We are proud to admit to membership 3D Printing Ventures, which has joined the Association of 3D Printing as a charter member. William Dante, Director of the 3D Chamber welcomes this exciting company to its membership.
3-D printing has become one of the most talked-about technologies. Stock prices of the four publicly traded makers have soared, and shipments of desktop printers used by hobbyists and small businesses have increased dramatically. With the final companies reporting earnings over the past week, investors got a better idea of where this rapidly growing industry is heading. The printers build three-dimensional objects by laying down superthin layers of plastics and other materials. They have been used to make everything from jet engine parts to models of 007′s Aston Martin for the James Bond movie “Skyfall.” Many of the applications in 3D Printing can be found at the 3D Printing Video site known as the 3D Printing Channel. The two biggest players in the market, 3D Systems and Stratasys, make printers small enough to sit on desktops and large enough to make engine parts.
3D Printing Ventures executives note that: in a recently released report, the UK’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has stated that the amount of patent filing related to 3D printing has increased dramatically since the year 2000. After analyzing 9000 patent records filed since 1980, a team of IPO researchers pinpointed a rapid upswing in 3D printing related patents; particularly in the fields of biomedicine, circuitry and electrode fabrication. The USA Still leads the pack, but the 3D Printing ventures capital managers are keeping a close eye on the European market as well.
