Leading software, hardware, industrial automation and services providers join 3D printing standards association

WAKEFIELD, Mass. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — July 1, 2015 — The 3MF Consortium, an industry association recently launched to develop and promote a new full-fidelity file format for 3D printing, today announced four new members:

• 3D Systems – a provider of advanced and comprehensive 3D digital design and fabrication solutions, including 3D printers, software, print materials and cloud-sourced custom parts
• Materialise -- a provider of 3D printing software and services in a variety of sectors, such as healthcare, automotive and consumer products
• Siemens PLM Software -- a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) and manufacturing operations management (MOM) software, systems and services
• Stratasys -- a leading global provider of 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions used to perfect product designs and prototypes and create production parts with direct digital manufacturing

"The addition of 3D Systems, Materialise, Siemens PLM Software and Stratasys to our membership ranks further demonstrates the significant industry momentum behind the adoption of 3MF," said Adrian Lannin, 3MF Consortium executive director. "By participating in the 3MF Consortium, our new members will ensure that their customers get all the advanced capabilities and productivity benefits of the 3MF specification. We welcome them and look forward to their contributions."

The 3MF Consortium was formed to close the gap between the capabilities of modern 3D printers and outdated file formats. The 3MF specification eliminates the problems associated with currently available file formats, resolving interoperability and functionality issues, enabling companies to focus more on innovation. The first version of the 3MF specification is available now for download at no charge.

About the 3MF Consortium
Launched in 2015, the 3MF Consortium is a Joint Development Foundation project with the goal to define a 3D printing format that will allow design applications to send full-fidelity 3D models to a mix of other applications, platforms, services and printers. The 3MF (for 3D Manufacturing Format) specification eliminates the widespread issues with currently available file formats.

Members of the 3MF Consortium are: 3D Systems; Autodesk, Inc; Dassault Systèmes, SA.; FIT AG/netfabb GmbH; HP; Materialise; Microsoft Corporation; Shapeways, Inc.; Siemens PLM Software; SLM Solutions Group AG; and Stratasys. The starting point for the Consortium's development of the 3MF specification was Microsoft's donation of its 3D file format work-in-progress. More information about the 3MF Consortium and the 3MF specification is available at http://www.3mf.io.

Editors' Note: Supporting statements from the new 3MF Consortium members are available upon request; write to rcassidy@virtualmgmt.com.

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