Originally Published MPMN May 2007

INDUSTRY NEWS

Company Offers Fractional Ownership Program for Rapid Prototyping Equipment

Rapid prototyping (RP) service provider Tangible Express (Springville, UT; www.tangibleexpress.com) has announced a fractional ownership program now available to the industry. The Tangible Alliance Program frees companies from shouldering the entire financial and operational burden associated with owning rapid prototyping equipment; instead, costs are distributed among multiple owners of a machine.

Based on projected annual machine use, companies can purchase a fraction of an RP machine, which is generally divided into increments of one-sixteenth. Tangible Express hosts the equipment, however, providing machine management and maintenance, prototype construction, and part shipping to save customers time and money. The company asserts that fractional ownership is a cost-effective solution for many clients because they do not have to hire and train operators, service the equipment, or buy the actual RP or postprocessing equipment. Stereolithogrpahy and selective laser sintering systems, as well as materials, are exclusively supplied by 3D Systems Corp. (Rock Hill, SC; www.3dsystems.com).

“There are so many companies out there that want to buy rapid prototyping machines and need access to this technology,” says Alex Linde, Tangible Express president and COO. “However, they cannot justify the high cost of full ownership based on their production requirements. The Tangible Alliance Program makes it easy for these companies to match the price of ownership with the production volume required.”

Tangible Express will continue to provide rapid prototyping services to companies not participating in the fractional ownership program.

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