3D Systems Releases Durable Material for Use in Solid Imaging Systems.

Business Editors

VALENCIA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 17, 2000

3D Systems Corp. (Nasdaq:TDSC) today announced the availability of SL 7540 material for use in its SLA(R) industrial product line. The material features mechanical and physical properties that mimic polypropylene.

SL 7540 material, which was announced in March, is the latest in a series of materials being developed by 3D Systems and Vantico Inc. For many applications, parts built with SL 7540 material provide the durability required to perform functional testing of thermoplastic designs, potentially eliminating interim tooling.

"SL 7540 material has the accuracy to produce multi-component assemblies for testing that are common in the automotive, computer and electronics industries, among others," said Mervyn Rudgley, senior director of business development for stereolithography. "Parts built with the material can be drilled, threaded, machined and polished."

"We used SL 7540 material to build a prototype for an intricate interior trim component that had to be fitted on 25 vehicles," said Cindy Sharp, product engineer in DaimlerChrysler's Small Car Platform Interior Trim Department. "The part behaved much like an end-use component, which enabled us to create multiple iterations and approve the final in only a few days, rather than a few weeks."

Rudgley said, "SL 7540 has demonstrated its suitability for production components, which could open the door to more customized, short-run manufacturing with the SLA system."

"We are seeing many industries reducing their production runs in favor of mass customization," said Grant Flaharty, senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing. "This new durable material allows manufacturers to create not just interim parts for testing but finished, customized parts right off of our SLA machines. With SL 7540 material and its successors, we are helping to move stereolithography from rapid prototyping to more lucrative custom manufacturing applications."

About 3D Systems

3D Systems provides solid imaging products and services that substantially reduce the time and cost required to design, test and manufacture products. The company's systems utilize patented technologies that create physical objects from digital input.

3D Systems currently offers the ThermoJet(TM) office printer and SLA(R) industrial systems, which include proprietary software and materials. These products offer a wide range of applications to a variety of industries. The company also licenses the 3D Keltool(R) process, a complementary application to the SLA product line that produces injection molding and die casting inserts from SLA system master patterns.

Based in Valencia, Calif., 3D Systems was founded in 1986 and is recognized as the world technology and market leader in solid imaging. For additional information, visit the company's Web site at www.3dsystems.com or phone [phone], ext. 740. For an investor packet, call the company's shareholder communications service at 800/757-1799.

For information regarding other Vantico products, visit www.vantico.com.

Except for the historical information contained in this news release, the matters discussed include forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties including: the availability and acceptance of products, the impact of competitive products and pricing, dependence on key personnel and suppliers, industry-wide domestic and international economic conditions, and other risks detailed in the company's SEC reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999, and reports on Form 10-Q filed by the company with the SEC during the current fiscal year.

Note to editors: 3D Systems, SLA and the 3D logo are registered trademarks of 3D Systems.