3D Systems Corporation is getting bigger, now going from the NASDAQ Global Select Market to the New Your Stock Exchange, new ticker symbol will be DDD. This move will likely bring greater investment in the company, and greater growth opportunities. Recent “Twitterverse” posts from services bureaus and end users have been teasing 3D Systems about buying up everything, but then again, it’s clear that 3D Systems intends to be a big player in the AM market.

With all of its recent acquisitions, 3D Systems is placing a bet, so to speak, that customers (defined here as individual, non engineers) will drive the 3D printing/additive manufacturing market to high levels of growth. A lot of those customers would strongly agree. They see lots of uses for low-cost (less than $3000) 3D printers.

Other big players in the 3D printing/additive manufacturing market may offer devices for individual 3D printing, but they are still focused on professionals (defined here as engineers) and engineering-driven applications.

What I think we have here is the development of two markets. One–the engineering one–is firmly established. The non-engineer market is just getting started.

Executives from some of the companies focused on non-engineering users are the ones who are predicting the creative destruction of traditional manufacturing and distribution functions. It will be very interesting to watch what happens.

Back to 3D Systems announcement: The company expects to begin trading on the NYSE on Thursday, May 26, 2011, subject to the satisfactory completion of its listing on the NYSE, under a new ticker symbol “DDD.” The company expects to continue to trade under the ticker symbol “TDSC” on NASDAQ until the transfer is completed. The company is planning to ring the opening bell of the NYSE on May 26, 2011, which will be broadcast live on the company’s website.

3D Systems Corporation
www.3DSystems.com