrough opens up the possibility of just-in-time, high volume, flexible additive manufacturing using the company's precision Stereolithography (SLA®) and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS®) advanced manufacturing printers, enabling manufacturers to produce functional, precision parts in seconds, without the need for tooling or a lengthy supply chain.
3DS' SLA, the gold standard in 3D printing, was the first to revolutionize product development and prototyping, followed by the introduction of 3DS' SLS, which transitioned many customers firmly into the direct manufacturing of functional parts. Today's announced production speed records are shifting the manufacturing paradigm again: from low volume production to high volume direct manufacturing of complex parts across a range of use cases and industries.
3DS is debuting a series of videos that demonstrate how its fab-grade printers can manufacture thousands of parts at speeds comparable to traditional injection molding operations.
"Our unwavering commitment to customer success through innovation has literally broken the mold this time – challenging the myth that 3D printing can't match the productivity of injection molding," said Cathy Lewis, 3DS' CMO. "This is just the beginning. We are working on additional applications that defy traditional manufacturing constraints, allowing our customers to go from idea to product in hours, instead of months - to truly manufacture the future."
Learn more about 3DS' commitment to manufacturing the future today at www.3dsystems.com.
About 3D Systems
3D Systems is a leading provider of 3D printing centric design-to-manufacturing solutions including 3D printers, print materials and cloud sourced on-demand custom parts for professionals and consumers alike in materials including plastics, metals, ceramics and edibles. The company also provides integrated 3D scan-based design, freeform modeling and inspection tools and an integrated 3D planning and printing digital thread for personalized surgery and patient specific medical devices. Its products and services replace and complement traditional methods and reduce the time and cost of designing new products by printing real parts directly from digital input. These solutions are used to rapidly design, create, communicate, prototype or produce functional parts and assemblies, empowering customers to manufacture the future.
Leadership Through Innovation and Technology
- 3DS invented 3D printing with its Stereolithography (SLA) printer and was the first to commercialize it in 1989.
- 3DS invented Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) printing and was the first to commercialize it in 1992.
- 3DS invented the Color-Jet-Printing (CJP) class of 3D printers and was the first to commercialize 3D powder-based systems in 1994.
- 3DS invented Multi-Jet-Printing (MJP) printers and was the first to commercialize it in 1996.
Today its comprehensive range of 3D printers is the industry's benchmark for production-grade manufacturing in aerospace, automotive, patient specific medical device and a variety of consumer, electronic and fashion accessories.