Partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory provides opportunity for prosthetics innovation in the field of adaptive sports
MINNEAPOLIS & REHOVOT, Israel — (BUSINESS WIRE) — October 29, 2013 — Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ: SSYS), a manufacturer of 3D printers and production systems for personal use, prototyping and production, announced that it sponsored today’s Amputee Long Drive Championship (ALDC) at the Mesquite Sports & Event Complex in Mesquite, Nevada. The ALDC brings together disabled golfers from the U.S. and Canada to compete for the chance to become the longest driver in amputee golf.
ALDC founder, Dean Jarvis (Photo: Business Wire)
Stratasys is partnering with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), to aids its efforts to develop lightweight, high-performance prosthetics. ORNL’s goal is to help advances in prosthetics reach the market quickly and affordably. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) plays an important role in ORNL’s prosthetics program.
“Our partnership has allowed ORNL to customize prosthetics to fit the needs of amputees by reimagining ways to advance these products,” said Jeff DeGrange, vice president direct digital manufacturing at Stratasys.
When golf was added to the upcoming 2016 Olympics but denied from the Paralympics, ALDC founder Dean Jarvis became determined to build an event that allowed disabled golfers to demonstrate their abilities and compete in a nationally-recognized tournament. Today, the ALDC is considered one of the most high-profile disabled golf events in the nation and according to Jarvis, provides a solution to the barriers that have prevented golf’s inclusion in the Paralympics.
“If necessity is the mother of invention, then frustration might be the father,” said Jarvis, an above-the-knee amputee, as he spoke about the challenges he’s overcome. “I think Stratasys is a perfect match for the ALDC because their enabling technology embodies this mentality and presents new possibilities for me and my peers.”
The connection between Stratasys and the ALDC was sparked when DeGrange met with Jarvis and White House Science Fair winner, Easton LaChappelle, a high school student who created a mind-controlled prosthetic arm using two 3D printers in his bedroom. Dr. Lonnie Love, senior robotics research scientist at ORNL, made the introduction after hearing about Easton’s presentation during the inaugural ALDC at the Tennessee National Golf Club in July, 2013.
Additional information about the Amputee Long Drive Championship (ALDC) can be found at www.amputeelongdrivechampionship.com. Additional information about Stratasys is available at www.stratasys.com.
Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ: SSYS), headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. and Rehovot, Israel, manufactures 3D printers and materials for prototyping and production. The company’s patented FDM® and PolyJet® processes produce prototypes and manufactured goods directly from 3D CAD files or other 3D content. Systems include 3D printers for idea development, prototyping and direct digital manufacturing. Stratasys subsidiaries include MakerBot and Solidscape and the company operates the RedEye On Demand digital-manufacturing service. Stratasys has more than 1500 employees, holds over 500 granted or pending additive manufacturing patents globally, and has received more than 20 awards for its technology and leadership. Online at: www.stratasys.com or http://blog.stratasys.com
Stratasys, Objet, PolyJet and FDM, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Stratasys Ltd. or its affiliates or subsidiaries. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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impact of competitive products and pricing; its timely development of
new products and materials and market acceptance of those products and
materials; the success of Stratasys’ recent R&D initiative to expand the
DDM capabilities of its core FDM technology; and the success of
Stratasys’ RedEye On DemandTM and other paid parts services. This list
is intended to identify only certain of the principal factors that could
cause actual results to differ. These and other applicable factors are
discussed in this presentation and in Stratasys’ Annual Report on Form
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