ExOne Announces 3D Printing With Industry Standard Metal and Ceramic Powders of Less Than 10 Microns


  • ExOne’s binder jetting technology, now capable of printing finer, industrial grade metal and ceramic powders, expected to open new market opportunities
  • New fine powder Innovent™ now offered; modification package available for ExOne’s installed base of Innovent machines
  • 300 Series stainless steel 316L qualified as ExOne’s newest standard industrial material; accepting customer pre-orders for job shop printing; full commercialization expected in the first quarter of 2017

NORTH HUNTINGDON, Pa., Oct. 06, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  The ExOne Company (NASDAQ:XONE) ("ExOne" or "the Company"), a global provider of three-dimensional ("3D") printing machines and 3D printed and other products, materials and services, announces advancements to its Innovent™ direct 3D printing machine which enable printing industry standard metal and ceramic powders of less than 10 microns. 

ExOne’s fine powder Innovent machine 3D prints metal and ceramic objects that have higher printed density and achieves significant improvements in surface finish quality, offering finishes as low as Ra 120 µin (average roughness measured in microinches). The Innovent is designed to target industrial research and development, commercial and laboratory research, and educational institutions, facilitating qualification of materials.  Innovent’s build box size is sufficient to offer prototyping and production quanitites ideally suited for the metal injection molding (MIM) and powder metallurgy (PM) industries.  ExOne is now offering a fine powder Innovent machine, as well as an Innovent upgrade package for existing equipment.  Additionally, the Company plans to apply these machine enhancements to its M-Flex™, as well as its next generation larger format printing system.

Jim McCarley, ExOne’s Chief Executive Officer, stated, “The fine powder Innovent is a critical technology milestone along ExOne’s product development roadmap for our direct printing equipment.  It is expected to complement traditional manufacturing processes within the Metal Injection Molding and Powder Metal industries.”

Utilizing its new machine advancements, ExOne is adding stainless steel 316L to its material portfolio, representing its second single metal alloy for industrial 3D printing applications.  316L is a 300 Series stainless steel used in a variety of industrial markets ranging from automotive to chemical processing equipment to surgical instruments.  The Company is currently accepting product pre-orders from customers for job shop printing, with full commercialization expected in the first quarter of 2017.  Further, as ExOne applies these fine powder advancements throughout its machine portfolio, it will be positioned to address additional commercial, energy and automotive applications. 

Mr. McCarley concluded, “This Innovent advancement demonstates how our expanded machine capability allows us to increase our materials portfolio.  As we further develop our equipment and materials portfolio, we will continue to broaden the industries which 3D print products using binder jetting.”

For more information regarding ExOne's operations, visit the Company's website at www.exone.com.

About ExOne
ExOne is a global provider of 3D printing machines and 3D printed and other products, materials and services to industrial customers.  ExOne's business primarily consists of manufacturing and selling 3D printing machines and printing products to specification for its customers using its in-house 3D printing machines. ExOne’s machines serve direct and indirect applications.  Direct printing produces a component; indirect printing makes a tool to produce a component.  ExOne offers pre-production collaboration and print products for customers through its network of Production Service Centers (PSCs).  ExOne also supplies the associated materials, including consumables and replacement parts, and other services, including training and technical support that is necessary for purchasers of its 3D printing machines to print products.

Safe Harbor Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties which change over time and are typically identified by words or phrases such as “trend,” “potential,” “opportunity,” “pipeline,” “believe,” “comfortable,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “current,” “intention,” “estimate,” “position,” “assume,” “outlook,” “continue,” “remain,” “maintain,” “sustain,” “seek,” “achieve,” as well as similar expressions, or future conditional verbs such as “will,” “would,” “should,” “could” and “may.” Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning future revenue and earnings, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by such statements and from historical performance, which include: timing and length of sales of three dimensional printing machines; risks related to global operations including effects of foreign currency and risks related to the situation in the Ukraine; our ability to qualify more industrial materials in which we can print; the availability of skilled personnel; the impact of increases in operating expenses and expenses relating to proposed investments and alliances; our strategy, including the expansion and growth of our operations; the impact of loss of key management; our plans regarding increased international operations in additional international locations; sufficiency of funds for required capital expenditures, working capital, and debt service; the adequacy of sources of liquidity; expectations regarding demand for our industrial products, operating revenues, operating and maintenance expenses, insurance expenses and deductibles, interest expenses, debt levels, and other matters with regard to outlook; demand for aerospace, automotive, heavy equipment, energy/oil/gas and other industrial products; individual customer contractual requirements; the scope, nature or impact of alliances and strategic investments and our ability to integrate strategic investments; liabilities under laws and regulations protecting the environment; the impact of governmental laws and regulations; operating hazards, war, terrorism and cancellation or unavailability of insurance coverage; the effect of litigation and contingencies; the impact of disruption of our manufacturing facilities or PSCs; the adequacy of our protection of our intellectual property; material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting; the impact of customer specific terms in machine sale agreements on the period in which we recognize revenue; the impact of market conditions and other factors on the carrying value of long-lived assets; the potential impact of the results from the United Kingdom’s referendum on its withdrawal from the European Union; and our ability to continue as a going concern and other factors disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Because they are forward-looking, these statements should be evaluated in light of important risk factors and uncertainties.


            

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