As we enter this summer season we want to provide you with an update on our progress here at Desktop Factory. Shortly after receiving the prototype model of the lens based imager we began our testing and found two problems that needed additional attention. We discovered that while the new lens clearly eliminated our problem with aperture clogs, it delivered a slower 'draw' speed than our prior subsystem. It has taken a couple of weeks and design iterations but we believe we now have a modification of the imager with several improvements — including onboard heat management and a draw speed within 20% of our original design. We have recently outfitted four of our 3D printers with this latest version of the imager and are beginning our test program this week.
On the reliability front we are slightly ahead of our projections. As we compile and assess our data we actually evaluate reliability at two distinct levels. One is the 'user' level and the second is the 'service technician' level. By this we mean that the 3D printer 'user' will be called upon to perform some level of preventative activity to maintain optimal performance of the system. Our goal is to make certain that the steps and the time required for this periodic maintenance are within reasonable limits. The 'service technician' is an external specialist trained to recover from a system failure or fault and return the printer to full use. This repair effort might be conducted on-site or at a service depot.
As of the end of May we are very pleased to report that 'user' preventative maintenance (PM) is currently suggested only every 10 days and should take well under an hour of time. This result is against a target of 7 days, so we are there. In terms of the need for a 'service technician', we are experiencing 20 days — about 4 weeks — of what we call MFOP, maintenance free operating period. These results are very encouraging as the target at launch for the MFOP is 90 days.
We have nothing new to report in terms of support structure removal at this time. The lens based imager will have a major impact on supports, one we anticipate to be positive. Our intention is to restart our efforts on support removal once the imager testing is well underway.
Just in case you missed an issue of our newsletter please note that they are all posted on our website under News.
MEET A MEMBER OF OUR TEAM
Since we communicate on a fairly regular basis about the product and other related activities we thought you might like to get to know our team. We will introduce you to one of our people with each newsletter starting with Jay Wright, a mechanical engineer.
Jay was born and raised in Bozeman, Montana as the fifth generation on a family farm, where wheat, barley, and potatoes are still grown today. As a boy, Jay attended the same one-room schoolhouse as his grandfather and great-grandfather before him. He says it was a bit like the Little House on the Prairie, except with mountains!
Jay idolized the work of his father, grandfather, and uncles around the family farm. They were always learning about the processes of nature and the operation of machines. Since he liked math and science and making things work, mechanical engineering was a natural choice for Jay. After high school Jay moved to California to attend Harvey Mudd College. At 'Mudd' Jay received an outstanding education, accumulated friends from Macedonia to Massachusetts and enjoyed some great experiences including a visit to Houston one summer where they rode NASA's infamous "Vomit Comet".
Jay believes that one of the great challenges facing engineers is the need to marry technical concepts and details with social and interpersonal values. This ideal is tightly linked with his overall career goal to contribute to projects that will improve people's lives in significant ways. I think this is why Jay joined Desktop Factory as his first full-time engineering job. He was also looking for a great place to learn and contribute to a close-knit team.
Now, after two years, he says the company retains the qualities that brought him here and he hopes we achieve our goal of bringing 3D printing to homes, offices, and shops. Later this year Jay will marry his beautiful fiancée, Chelsea, in San Diego with lots of family and friends in attendance. We will be implementing a remote work schedule to accommodate Jay and his new life to make certain we do not interrupt his engineering activities at Desktop Factory.
What else should you know about Jay? He is an intelligent, empathetic young man who enjoys all manner of outdoor activities. Yes, this apple didn't fall far from the family tree — in fact one of his favorite quotes from his grandfather is "The path of least resistance makes both rivers and men crooked." Jay needs never take that path — we know he will continue to go far in life.
PARTNERING WITH DESKTOP FACTORY
We have received hundreds of emails asking for information on various partnership opportunities with our company. We feel honored and thank you for your interest and your patience. We are definitely committed to developing relationships that will further the knowledge and acceptance of 3D printing technologies. However, it is still early in our development process for us to commit time and resource to these activities.
With regards to software development we will be looking to form complementary relationships in the future. This is particularly true when it comes to expanding file formats and introducing low cost, consumer solid object modeling software. We will also want to entertain special enablers for targeted industries to broaden and accelerate the adoption of 3D printing for non-users.
For those of you interested in marketing, reselling or distributing our printers, please stay tuned, as we certainly want to consider and implement multiple routes to the market. The need for partnerships is particularly important as we prepare for a global product introduction. We are looking forward to the discussions and encourage you to continue to stay in touch with us and we will do our best to keep you up to date on our progress.
As we get to a point in the future where the time is right for one or more of these partnerships, we will notify you in a newsletter. We may dedicate an issue to these myriad ways in which we can work together to deliver low cost 3D printing to the masses.
WEBSITES & NEWS
Since the last newsletter I have learned about a website or two that you may find helpful. This first site offers a great deal of support with 3D solid object modeling software. They offer a variety of training and seem to be building a strong community at www.3Dbuzz.com. Of course the quintessential site for 3D printer industry information is www.wohlersassociates.com. Terry Wohlers recently reported that the industry reached $1.1B dollars in revenue in 2007. To read his complete update, please click here. If you have another website that our readers will find of interest, do not hesitate to send it to me.
Also since we last communicated, we have placed a non-working model of our 3D printer in the new Innoventions Dream Home at Disneyland here in Southern California. The goal of this exhibit is to portray some of the exciting current and future technologies that will improve our lives over time. Desktop Factory 125ci was among a number of high tech gadgets that were featured recently on a local news channel, as well as in the Los Angeles Times. If you happen to be in Southern California and visit Disneyland, do not miss this amazing attraction.
OVER THE NEXT 6 MONTHS
With your support we will stay the course, continue our testing and focus on reliability. We have made tremendous progress following the discovery of some pretty daunting challenges late last year. We have a new imager design, the time to fully test it and we have a great team committed to delivering low cost 3D printing to all of our constituents.
Another key activity for us over this time horizon will be fundraising. We are extremely fortunate to have the full backing of Idealab, the well known high tech incubator, to form Desktop Factory and develop our concept of affordable 3D printing. They were also instrumental in both funding and resource assistance when we encountered our technical problems. Now it is time to find a secondary source of funds to complement Idealab as we finalize product development and prepare for market introduction. In this important relationship, we will be seeking financial investment as well as proven expertise in either low cost manufacturing and/or global market expansion. If you are aware of any venture capital or equity partners who may have an interest in this exciting opportunity, please refer them to me.
For our part, we will do our best to keep you posted every four to six weeks on our continued progress. If you have questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time. Suggestions are also always welcome — we have received some wonderful ideas in the past several months. The easiest way to send a question or comment from our website is to use info@desktopfactory.com but you may also call us at 626-229-3190. Enjoy the summer and we will update you again very soon!
Cathy Lewis
CEO
If you feel you received this message in error, or would like to unsubscribe from future promotional mailings from Desktop Factory, please click here.
As we enter this summer season we want to provide you with an update on our progress here at Desktop Factory. Shortly after receiving the prototype model of the lens based imager we began our testing and found two problems that needed additional attention. We discovered that while the new lens clearly eliminated our problem with aperture clogs, it delivered a slower 'draw' speed than our prior subsystem. It has taken a couple of weeks and design iterations but we believe we now have a modification of the imager with several improvements — including onboard heat management and a draw speed within 20% of our original design. We have recently outfitted four of our 3D printers with this latest version of the imager and are beginning our test program this week.
Jay was born and raised in Bozeman, Montana as the fifth generation on a family farm, where wheat, barley, and potatoes are still grown today. As a boy, Jay attended the same one-room schoolhouse as his grandfather and great-grandfather before him. He says it was a bit like the Little House on the Prairie, except with mountains!
Since the last newsletter I have learned about a website or two that you may find helpful. This first site offers a great deal of support with 3D solid object modeling software. They offer a variety of training and seem to be building a strong community at 
With your support we will stay the course, continue our testing and focus on reliability. We have made tremendous progress following the discovery of some pretty daunting challenges late last year. We have a new imager design, the time to fully test it and we have a great team committed to delivering low cost 3D printing to all of our constituents.