The traditional approaches to manufacturing are steadily becoming obsolete as the proliferation of additive manufacturing is ubiquitously opening new doors among decision-makers in the industry. In the era of Industry 4.0, producing high strength, low weight products, and hyper-realistic prototypes has increased among tech-savvy CIOs as it enables them to reinvigorate their designs and remain competitive in the market constantly. Co-Founder of 3D Systems, Charles W. Hull is leading the 3D printing industry today with state-of-the-art innovations and a suite of market-proven products. The inventor of stereolithography established 3D Systems in 1986 to bring digitalized workflows for solving business, design and engineering problems in the manufacturing domain. From digitalization, design, and simulation to manufacturing, inspection, and management; 3D Systems helps manufacturers optimize product designs and operating processes along with accelerating the production volume. The company’s wide range of manufacturing technologies includes functional prototypes, CNC machining, sheet metal production, injection molding, and investment casting. The firm also boasts of experience in building advanced hardware, software, and materials with global experts who are committed to bringing revolutionary changes in the manufacturing domain.

"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"

A Comprehensive Overview of Manufacturing Solutions

The firm’s 3D printing solutions enable manufacturers to consolidate different assembly lines and help companies to increase productivity, reduce assembly checks and product weights, along with improving the lifespan and reliability of products. Working on the same tangent, 3D Systems aided one of its clients, Planetary Resources, in optimizing casting time of complex parts by designing iterations and eliminating time-consuming tools. Prior to approaching 3D systems, Planetary Resources was facing difficulties in establishing a low-cost robotic space and assemblies for reducing part weights, while at the same time trying to increase its production volume. To this end, 3D Systems leveraged its QuickCast methodology to build a 3D workflow pattern using a Stereolithography (SLA) machine. “QuickCast affords a capability not possible with traditional manufacturing, and we are also excited about the promise of direct metal printing,” says Chris Voorhees, chief engineer at Planetary Resources.

The company offers a repertoire of manufacturing technologies including, Functional Prototypes, CNC Machining, Sheet Metal Production, Injection Molding, and Investment Casting

“With new 3D Systems products like the ProX DMP 320 system, we can create even more fine detail and precision in our titanium parts, and we look forward to deploying these into space on our upcoming spacecraft,” he continues.

A Consolidated Approach to Shop Floor Processes

As the inventors of 3D printing, the firm also offers the widest range of technologies and materials for rapid prototyping and 3D printing. 3D Systems renders unmatched expertise, product knowledge, and support for designers and engineers looking for additive and subtractive manufacturing services. In this regard, the firm renders 360-degree manufacturing solutions for shop floor operators and helps them drive efficiency, productivity, and subsequently reduce the time-to-market. Along with this, the firm also has its Geomagic Control X inspection software for analyzing and measuring parts for quality control purposes.

The Suite of 3D Printers

To continually invigorate the manufacturing space, 3D Systems works on cutting-edge developments to bolster metal part designs and produces products, components, and tools with reduced weight, increased functionalities, and more simplified assemblies. With a suite of market-proven 3D printers, the firm enables manufacturing units to optimize time, cost, and part weights for increasing production volume. They can also build optimal precision metal manufacturing solutions consisting of integrated software, metal additive technology, certified materials, and expert application support. Along with this, customers also get easy access to a wide range of 3D printers and materials with 24/7 online ordering. 3D Systems also provides a digital order management console that aids designers and engineers to produce optimal quality parts directly from the digital 3D files. The suite of 3D printers includes plastic 3D printers that help manufacturers generate concept models, precision, and functional prototypes. They also get end-use parts for optimizing designs and streamlining workflows for bringing innovative products to market. Next, is a full-color 3D printer that aids clients in conducting comprehensive 3D printing at exceptional speeds, efficiencies, and low operational costs. The 3D Systems’ printer suite also contains metal casting 3D printers that enable clients to get precision metal parts and conduct accurate, repeatable and affordable casting patterns without using SLA and MJP additive manufacturing solutions. Lastly, with its Dental 3D printers, 3D Systems assists manufacturers to get highly detailed dental prostheses, precision working models, drill guides and orthodontic thermoforming models, faster and at lower cost, with enhanced quality.

Customer Innovation Center

Recently, the firm opened a new customer innovation center (CIC) in Mörfelden-Walldorf, Germany to aid manufacturers in developing breakthrough applications and serve their customers to garner competitive advantages and enables them to reach their business objectives in the marketplace. With CICs, 3D Systems aids its customers in their manufacturing journey and further assists them to meet their unique requirements through architecting optimal workflows. Moreover, this new CIC will aid its prospects and existing customers to reinvigorate their additive manufacturing applications by collaborating with 3D Systems’ application engineers. One of the exemplary points of this CIC is that customers get access to more than 30 years of domain expertise, which helps them on their application needs and meets their unique business requirements. “Our strategy puts the customer at the center of everything we do,” adds Vyomesh Joshi, President and CEO, 3D Systems. “Each customer has a specific need - perhaps something that they want to do for mass customization, or they have a complex part that they want to build. Whatever the circumstance, we need to start with the customer and their specific use case. That is the power of really understanding the customer, and knowing what needs to be accomplished.”

The Incisive Leader

Under the leadership of Charles W. Hull, who serves as the Co-Founder and CTO of 3D Systems, the firm has brought revolutionary changes in the 3D printing industry. With more than three decades in the industry, Hull continues to bring exemplary developments in the market with a wide range of cutting-edge innovations and next-gen 3D printers. Today, he is regarded as an inventor holding more than 60 United States patents and several others across the world for his exemplary work in the fields of ion optics and 3D printing. However, before establishing 3D Systems, Hull worked as the vice president of engineering at UVP for six years in San Gabriel, California. There, he developed and patented the stereolithography process which established the 3D printing that we know today. “When I saw these UV curable coatings, I thought: Was there any way I could do some kind of imaging and manipulation to make prototypes of plastic parts? That is how I got the idea of stereolithography in the first place,” says Hull. Before that, he worked for a decade at DuPont’s Photo Products Division as an engineering manager where he concentrated on developing analytical equipment for chemists such as spectrometers and GC/MS systems. As the originator of 3D printing and a shaper of future 3D solutions, 3D Systems has spent its 33-year history assisting professionals and companies to optimize their designs, transform their workflows, bring innovative products to market for driving new business models. In the days ahead, the firm intends to continue doing so and will play an exemplary role for continually reinvigorating the 3D printing space. “Thousands of companies around the world are implementing 3D printing. It is definitely on a growth curve and in that sense; it has spread to all corners of the world. That will continue to the next decade and beyond,” concludes Hull.