3D Systems to Demonstrate Aerospace Manufacturing Leadership with End-to-End Solutions at Dubai Airshow 2017

- End-to-end manufacturing solutions accelerate supply chain processes and reduce time of aircraft on ground

- New DuraForm® ProX® FR1200 material delivers FAR 25.853 compliance, meeting the flame retardancy thresholds required by the Aerospace market

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 3D Systems (NYSE: DDD) announced today that it is showcasing its additive manufacturing expertise for the Aerospace and Defense industry, in conjunction with select customers, next week at the Dubai Airshow. As the inventor of 3D printing, the company offers industry-leading end-to-end manufacturing solutions designed for the Aerospace and Defense industry, which are comprised of the broadest portfolio of software, technology, materials, and services capabilities. These solutions help customers produce parts more quickly at significantly lighter weight while retaining tensile strength with lower total cost of operation (TCO) as compared to traditional manufacturing processes.

Dubai Airshow attendees will be able to see 3D production solutions developed with Aerospace customers at the 3D Systems booth, stand 1560.

3D Systems' Bryan Hodgson, advanced aerospace applications for 3D Systems, will be leading a keynote presentation at this year's event discussing the benefits of industrializing 3D printing for Aerospace. The keynote will be held at the air show's conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems on November 15 at 12:40pm local time.

SLS and New Flame Retardant Material for Interior Cabin Parts
3D Systems' new DuraForm^® ProX^® FR1200 nylon material delivers FAR 25.853 compliance, meeting the flame retardancy thresholds required by the Aerospace market for interior cabin parts. The material meets AITM Smoke Density and Toxicity Requirements, and its non-halogenated formulation has a favorable health profile. Parts produced with DuraForm ProX FR1200 possess excellent surface quality and a vibrant white color that cannot be attained with competitive materials making it ideal for post-processing and painting. Using this material in conjunction with 3D Systems' SLS additive technology enables very fast, tool-free, on-demand production that accelerates supply chains while reducing inventory and time of aircraft on ground (AOG). The material is currently being certified by a major international airline.

Investment Casting for Dramatically Reduced Time and Cost
3D Systems is the leader in technologies and services for 3D printed investment casting patterns. The combination of its SLA additive manufacturing platforms, QuickCast^® methodology, and materials delivers perfect surface finish with a lightweight, zero-ash burnout process. Customers, including Vaupell, use the Accura^® CastPro™ Free material to produce antimony-free SLA casting patterns for Aerospace customers, delivering unprecedented speed and quality at a fraction of the cost of traditional methodologies. Andy Reeves, a Vaupell sales engineer for new business development, estimates that a specific 26-inch diameter part pattern can be produced with QuickCast on a 3D Systems ProX^® 800 SLA 3D printer in two to three days for approximately $6,000 to $15,000. A traditionally produced tool for the same part could take anywhere from several months to more than a year at a cost of $200,000 to $300,000.

Direct Metal Printing for Mission-Critical, Risk-Averse Applications
3D Systems partners closely with many Aerospace companies to research, design and certify metal additive parts for the industry. A major European satellite-based system manufacturer is one such partner that is aggressively researching the technology with an aim to transform satellite design with 3D printed metal parts. 3D Systems' Direct Metal Printing (DMP) is now qualified and fully available for titanium in this manufacturer's applications enabling parts to be significantly lighter and noticeably more compact, with equal or superior tensile strength to traditionally manufactured parts. Today, for certain products like the satellites, 80 percent of metal parts are produced using 3D printing, replacing traditionally manufactured parts.

"3D Systems has a long history in the Aerospace and Defense industry, and many successful collaborations with our customers," said Bryan Hodgson, advanced aerospace applications, 3D Systems. "At this event, we're very excited to be showcasing several that deliver productivity, repeatability, durability, and effective total cost of operation for our customers."

Software Accelerates Progression from Prototyping to Production
In addition to providing technology, materials and professional services, 3D Systems has a complete software portfolio to support the digital manufacturing workflow, from Digitize, Design & Simulation to Manufacture, Inspect and Manage. The company's comprehensive portfolio empowers customers with advanced engineering tools designed to work directly with CAD data and increase accuracy and precision in manufacturing. The company delivers industrial-strength software solutions to support the Aerospace manufacturing workflow, enabling lightweight part design, rapid production of obsolete parts, and preparation for additive and traditional manufacturing. Attendees to Dubai Airshow 2017 are invited to the 3D Systems booth to see how 3D Systems' industry-leading Geomagic^® Design X™ and Geomagic^® Control X™ can be used for 3D scanning applications, including reverse engineering and CAD-based inspection.  

Ushering in the Next Generation of Additive Manufacturing Solutions
3D Systems' end-to-end solutions for Aerospace and Defense are part of the company's broad additive manufacturing portfolio that enables them to deliver unique solutions tailored to their customers' workflows. Earlier this week, the company announced several new offerings that significantly strengthen the company's portfolio lineup giving them the broadest set of additive manufacturing software, services, and technologies in the industry -- enabling them to address the widest array of customer applications across industries.

The announcement included new production plastic and metal materials, expansion of its leading suite of workflow software, next generation of printing systems enabling customers to scale from prototyping to production using the same materials, and a new professional services capability leveraging the company's 30 years of additive manufacturing experience, advanced applications expertise and global footprint.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this release that are not statements of historical or current facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from historical results or from any future results or projections expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In many cases, forward looking statements can be identified by terms such as "believes," "belief," "expects," "may," "will," "estimates," "intends," "anticipates" or "plans" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are based upon management's beliefs, assumptions and current expectations and may include comments as to the company's beliefs and expectations as to future events and trends affecting its business and are necessarily subject to uncertainties, many of which are outside the control of the company. The factors described under the headings "Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in the company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as other factors, could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected or predicted in forward-looking statements. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not, and should not be relied upon as a guarantee of future performance or results, nor will they necessarily prove to be accurate indications of the times at which such performance or results will be achieved. The forward-looking statements included are made only as the date of the statement. 3D Systems undertakes no obligation to update or review any forward-looking statements made by management or on its behalf, whether as a result of future developments, subsequent events or circumstances or otherwise.

About 3D Systems
3D Systems provides comprehensive 3D products and services, including 3D printers, print materials, on demand manufacturing services and digital design tools. Its ecosystem supports advanced applications from the product design shop to the factory floor to the operating room. 3D Systems' precision healthcare capabilities include simulation, Virtual Surgical Planning, and printing of medical and dental devices as well as patient-specific surgical instruments. As the originator of 3D printing and a shaper of future 3D solutions, 3D Systems has spent its 30-year history enabling professionals and companies to optimize their designs, transform their workflows, bring innovative products to market and drive new business models.

More information on the company is available at www.3dsystems.com.

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SOURCE 3D Systems