Rapid Prototyping & Tooling State of the Industry:
1999 Worldwide Progress Report  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgments
About the author
Focus of this report
Introduction to rapid prototyping and tooling

PART 1: BACKGROUND
History of RP systems
Industries being served
   How RP models are being used
   Installations by country
Applications
   Communication
   Engineering changes
   Good ideas and powerful proposals
   Concept models
   Early input from suppliers, toolmakers
   Prototypes and prototype tooling
   Metal castings
   Verifying CAD databases
   Styling, ergonomic studies
   Requesting quotes
   Packaging and shipping   
   Critical to function 

PART 2: INDUSTRY
A challenging time   
Revenue growth   
   Secondary market   
   Revenues from products and services   
   Revenues from service bureaus   
   Other service revenues   
Unit sales   
   Stratasys regains the lead   
   Systems sold by region in 1998   
   Cumulative systems sold by region   
   Units sold by U.S. manufacturers in 1998   
   Units sold by Japanese manufacturers in 1998   
   1998 unit sales by manufacturer   
   Cumulative unit sales by manufacturer   
   Unit sales by vendor and year   
Growth trends and sales forecasts   
   Unit sales growth percentages   
   Worldwide revenue estimates   
   Annual revenue growth percentages   
   Comparing growth of RP and machining markets   
Service bureaus   
   Concentration of service bureaus   
   Mix of machines   
   Shrinking market   
   Investment casting patterns   
   Working with service bureaus   
   Times have changed   
   What is driving prices downward?   
   More challenges are ahead   
   Market saturation   
   Plynetics Express: What went wrong?  

PART 3: TOOLING   
Advanced approaches   
Indirect approaches to tooling   
   Silicone rubber tooling   
   Aluminum-filled epoxy tooling   
   Spray metal tooling   
   RSP Tooling   
   Sprayform   
   Metal spray tooling from DTI   
   Cast kirksite tooling   
   3D Keltool   
   Dynamic Tooling   
   ECOTOOL   
   ExpressTool   
   CEMCOM   
   PHAST   
Direct approaches to tooling   
   Direct AIM tooling   
   SLS RapidTool   
   DMLS from EOS   
   ExtrudeHone   
   LENS   
Other considerations   
   Machined tooling   
   Space Puzzle Molding   
   Prototype tooling selection guide   
   Size of tooling market  

PART 4: SYSTEM MANUFACTURERS   
3D Systems   
   SLA-7000   
   ThermoJet   
   3D Keltool   
Aaroflex   
Beijing Yinhua   
Cubital   
DTM   
   RapidTool   
   Growing list of materials   
EOS   
   DirectTool products   
   Micro shot peening   
Fockele & Schwarze   
Helisys   
Kinergy   
Optomec   
Sanders Prototype   
   New management   
   Developing technology   
Schroff Development   
   Operating costs   
   Customers   
Stratasys   
   Genisys Xs   
   Throughput   
Z Corp.   
   Speed   
   Materials   
Casualties   
RP stocks   
   Disappointing earnings   
   Global economy   
   Small cap stocks out of favor   

PART 5: JAPAN & EUROPE   
Japan   
   Markets embracing RP   
   Unit sales growth   
   Japanese strategy   
   Developments and trends in Japan   
   New RP system that uses LEDs   
   Why has RP growth been slow?   
   Tooling and high-speed machining in Japan   
Europe   
   EU support   
   United Kingdom   
   Germany   
   Fraunhofer activities   
   France   
   Scandinavia   
   The Netherlands   
Other regions   
   South Africa   
   Canada   
   RP groups and associations   

PART 6: RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT   
Development of system technology   
   MicroTEC   
   Directed Light Fabrication   
   Controlled Metal Buildup   
   Multi Jet Solidification   
   Topographic Shell Fabrication   
   MIT   
   Offset Fabrication   
   Micromod
   University of Utah   
U.S. government-sponsored R&D   
   NSF funding   
   DoD   
RP academic programs   
   Hurdles and hindrances   
   Research activities   
   Beyond 2000   

PART 7: CAD & COMPUTING   
CAD/CAM/CAE   
   Advances in computing   
   Operating systems   
   Open systems   
   Growth of solid modeling   
   Interoperability and data translation   
   Product data management   
   Machining STL data   
Software for RP   
   SolidView   
   Magics, Mimics   
   View Expert, 3Data Expert   
   3D View   
   Rapid Prototyping Module   
   Velocity2   
The Internet   
   Next day models   
   3DQ Concepts   
   Caught by surprise  

PART 8: OTHER DEVELOPMENTS   
RP materials   
   Stereolithography resins   
   Materials for other RP processes   
   3D printers   
Medical modeling   
   Research areas in medical RP   
   RP is impacting the lives of patients   
Reverse engineering   
   How the technology works   
   Laser digitizing systems   
   What works, what doesn't   
   Other advice   

PART 9: WHERE IT'S ALL HEADED   
Caught in the chasm   
   Technology adoption life cycle   
   CAD solid modeling as a gating factor   
   RP's past   
   RP's present state   
   What needs to happen   
   RP's future   
What to do   
   Risks and land mines   
   3D printing   
   Rapid manufacturing   
   Changes ahead   
   Will digital models replace physical prototypes?   
   Long-term outlook   
The future   
   Systems of the future   
   Future applications   
Where to learn more   
   Internet mail list   
   RPA/SME  

APPENDICES   
Appendix A: Glossary of terms   
Appendix B: Addresses of RP system manufacturers   
   United States   
   Israel   
   Europe   
   Japan   
   Singapore   
   China   
Appendix C: Rapid tooling technology developers   
Appendix D: RP software companies   
Appendix E: Material suppliers   
Appendix F: U.S. RP systems   
Appendix G: RP systems manufactured outside the U.S.   
Appendix H: Materials   
Appendix I: 3D digitizing systems