Z Corporation

What Z Corporation does

Z Corporation, founded in 1994 and headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, operates in the additive manufacturing and 3D printing industry. The data describes a comprehensive portfolio spanning multiple proprietary printing technology platforms — Stereolithography (SLA), Projector-Based SLA (PSLA), Figure 4 vat photopolymerization, Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Direct Metal Printing (DMP), MultiJet Printing (MJP), and Pellet Extrusion (EXT) — delivered through 40-plus printer SKUs covering plastic, metal, dental, jewelry, and medical-grade systems. The portfolio is wrapped by an integrated software ecosystem (3D Sprint, 3D Connect, Deep Space, Manufacturing OS, 3DXpert, DICOM to Print), certified materials (plastic, elastomer, composite, wax, metal, bio-compatible, dental), haptic devices, and a dedicated Application Innovation Group providing consultative professional services.

The business model combines hardware sales with recurring revenue from materials, consumables, software subscriptions, service plans, and professional services. Go-to-market is hybrid: a consultative direct enterprise sales motion targeting aerospace & defense, transportation & automotive, healthcare & medical devices, dental, semiconductor, foundries, jewelry, turbomachinery, carbon capture, consumer technology, service bureaus, and bioprinting — paired with a self-service e-commerce storefront (shop.3dsystems.com) for materials and SMB purchases. Pricing is quote-based under multi-year contracts with no public price list. Named enterprise customers include Airbus, Lucid, General Atomics, the European Space Agency, United Therapeutics, Paragon Medical, Jabil, nLight, RMS, the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, and ROE Dental Laboratory, alongside research customers such as MIT, Imperial College London, and ETH Zurich. The sub-brands Figure 4 and NextDent are operated as distinct product franchises within the portfolio.

Note on data integrity: the firmographic record lists Z Corporation as a 251-500 employee private company founded 1994 in Burlington, MA, while the operational content references a publicly traded entity (NYSE: DDD) with global enterprise operations; the analysis above is grounded in the operational content, which is the more recent and specific evidence.

Name

Z Corporation

Legal name

3D Systems, Inc.

Website

https://zcorp.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Z Corporation is a Burlington, Massachusetts-based additive manufacturing provider offering 3D printers, software, materials, and services across SLA, DMP, SLS, MJP, Figure 4, and extrusion platforms, serving global enterprise customers in aerospace, automotive, healthcare, dental, and semiconductor industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing Equipment

NAICS

Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing (3341), Dental Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (339114), Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113), Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112)

SIC

Printing Trades Machinery & Equipment (3555), Dental Equipment & Supplies (3843), Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Plastic Material, Synth Resin/Rubber, Cellulos (No Glass) (2820)

akta.pro primary industry

3D Printers (Additive Manufacturing) (HDACAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medical Devices & Dental (Production AM Parts) (IMAAAEAD), Medical & Dental 3D Printing Services (patient-specific devices, dental labs) (IMAAADAG), Medical & Dental Prototyping (Models, Guides, Pre-Op Planning) (IMAAAFAI), Materials R&D & Characterization (Powder/Resin Development, Testing) (IMAAAJAG)

Keywords

• Additive manufacturing solutions
• Industrial 3D printers
• Metal additive manufacturing
• Stereolithography systems
• Dental 3D printing

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. 3D Printer Hardware Sales: Sale of commercial 3D printers including plastic and metal systems across multiple technology platforms (SLA, SLS, DMP, MJP, Figure 4, extrusion)
2. Materials and Consumables: Sale of 3D printing materials including plastic, elastomer, composite, wax, metal, and bio-compatible materials
3. Software Licenses and Subscriptions: AI-powered software solutions including 3D Sprint, 3D Connect, Deep Space, Manufacturing OS, 3DXpert, and DICOM to Print
4. Professional Services: Application Innovation Group provides consultative services for adoption of additive manufacturing, training, and support services
5. Service Plans: Printer service plans for maintenance, support, and optimal performance of 3D printers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Z Corporation (operating through the 3D Systems platform) designs, manufactures, and sells industrial 3D printing hardware and end-to-end additive manufacturing solutions, including multiple proprietary printer technology platforms (SLA, Figure 4, SLS, MJP, DMP, PSLA, EXT), a portfolio of plastic, metal, dental, jewelry, and casting materials, AI-enabled design-to-print software, haptic feedback devices, and consulting, training, and maintenance services for industrial and healthcare customers.

Product overview

3D Systems offers a comprehensive, platform-based portfolio of additive manufacturing solutions comprising hardware (3D printers across multiple technologies), software (workflow and preparation tools), materials (plastic, metal, dental, jewelry, and casting), haptic devices, and professional services. The hardware portfolio spans multiple printing technologies including Figure 4 (vat photopolymerization), SLA (stereolithography), SLS (selective laser sintering), pellet extrusion, MultiJet Printing (MJP), and Direct Metal Printing (DMP). The software ecosystem includes 3D Sprint for file preparation, 3D Connect for fleet management, Deep Space for workflow optimization, Manufacturing OS for process automation, 3DXpert for metal additive workflows, and DICOM to Print for medical imaging. The company also provides haptic feedback devices (Phantom Premium, Touch, Touch X) and professional services through the Application Innovation Group, training programs, and service plans. Products are organized by industry vertical including Healthcare (dental and medical devices), Aerospace & Defense, Automotive, Semiconductor, Jewelry, and general Manufacturing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Figure 4: A modular 3D printing platform technology for production-scale additive manufacturing.
• NextDent

Products and services

• Figure 4 3D Printer Platform A proprietary vat photopolymerization 3D printing platform offering high-speed production of plastic parts, with configurations including the Figure 4 135 (entry-level prototyping/short-run), Figure 4 Standalone, Figure 4 Modular, and Figure 4 Production (high-throughput volume production). Targets industrial customers across aerospace and defense, automotive, healthcare, and general manufacturing.
• Stereolithography (SLA) 3D Printers Industry-leading stereolithography printer family including the ProJet 7000 HD (high-definition prototyping/production), SLA 750 (large-format industrial), and SLA 825 Dual (dual-laser, large-area, high-speed). Separate SLA 825 for Dental and SLA 750 for Dental are configured for restorative, orthodontic, and dental prosthetic applications.
• Projector-Based Stereolithography (PSLA) Printer PSLA 270 projector-based stereolithography 3D printer for plastic prototyping and production using projector-based curing.
• Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) 3D Printers SLS 300 for functional nylon parts and SLS 380 industrial SLS system with advanced thermal management for high-quality sintered parts, used for functional prototyping and end-use production.
• Pellet Extrusion (EXT) 3D Printers Pellet extrusion printers including EXT 800 Titan Pellet (compact prototyping/small-batch), EXT 1070 Titan Pellet (large-format), EXT 1270 Titan Pellet (industrial high-volume), and EXT 220 MED (medical-grade extrusion printer with validated workflows for healthcare applications).
• MultiJet Printing (MJP) Systems MultiJet printing portfolio including MJP 300W Plus (jewelry and wax casting patterns), ProJet MJP 2500 IC (investment casting wax patterns), ProJet MJP 2500 Plus (high-resolution plastic prototyping/production), ProJet MJP 3600 Series (high-quality plastic production), ProJet MJP 5600 (full-color prototypes and models), and ProJet MJP 2500 Plus for Dental (dental models and restorations).
• Direct Metal Printing (DMP) Systems Industrial metal 3D printing systems for full-density metal part production across DMP Factory 500 (high-volume), DMP Factory 350 (single or dual laser), DMP Factory 350 Dual, DMP Flex 350 / Dual / Triple (flexible-configuration, single to triple-laser productivity), and DMP Flex 200 (compact prototyping and small metal parts).
• Dental 3D Printers Dental-specific 3D printers including the NextDent 300 jetted-denture printing system for dental prosthetics, NextDent 5100 high-speed printer for prosthetics and surgical guides, NextDent LCD1 LCD-based printer for chairside and lab applications, plus the dental-configured SLA 825 for Dental and SLA 750 for Dental.
• Haptic Feedback Devices Phantom Premium high-performance haptic device for professional force-feedback applications, Touch desktop haptic device for 3D navigation with force feedback, and Touch X extended-range haptic device for larger 3D modeling and simulation. OpenHaptics is the accompanying software toolkit for haptic integration.
• 3D Sprint Software All-in-one prepare-print-finish software for 3D Systems printers, handling file preparation, optimization, and printer management for additive manufacturing workflows.
• 3D Connect Software Cloud-based software for printer monitoring and fleet management of 3D Systems printers, supporting connected operations.
• 3DXpert Software End-to-end metal additive manufacturing software supporting the design-to-print workflow, including optimization for DMP and related metal printers.
• Manufacturing OS Operating system for additive manufacturing workflows, enabling automation and integration of 3D printing operations across the production environment.
• Deep Space Software Additive manufacturing workflow software for advanced process planning and optimization across the production lifecycle.
• DICOM to Print Software Medical imaging software that converts DICOM data into 3D printable models for point-of-care and personalized healthcare applications such as surgical planning.
• OpenHaptics Software Toolkit Software development toolkit for integrating haptic capabilities into third-party applications alongside the Phantom Premium, Touch, and Touch X haptic devices.
• Plastic 3D Printing Materials Portfolio of plastic 3D printing materials including photopolymers, thermoplastics, and composites, used across multiple 3D Systems printer platforms. Sold as recurring consumables.
• Metal 3D Printing Materials Metal powders and alloys for direct metal printing (DMP) applications. Sold as recurring consumables tied to DMP hardware installations.
• Dental 3D Printing Materials (NextDent) Bio-compatible dental materials specifically formulated for 3D printing of orthodontic, prosthodontic, and implantology applications under the NextDent sub-brand.
• Jewelry 3D Printing Materials Wax and casting materials for jewelry manufacturing via 3D printing, supporting casting, mold making, and prototyping use cases.
• Metal Casting 3D Printing Materials Pattern materials for investment casting and sand casting applications, including patterns and cores for foundries.
• Application Innovation Group Services Consulting services providing application expertise to guide customers from exploration through full-scale production deployment of additive manufacturing, supporting technology selection and workflow design.
• Training and Knowledge Programs Expert training programs and educational resources that help customers maximize 3D printing capabilities across Z Corporation / 3D Systems hardware and software.
• Printer Service Plans Maintenance and support service plans for 3D printers, ensuring peak performance and longevity as a recurring revenue offering.

Quantifiable outcome

• Parts printed in a fraction of the time compared to traditional manufacturing

Named customers17 records

Segments12 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Stratasys: Direct competitor in industrial 3D printing, offering FDM, PolyJet, and P3/DLP platforms with comparable healthcare, aerospace, and automotive vertical coverage and a similar materials + software + services revenue mix.
• Formlabs: Direct competitor in SLA and SLS, focused on the prosumer and SMB segments but increasingly moving upmarket into dental, medical, and engineering production use cases overlapping with 3D Systems' portfolio.
• Desktop Metal: Competitor across metal binder jetting, bound metal deposition, and integrated metal AM systems; serves automotive, aerospace, and industrial customers that overlap with 3D Systems' DMP and EXT portfolios.
• Materialise: Operates both a 3D printing software platform (Magics) and a service bureau, competing with 3D Systems across medical (CMF, orthopedics), automotive, and consumer verticals.
• EOS: Direct competitor in industrial polymer and metal powder-bed additive manufacturing with comparable aerospace, automotive, and medical verticals and an integrated hardware + materials + software model.
• SLM Solutions: Direct competitor in industrial metal additive manufacturing (LPBF), overlapping with 3D Systems' DMP line across aerospace, automotive, and energy customers.
• Carbon: Direct competitor in production-grade polymer AM (DLS technology), competing for the same dental, automotive, and consumer product production applications that 3D Systems targets with Figure 4 and MJP.

Emerging players

• Velo3D: Emerging direct competitor in metal powder-bed fusion (Direct Metal Printing overlap), focused on aerospace, space, and defense — the same high-value verticals 3D Systems addresses with DMP.

Broad incumbents

• HP (Multi Jet Fusion): Broader incumbent leveraging Multi Jet Fusion for production-grade polymer AM, competing head-on with 3D Systems' SLS and Figure 4 platforms across industrial and service bureau customers.

Regional players

• Align Technology (iTero / Invisalign): Major dental industry participant with deep orthodontic and digital dentistry footprint; competes indirectly for dental 3D printing wallet share (orthodontics, prosthodontics) where 3D Systems sells NextDent materials and dental SLA printers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/z-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Z Corporation