Dimension 3D Printers are Based on Patented Fused Deposition Modeling Technology

MINNEAPOLIS — (BUSINESS WIRE) — February 17, 2012 — (Nasdaq: SSYS) Stratasys today announced the tenth anniversary of its Dimension 3D Printer line, the first of its kind to bring 3D printing technology to a broad audience and accelerate the trend of 3D printer use in the market today.

The Dimension 3D Printer was the first of its kind to bring 3D printing technology to a broad audience and accelerate the trend of 3D printer use in the market today. (Photo: Stratasys Inc.)

Additive manufacturing industry consultancy, Wohlers Associates, affirms this trend in Wohlers Report 2011, noting “Additive manufacturing’s reach was previously relegated to high-tech laboratories at Fortune 100 companies, but it now extends to the smallest of organizations – and increasingly even to individuals. In the…industry's 23-year history, its compound annual growth rate has been 26.2 percent.”

When introduced in 2002 at $29,900, the Dimension 3D Printer opened new possibilities for designers as a reliable, compact, simple-to-use machine, at about half the cost of the next lowest-price 3D printer. The Dimension’s introduction enabled designers to not only produce models for design verification, but also test functionality because the printer uses the same durable ABS plastic used in today’s end products. The system’s compact size and networking capabilities also made it ideal for an office environment, enabling product-design teams easier access to model making.

“Dimension laid the foundation for the 3D printing revolution we’re seeing today,” says Stratasys CEO Scott Crump. “It opened the door to a whole new demographic of users that previously couldn’t access additive manufacturing.”

Today, Dimension 3D printers represent the majority of Stratasys’ installed base: a base that accounts for a 41 percent global market share, and includes other Stratasys brands Fortus and uPrint 3D Printers. Stratasys' 2010 unit sales were more than 3.5 times that of its nearest competitor, and the company has shipped 15,839 systems since its founding, according to Wohlers Report 2011.

All Stratasys 3D printer brands, uPrint, Dimension and Fortus, employ Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Technology, which was invented and patented by Scott Crump. FDM and Fused Deposition Modeling are trademarks of Stratasys Inc.

Additional multimedia content and resources on Stratasys and 3D printing include:

White Paper: “ 3D printing: How FDM Works”
Website: www.Stratasys.com
Video: Time lapse of model creation
Photo: Original Dimension machine

For more information on Stratasys 3D printers please visit http://www.stratasys.com.

Dimension, a brand of 3D printers by Stratasys, offers computer-aided-design (CAD) users a low-cost, networked alternative for building functional 3D models from the desktop. The 3D printer builds models layer-by-layer using ABS plastic, one of the most widely used thermoplastics in today’s injection-molded products. 3D printing allows users to evaluate design concepts and test models for form, fit and function. Online at: www.DimensionPrinting.com

Stratasys Inc., Minneapolis, is a maker of additive-manufacturing machines for prototyping and producing plastic parts. The company markets under the brands uPrint and Dimension 3D Printers and Fortus Production 3D Printers. The company also operates RedEye On Demand, a digital-manufacturing service for prototypes and production parts. Stratasys manufactures 3D printers for Hewlett Packard, which it sells under the brand Designjet3D. In 2011 Stratasys acquired 3D printer maker Solidscape Inc. According to Wohlers Report 2011, Stratasys had a 41-percent market share in 2010, and has been the unit market leader for the ninth consecutive year. Stratasys patented and owns the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM^®) process. The process creates functional prototypes and manufactured goods directly from any 3D CAD program, using high-performance industrial thermoplastics. The company holds more than 285 granted or pending additive-manufacturing patents globally. Stratasys products are used in the aerospace, defense, automotive, medical, business and industrial equipment, education, architecture, and consumer-product industries. Online at: www.Stratasys.com

FDM, Dimension, Fortus, uPrint and Stratasys are registered trademarks of Stratasys Inc.
Fused Deposition Modeling is a trademark of Stratasys Inc.

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Forward Looking Statements

All statements herein that are not historical facts or that include such words as "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "estimates," "vision," "could," "potential," "plan", "intends", "desires", "assume" or "believes" or similar words constitute forward-looking statements covered by the safe harbor protection of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Except for the historical information herein, the matters discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These include statements regarding projected revenue and income in future quarters; the size of the 3D printing market; our objectives for the marketing and sale of our Dimension <