Shares of leading 3D printing public companies are up over the last 3 months. 3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) is up 19%, Proto Labs (NYSE:PRLB) is up 12% and Stratasys (NASDAQ:SSYS) is up 2%. The combined market cap of those 3 companies is now over $5 billion.

Compare the performance of these 3D printing stocks (up 9.5%) to the slight decline of the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and NASAQ indices. Even though 3D printing is currently at the top of the “hype cycle“, it looks like investors are being rewarded for their early support of the industry.

In this video, Motley Fool analyst Blake Bos discusses some of the key recent events for 3D Systems and Stratasys:

• 3D Systems fought allegations over accounting irregularity
• 3D Systems sued Form Labs on patent infringement
• Stratasys released 16 new non-metal materials
• Stratasys announced a new Objet 3D printer

Here are the top 10 most popular stories On 3D Printing brought you in June 2012.

10. The Dutch combine 3D printing and textiles.

9. A review of 3D modeling software Tinkercad, SketchUp, and 123D.

8. People are wondering why Google sold 3D modeling business SketchUp.

7. Still popular: the Motley Fool reviews the 3D printing industry.

6. We exclusively covered 3D Systems’ Cubify at Google I/O 3D printing in San Francisco.

5. UP! 3D printer from China is a viable competitor to MakerBot and other.

4. You can be a superhero; your face 3D printed on a superhero action figure.

3. Facebook investor Peter Thiel backs 3D printing entrepreneur.

2.  Why 3D printing will be more fun than LEGO thanks to Minecraft.

1. 3D printing stock are hot and up over 180%! So was this article.

Thanks for reading in June!

Peter Thiel photo by thekenyeung used under Creative Commons license.

Here are the top 10 most popular stories On 3D Printing brought you in May 2012.

10. 3D Systems acquired FreshFiber for 3D printed electronics accessories.

9. We wrote an editorial analyzing the space of 3D printing creators and consumers.

8. We reviewed SketchUp, Tinkercad, and 123D modeling software.

7. The fashion runway was 3D printed in Belgium.

6. The Motley Fool weighed in on public 3D printing manufacturers.

5. We featured companies exhibiting at Maker Faire Bay Area 2012.

4. Why Google sold SketchUp and what it means for 3D printing.

3. A 3D printing vending machine surfaced at Virginia Tech.

2. This New House: constructing and printing WikiHouse.

1. We featured Brad Feld as a premiere venture capitalist looking at 3D printing investments.

Thanks for reading in May!

Investment advice site The Motley Fool posted a review of the emerging 3D printing industry. Naturally their attention turned to the performance of public companies in the space.

Objet inc. has recently filed for an IPO valuing itself at $500,000,000 with the last years of revenues topping $150,000,000. Object is one of the biggest 3D printing companies although there are many already trading on the exchanges. Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS) is the maker of additive manufacturing machines for prototyping manufacturing and making plastic parts. Stratasys has a market capitalization of 771 million dollars with a P/E of 38.03. 3D Systems (NYSE: DDD) is a manufacturer of 3D printing software and the printers themselves. The company has 1.36 billion market capitalization with a P/E of 35.21.

Expect more IPOs in this space!

Read more at The Motley Fool.