U.S. to Uphold Patent on 3D’s Model Maker

3D Systems said the U.S. Patent Office has indicated it will uphold 3D’s basic patent underlying its primary product, a machine that combines a computer, chemicals and lasers to rapidly build exact models of machine parts and other products.

A re-examination of 3D’s patent was requested by Du Pont Co. in September, 1988, based on alleged new evidence that might have called the patent’s validity into question, 3D Systems said.

Valencia-based 3D Systems is growing quickly because its machine, which in hours can produce models that formerly took days or weeks to make, is increasingly being sought by major manufacturers. In the nine months that ended Sept. 30, 3D Systems’ revenue totaled $10.8 million, up from $2.67 million a year earlier.