Albuquerque, NM - Additive manufacturing systems maker Optomec has more than doubled its order bookings through the first three quarters of 2014. The company says that it is on track to meet 100-percent growth in orders for the systems by the end of the year, as utility for 3D printing is expanding beyond research and prototyping.
Related: Optomec receives order for LENS 3D printing system from RIT remanufacturing center
In the third quarter of 2014, the company received a record amount of system orders, securing more than 10 new customers for its 3D printers. This includes the company's LENS 3D printers used for the repair and fabrication of metal components, and its Aerosol Jet systems used for 3D-printed electronics. The majority of the bookings were from industrial customers that will use the printers for production applications. More than half of the sales came from U.S. customers, with the remainder divided evenly between Europe and Asia.
In addition to strong overall sales performance in the third quarter, notable strategic developments include the addition of a new Aerosol Jet account focused on high-volume production of 3D-printed antennas for smartphones, bringing our penetration in this market up to five customers, and a new industrial customer that will use the LENS in production for 3D-printed metal coatings.