Japanese grant Helisys LOM rapid prototyping patent; decision solidifies Helisys' leadership position in the RP industry; strengthens the company's market position in Japan and the Far East.TORRANCE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 4, 1996--Helisys Inc. (Nasdaq: HELI) Wednesday announced it has been granted a patent by the Japanese government patent office for its proprietary Laminated Object Manufacturing Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM™) is a rapid prototyping system developed by Helisys Inc. In it, layers of adhesive-coated paper are successively glued together and cut to shape with a laser cutter. (LOM (1) (LAN On Motherboard) Refers to building the Ethernet circuits directly on the motherboard rather than requiring that a separate network adapter be plugged in. (2) (Lights Out Management) See lights out server room. ) rapid prototyping Building a part one layer at a time using a method of additive fabrication such as 3D printing. Such parts are used for concept modeling to determine if the product design meets the customer's expectations. (RP) system. The patent further solidifies Helisys' position as the dominant worldwide provider of RP systems that employ sheet lamination lamination a laminar structure or arrangement. technology. It also strengthens Helisys' market position in Japan and other areas in the Far East where companies are using RP to bring their products to market faster and at reduced cost. Helisys' LOM system is one of only a few available RP processes that manufacturers are using to radically transform the way they design and build physical products. Items such as engine blocks, shoes, golf club heads, medical devices, appliances and other products are first designed by computer-aided-design (CAD) workstations, then replicated in hours (instead of weeks or months) to make industrial patterns, prototypes, or molds. The LOM process was invented and patented by Michael Feygin, Helisys' co-founder, president, chief executive officer and chief technical officer. To protect its technology worldwide, Helisys has patents issued and pending in Europe, North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. and other countries in the Far East. "With our new patent in place, we are working with our Japanese distributor, Toyoda Machine Works, to meet our competitors head-on and aggressively increase our market penetration Noun 1. market penetration - the extent to which a product is recognized and bought by customers in a particular market penetration - the act of entering into or through something; "the penetration of upper management by women" in Japan. This is an exciting development for us because the Japanese have an industrial economy that relies heavily on large-scale manufacturing processes for making products like automobiles, consumer products, and heavy industrial equipment. "Japanese manufacturers are using rapid prototyping more and more because they are looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. new ways to save money and ensure product quality and reliability. We have observed an increase in the use of RP in Japan, and we are offering LOM technology to a number of Japanese customers," Feygin said. The primary market for RP products and services in Japan was estimated to be $43.1 million in 1995, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Terry Wohlers of Wohlers Associates, a CAD/CAM CAD/CAM in full computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing. Integration of design and manufacturing into a system under direct control of digital computers. - Rapid Prototyping industry analyst. Helisys believes LOM technology has an intrinsic competitive advantage over other RP prototyping processes because it is generally less expensive, faster and has a greater ability to produce larger prototypes, objects and patterns for applications such as rotational molding Rotational molding or moulding is a versatile process for creating many kinds of mostly hollow plastic Parts. The phrase is often shortened to rotomolding or rotomoulding. or sand casting Casting is the process of production of objects by pouring molten material into a cavity called a mold which is the negative, or mirror image of the object, and allowing it to cool and solidify. . The Company anticipates that its newest machine, the LOM 2030H, will reduce part build times by up to 30 percent over previous models. "We are encouraged by the grant of this Japanese patent. As we go forward, if necessary, we will aggressively pursue our options under appropriate patent laws since we are convinced that our basic patents give us broad protection," Feygin added. Helisys patents describe many methods for creating parts of high complexity and devices to bond together, or laminate, thin sheets of paper, plastic, ceramic, composite, metal or other sheet-form materials. These sheets may be composed of single or multiple layers, and may be in the form of multi-material tapes. According to Feygin, Helisys' LOM systems "cut each new layer of sheet material `on the stack' of previously bonded layers. The new Japanese patent, and the earlier U.S. and European patents also cover many ways for cutting a layer `off the stack' and using an automated conveyor-based transport system to move the newly cut layer to a stacking station, with claims for proper alignment or registration of the newly cut layer on the stack." Helisys patents claim several layer-bonding methods. LOM commercial systems use sheets coated with an appropriate "glue" activated by heat and pressure, said Feygin, "but our patent coverage also includes furnace brazing brazing, method of joining metal parts using nonferrous filler metals with high melting points such as copper, silver, and aluminum alloys. Brazing differs from soldering (see solder) by using a higher temperature; and unlike welding, the parts are not melted. , simple contact adhesives and other bonding processes." Bonding methods are selected in part by whether the layers are cut on the stack or transported on a conveyer to the stack. The LOM process, which outlines each layer's cross-section, requires removal of that layer's unneeded material. The patent claims several removal techniques during the object's build cycle, including automated conveyor-based waste transport systems. Helisys' customers include manufacturers of automobiles, appliances, sporting goods Noun 1. sporting goods - sports equipment sold as a commodity commodity, trade good, good - articles of commerce sports equipment - equipment needed to participate in a particular sport , electronic hardware and aerospace components. The statements in this news release relating to the Company's Japanese patent contain forward-looking information. The principal factors that could affect the anticipated significance of the Japanese patent on the Company's future success include the possibility that such Japanese patent may be invalidated or restricted if challenged. These factors are discussed in greater detail in the section entitled "Risk Factors - Dependence on Proprietary Technology" in the Company's Registration Statement on Form SB-2, as declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 7, 1996. CONTACT: Helisys Dave Okazaki, 310/891-0600 or Sitrick And Company Mike Pollock, 310/788-2850 |
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