DNAprint Genomics (DNAG)

[stakddek]

3D -- Money that would be well spent by DNAG??? >If you find the press release interesting, try the web site for what these machines can do!< Just thought it would be interesting to make that fuzzy photo into a bust!

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http://www.3dsystems.com/newsevents/newsreleases/pr-May_11_2005.asp

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3D Systems Introduces New Durable VisiJet® Plastic For Use in Its InVision™ SR 3-D Printer


Contact:
Elizabeth Goode, Director, Corporate Development
[phone], ext. 2632
[e-mail]


VALENCIA, Calif., May. 11, 2005 - 3D Systems Corporation (Nasdaq: TDSC), a leading provider of rapid 3-D printing, prototyping and manufacturing solutions, announced today at the RP&M show in Dearborn, Michigan, its plan to introduce a new engineered-plastic for its InVision™ SR 3-D printer, VisiJet® SR 200 Plastic. The company expects to begin shipment of the new material to all InVision SR printer customers in the third quarter of 2005.

Parts built from VisiJet SR 200 Plastic offer the same outstanding feature detail and surface finish as parts built with the existing VisiJet M100 material, but are about 2-3 times stiffer and stronger, mimicking the general performance characteristics of high volume thermoplastics such as polypropylene and ABS. While the new material is primarily intended for design communication and concept modeling applications, it is also suitable for pattern making and is even durable enough for some functional testing.

“Using our new VisiJet SR 200 Plastic, the InVision SR 3-D Printer can rapidly produce multiple high-quality models that have the look, feel and performance of end-use parts,” said Abe Reichental, 3D Systems’ president and chief executive officer.

“Our rapidly expanding portfolio of 3-D Printers, which includes the InVision SR Printer, the InVision HR Printer, and our recently introduced InVision LD Printer, addresses the needs of marketers, designers, and engineers in many industries with prices starting at $22,900,” continued Reichental. “3D Systems family of printers provides complementary solutions for a growing number of 3-D CAD users who want the ability to create multiple design iterations cost effectively within the convenience of their offices.

“We believe that our broader 3-D printing solutions, positions us well to address the more then 500,000 potential 3-D printing prospects with the right value proposition at the right price.”

About 3D Systems
3D Systems is a leading provider of rapid 3-D printing, prototyping and manufacturing solutions. Its systems and materials reduce the time and cost of designing products and facilitate direct and indirect manufacturing by creating actual parts directly from digital input. These solutions are used for design communication and prototyping as well as for production of functional end-use parts: Transform your products.

More information on the company is available at www.3dsystems.com, or by phoning 888-337-9786, ext. 2882 (or 661-295-5600, ext. 2882 from outside the United States), or via email at [e-mail].

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http://www.3dsystems.com/appsolutions/casestudies/atwork_leiden.asp
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Eye to Eye with the Mummy

The last journey of the Soter family was carefully planned – like everything else in ancient Egypt. But instead of ending up in Osiris´ realm of the dead, the mummies of the family found themselves 2000 years later in Europe’s museums: father and mother in the British Museum in London, two daughters in the Egyptian Museum of Berlin, and another daughter, Sensaos, in the National Antiquities Museum in Leiden/Netherlands. We know who they were – the family of the governor of Thebes at the times of Emperor Trajan.

But what they looked like – that has been a puzzle for the last 1,900 years. It was the Dutch member of the family who first got her features back. Using solid imaging technology developed by 3D Systems, the head of the girl who died at the age of sixteen was reconstructed, and Sensaos became the undisputed star of the "Sensaos" exhibition in the Leiden National Museum. More than 48,000 visitors took the opportunity of coming face to face with the mummy.

Solid Imaging Unravels the Mystery
Most people can attest to a fascination with mummies. As a result, many museums began to open mummies in the attempt to unravel their secret. The Leiden National Museum, whose Egyptian collection is among the world’s ten most significant, decided early to take a different approach, and kept many mummies in their original state. This approach now pays dividends: advanced technologies allow the bandaged bodies to be investigated without destroying them.

Taeke Kuipers of the Leiden National Museum was in charge of the exhibition concept. His
reasons for the unusual reconstruction: "We wanted to give Sensaos a face and show that it is a real human being that is lying in front of us." Also, the museum people had a lot of
questions to ask: Why was Sensaos' mummy so heavy? Was she intact? Under all the linen bandages, was there yet another mummy, which would explain the disproportionately large head? "We’ve been looking for the story behind the history," said Taeke Kuipers.

X-rays taken in earlier days failed to give satisfactory answers to these questions. But then the people in Leiden decided to investigate the mummy with the help of computer tomography and to look inside layer by layer. And they were lucky: the linen bandages concealed amulets, meant to protect Sensaos on her way to the netherworld, and her eyes were covered with artificial eyes made of glass or ceramic.


"We wanted to give Sensaos a face and show that it is a real human being that is lying in front of us."
Taeke Kuipers, Leiden National Museum
The secret of her great weight and her misshapen appearance also found an explanation: the ancient Egyptians waited some time before they allowed their bodies to be embalmed. To compensate for decomposition, large quantities of resin were used to get the bodies "back into shape" for the journey into the other world.

But one question remained unanswered: what did Sensaos look like when she was alive? The first step involved making a three-dimensional model of the head with the help of CT data. The National Museum approached the Institute for Industrial Technology (TNO) in Delft/Holland, a research institute that normally deals with product development for industry.

Sensaos’ head was the largest object that TNO had made so far with their solid object printer from 3D Systems. "In contrast to other projects, it was incredibly exciting to work on something ‘live’," adds TNO´s Edith Groenewolt, who was in charge of the project. The CT data was converted to an STL file format and then sent to the 3-D printer to output. The printer created a plastic-like model, layer by layer, using a technology similar to ink jet printing. Several hours later, "Operation Sensaos" was completed: a perfect three-dimensional model of the skull.

Finishing Touches
At the last stage, the museum contacted Richard Neave, a specialist for facial reconstruction working at the University of Manchester, England. Neave had the necessary experience because he had already remodelled mummies’ faces in the Manchester Museum.

Neave then created a clay model of Sensaos’ head, followed by a wax copy. This copy was then painted by Tracy O‘Brien, a specialist for historical make-up. Sensaos’ hairstyle was fashioned after antique models and made from human hair.

The close collaboration of everyone involved in the project, combined with the use of the most advanced technology, allowed the Leiden researchers to come face-to-face with the mummy. Maybe the travels of the 2000 year old girl are not over yet. The National Museum continues contact with other museums wishing to display this unique exhibit. Perhaps after so many years, Sensaos will someday be reunited with her family members who are spread all over Europe.


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Stakddek