- SGLB
president and CEO discusses disruptive 3D metal-printing technology and
how it will reconfigure factory operation
- 3D
metal printing is recognized as disruptive technology that can enhance
numerous industries, including defense operations and capabilities
- Sigma
Labs is set to harness benefits of focused efforts from 2019 in the
upcoming year
- 3D
metal printing is a multibillion-dollar market
Sigma Labs Inc. (NASDAQ: SGLB) President and CEO John
Rice recently joined NNW’s Stuart Smith to discuss the company’s disruptive
technology (http://ibn.fm/nls82).
A leading developer of quality-control software for the commercial 3D-printing
industry, SGLB offers PrintRite3D® software: a proprietary, real-time,
computer-aided inspection (CAI) technology. The product is unique as the only
in-process, quality-assurance software that revolutionizes the commercial 3D
metal-printing industry by enabling nondestructive quality control intervention
during the production process.
Sigma Labs was founded in 2010 by a team of senior
scientists and engineers from Los Alamos Labs who were poised to develop
revolutionary parts in metallurgy science. Managed by experts from different
science disciplines such as physics, metallurgy, mechanical engineering,
optics, artificial intelligence and data science, the company has become the
go-to 3D-metal-printing source for quality control disruptive solutions.
While Rice acknowledges that today “disruption” is an
overused term among industry practitioners and academics alike, the SGLB CEO
notes that 3D printing is a disruptive technology that revolutionizes the way
items – everything from consumer products to heavyweight industrial machinery –
are created. SGLB technology will help reconfigure how factories operate in the
future, transforming the facilities into Internet of Things factories that will
be redesigned along the entire value chain, he says.
Among other industries, additive laser powder bed
manufacturing (or 3D metal printing) is recognized as a disruptive technology
that can considerably enhance all of manufacturing, especially the defense
industry’s operations and military capabilities. Offering solutions such as
unmanned and autonomous robotic systems, directed-energy weapons, human
performance modification and cyber capabilities, 3D printing is set to
transform warfare.
3D-printing technology allows on-demand production,
improving the supply-chain responsiveness and reducing inventory, obsolescence
risks and total costs. In addition, small scale, or “one-off” production, is
viable with this technology because no economies of scale are needed, and
standardization is no longer a requirement. As the technology matures, parts
could be printed on-site from available materials.
Although 3D printing is considered a key technology that
enhances the capabilities of the defense industry, a real challenge remains in
the quality-control procedures as inspecting and testing complex shapes is
costly and difficult. The 3D metal-printing technology has faced significant
difficulties in producing highly consistent, repeatable, quality parts.
Sigma Labs’ technology solves this difficulty by allowing
the parts to be monitored in real time during the production process while its
flagship revolutionary software, PrintRite 3D, is extracting and assessing
thermal information when a part is beginning to drift out of specification. The
software is able to spot the precursors of quality issues and alert the machine
operator, who can stop and make a correction immediately.
Even with quality-control challenges, 3D metal printing is a
multibillion-dollar market. Verified Market Research valued the global
3D-printing market at $8.08 billion in 2017 and projected a CAGR of 25.5% from
2018 to 2025, when the market is expected to reach $49.74 billion.
These impressive growth rates have attracted considerable attention
from investors, who have been investing heavily in 3D-printing companies, both
public and VC backed. The sector’s growth potential could be even more
spectacular with Sigma Labs’ technology solving major obstacles that prevent
production at scale.
After a year of intense work, Sigma Labs currently has six
major enterprise companies – three OEMs and three end users – that will be
completing the test-and-evaluation phases of Sigma Labs’ equipment over the
next months. SGLB has spent 2019 validating efficacy while moving toward full
commercialization and is poised to harvest these efforts in this year.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.SigmaLabsInc.com
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates
relating to SGLB are available in the company’s newsroom at http://ibn.fm/SGLB
About MissionIR
MissionIR is
primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless
communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from
start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the
expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given
situation.
For more information, visit www.MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission
Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever
published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
