Tag Archives: 3D Systems
3D Printing Inventor Chuck Hall Gets His Cube from 3D Systems
Chuck Hull is known as the inventor of 3D printing. 30 years ago, Hull was working in Southern California at a mid-size manufacturer called Ultra Violet Products. Hull helped develop the company’s ultraviolet-light curable resins, which were used to add protective coatings to furniture and other surfaces. Hull began experimenting after hours with laying down numerous coats of the resin to make plastic models and thus 3D printing was born.
In 1983, Hull formalized this technology, called stereolithography, and later founded 3D Systems in 1986.
In the photo above, Chuck Hull is showing off his own Cube, the latest consumer 3D printer from 3D Systems. Cubify’s blog commented on this event:
None of us would be doing what we do today at Cubify without Chuck and we’re so happy he continues to bring us newer, better, and sometimes unimaginably small printers like the Cube. Naturally, Chuck had to be the first to officially receive a Cube!
Does HP Need to Make An Acquisition to Compete On 3D Printing?
Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) has a $43 billion market cap and is the largest printer manufacturer in the world. But HP has not really embraced 3D printing yet and may need to make an acquisition to truly enter the market.
Seeking Alpha describes the current situation for HP:
In April 2010, HPQ signed a collaboration agreement with one of the 3D printer companies, Stratasys to create a 3D printer called DesignJet 3D. The retail price was over $17,000 when they first came out, and it doesn’t appear that HPQ is making a giant impact with this printer.
HPQ needs to come and buy either SSYS or 3D Systems. HPQ needs to play defense, by going on the offensive. It might not seem like it, but this is the same scenario as Eastman Kodak being the 800-pound gorilla in cameras and then falling behind when the time came for digital cameras. HPQ doesn’t want to miss out on this revolution. 3D printing is within 3-5 years of becoming affordable for the general public. 3D Systems has launched a personal 3D printer for as cheap as $1300. Moore’s Law is working in the 3D printing market as prices have drop 90% in the last 5 years and will continue to drop in the future.
Look at the relative stock price of HPQ vs the current 3D printing leaders (3D Systems, Stratasys, and Proto Labs). HP is down 39% while the 3D printing portfolio is up 112% over the last 12 months.
The market is still early. Will HP make a move this year or wait for the market to mature?
Via Seeking Alpha.
Gorilla photo by poplinre used under Creative Commons license.
MakerBot and 3D Systems Execs Square Off in CES Interview [Video]
In the video below, CNET’s Rafe Needleman interviews executives of two 3D printer makers and how they are charting the future of manufacturing.
Bre Pettis from MakerBot emphasizes his company’s focus on open-source innnovation. The Replicator is great for tinkerers.
Cathy Lewis from 3D Systems talks about the range of capabilities from personal 3D printing to mass production via the cloud. The Cubify allows consumers to “color in” designs provided by the 3D Systems marketplace.
Rafe Needleman approaches questions from “How do I print 5000 widgets?” to “Why wouldn’t I just buy this widget at retail?” and more.
Winners Announced in Reality Redesigned Contest Sponsored by 3D Systems
3D Systems recently sponsored a contest called Reality Redesigned which was produced by Edge Factor.
From the 3D Systems blog:
Reality Redesigned provided an opportunity for students to design part of a mountain bike, learn and win a variety of great prizes – plus recognition. The students were part of the entire process, from ideation to the production of the part. 3D Systems printed the full color prototypes of the finalists designs for display at the announcement event. The winner of the contest was chosen by a panel of expert judges and formally announced at RAPID 2012 in Atlanta, GA. What is really exciting is the winning part will be manufactured and tested by a pro rider. So, not only did the contest engage students in a fun and productive way – it allowed them to use 3D printers!
More from the press release:
“We are thrilled to leverage our full color 3D printing capabilities to inspire innovation and bring student contestants’ creativity and designs to life,” said Cathy Lewis, Vice President, Global Marketing for 3D Systems. “‘Reality Redesign’ is just one more example of 3D Systems’ commitment to education, something we are deeply passionate about as we work to democratize creativity for students at all grade levels and disciplines through access to affordable 3D printers and compelling 3D content.”
Check out all of the winners here.
Below is a video of the 3 top winners.
Below is a video of the grand prize winner Cody with his Thomson to I-beam adapter.
3D Printing Stocks are Hot: Top Public Companies Up 180% Over 6 Months
There are a small number of public companies in the 3D printing industry today. The leading stocks are 3D Systems (NYSE:DDD), Stratasys (NASDAQ:SSYS), and Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB). The chart above shows a 6-month comparison of this aggregate 3D printing portfolio vs. the S&P, Dow Jones, and NASDAQ. 3D printing names are up over 180%.
The 3D printing industry, also known as additive manufacturing and rapid prototyping, is at an inflection point.
Where to Invest?
For those looking to consider an investment in 3D printing stocks, Seeking Alpha’s analysis of the leading companies can be helpful.
First a reality check on the current state of the market.
Unfortunately the concept has limited commercial production capabilities and material challenges. Over time, these will naturally become less and less of a problem. For now though, several sectors such as aviation parts and medical devices can benefit greatly from the ability to RP. Not to mention, any wealthy person that wants to make their own iPhone case at home.
Then an analysis of each stock. Excerpts below:
3D Systems is leading the 3D printing market, but unfortunately investors missed the golden opportunity to buy back at the end of December when the stock still traded around $15. It now fetches over $30.
With a forward PE of 23, the stock trades roughly in line with the expected growth rate. While not cheap, it isn’t expensive and actually provides a solid earnings profile unlike most of the recent IPOs in the hot sectors of social media and cloud computing.
Stratasys provides another option in 3D printing, but the stock has likewise more than doubled since the lows back in October of last year. The company recently released the Mojo 3D Printer which is the market’s lowest-priced professional-grade complete 3D printing system priced at $9,900.
This stock trades at a richer valuation than 3D Systems with a forward PE of over 30. The company also only reported 30% revenue growth for Q112 while analysts only forecast 15% long term growth.
The recent announced merger with Objet is expected to launch Stratasys into a leadership position in the 3D Printing market. The combined company will rival the $1.5B market cap of 3D Systems along with the revenue size.
Proto Labs is an alternative investing option in 3D rapid prototyping and manufacturing short-runs of real parts. The company went public back in February, but the stock appears to have a similar pricey multiple as the 3D printing sector.
The company reported 34% revenue growth and a solid 25.5% operating margin. At a forward PE of 29, the company trades in the range of its long term growth rate. With revenue expectations of around $127M for 2012, the company remains relatively small.
Read the full analysis at Seeking Alpha.
Disclaimer: Please consult a financial advisor before making any investment decisions.
