VALENCIA, Calif., Oct. 20, 2004 -
3D Systems Corporation (Nasdaq: TDSC) announced today that it has introduced a new stereolithography (SLA®) system for manufacturing – the Viper™ HA SLA system. The Viper HA SLA system is the second manufacturing system to be introduced by the company within three months. Developed by working closely with leading Hearing Aid manufacturers and suppliers, the comprehensive platform addresses manufacturing requirements from product planning to end-use production of hearing aid shells.
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3D
Systems’ manufacturing-capable Viper™ HA SLA® system |
The new dual-vat hearing aid shells manufacturing system offers a variety of customer enhanced innovations including fast and convenient vat change over, integrated hearing aid software and process improvements that provide superior part quality and exceptional throughput.
The unique dual-vat design allows customers to produce two different color hearing aid shells simultaneously to accelerate production. By consolidating builds and eliminating batching delays customers experience faster part production, scheduling flexibility with shorter production batch cycles. The increased throughput and manufacturing flexibility results in optimized production of hearing aid shells and lower cost per part. Fast and easy vat change over is achieved through quick release elevator arms which eliminate the need to clean system components between vat changes. The new material handling cart allows a single person to hoist, drain and filter vats, transfer and change vats in minutes.
The Viper HA SLA system is optimized for use with Dreve Fototec® SL materials and is tightly integrated with 3Shape A/S hearing aid manufacturing software to automate the data flow process. Integrated into the “Print Manager” of
3Shape, the software simplifies part preparation and build setup, resulting in
reduced operator labor and cost.
“In addition to the Viper HA SLA system being the first stereolithography manufacturing system, it is also the first dual-vat system, allowing customers to build with two different materials at the same time,” said Abe Reichental, 3D Systems’ president and chief executive officer. “Working
closely with industry leaders in the field of hearing aid materials and software,
resulted in a first ever integrated turnkey manufacturing system for direct manufacturing
of hearing aid shells. The performance, speed and shell quality of the Viper
HA SLA system was optimized using the Dreve Fototec SL materials. With the added
functionality of the Viper HA SLA system, customers are able to produce in multiple
colors, and increase their productivity by building a full set of hearing aid
shells (right-red and left-blue) in one build, instead of two. Not only is this
ideal for large production facilities but also those manufacturers producing
smaller production lots.
“The Viper HA SLA system represents our continued commitment to pursuing direct manufacturing solutions,” continued Reichental. “Harnessing leading planning and scheduling software from another recognized leader, 3Shape, provides our customers with an integrated manufacturing solution that simplify their process and increase their productivity, and is yet another step towards improving our customer’s bottom line,” concluded
Reichental.
3D Systems will display the Viper HA SLA system with Dreve at the 49th International Congress of Hearing Aid Acousticians, Messe Frankfurt, Hall 5.1, in the Dreve Stand A30. The show will take place in Frankfurt, Germany on Wednesday, October 20, through Friday, October 22, 2004.
3D Systems plans to begin shipments of its new Viper HA SLA system in December of this year.
For more information regarding the Viper HA SLA system visit the 3D Systems website at www.3dsystems.com, or by phoning 888/337-9786, ext. 2882 (or 661/295-5600, ext. 2882 from outside the United States), or via email at moreinfo@3dsystems.com.
About 3D Systems
Founded in 1986, 3D Systems®, the solid imaging companySM, provides solid imaging products and systems solutions that reduce the time and cost of designing products and facilitate direct and indirect manufacturing. Its systems utilize patented proprietary technologies to create physical objects from digital input that can be used in design communication, prototyping and as functional end-use parts.
More information on the company is available at www.3dsystems.com, or by phoning 888/337-9786, ext. 2882 (or 661/295-5600, ext. 2882 from outside the United States), or via email at moreinfo@3dsystems.com.
About Dreve
Founded 1949, Dreve Otoplastik develops and provides quality products for hearing aid dispensers and the hearing aid industry like ear impression silicones, lab units, hygiene products, light-curing resins etc. The founders are known as one of the inventors of the modern earmold. More information on the company is available at www.dreve.com, or by phone: + 49 (0) 23 03 88 07-0, fax ++ 49 (0) 23 03 8 29 09 or via email at info@dreve.de.
3Shape A/S
3Shape A/S is a privately-held Danish company established in 2000. It is specialized in the development and marketing of 3D scanners and 3D CAD/CAM software to create, process, analyze, and manage high-quality 3D data. 3Shape is the leading provider of 3D-based production systems for customized hearing aids and also offers advanced solutions for dentistry and footwear applications. Customers are located in Europe, North America, Japan and Australia. More information on the company is available at www.3shape.com, or by phone: +45 7027 2620.
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