Rapid Shape

Rapid Shape is a German manufacturer of professional 3D printing systems, headquartered in the south of Germany and operating globally. The company designs and builds DLP-based printers together with matched WASH and CURE post-processing units, and it validates complete workflows for dental clinics, dental laboratories, audiology professionals and jewelry makers. Its brand promise is precision, efficiency and quality "made in Germany" for a global market. The company grew out of Schultheiss GmbH, a parent business active in heating and casting technology for processing precious metals. Roughly a decade before the current positioning, Rapid Shape began building its own printers because the machines available on the market did not meet the parent company's requirements. Rapid Shape was formally founded in 2011, and its product portfolio has expanded substantially since then. Today the company reports more than 200 employees across seven locations in more than five countries. Rapid Shape's portfolio spans chairside and laboratory dental printing as well as audiology and jewelry. For dental clinics it offers the compact ONE printer, which is designed for same-appointment restorations and can print crowns and bridges in minutes. For dental laboratories it offers the PRO 20 and PRO 30 desktop devices and the D50+ with its Automatic Separation Module and automatic resin refill. For high-volume dental labs it provides modular, fully automated systems such as the D90+, D100+ and RS inline 3.0, built to scale production across many dental workflows. For audiology and jewelry it offers the ONE for Audiology, PRO 20, PRO 30, HA50+/S50+ and HA90+/S90+. A central element of the Rapid Shape proposition is its open material platform. The company states that its printers work without proprietary restrictions and support more than 1,900 validated material workflows, including over 1,600 dental workflows and more than 300 audiology and jewelry workflows, validated with resins from leading manufacturers. New materials are added continuously. Rapid Shape also supplies Print Studio software, which integrates with leading dental CAD programs and is marketed as enabling scan-to-print in under 60 seconds. Rapid Shape emphasizes automation and uptime. Patented features include automatic separation units that detach printed parts from the build platform and start the next job independently, plus an Automatic Refill unit that keeps print material at the required level. Every printer undergoes rigorous quality checks before leaving the manufacturing facility, including validated print jobs that are checked for dimensional accuracy. The company positions itself as setting the benchmark in efficiency and quality for professional additive manufacturing in its target industries.

Rapid Shape's origins lie with Schultheiss GmbH, a German company whose field of activity is heating and casting technology for processing precious metals. More than ten years before the current positioning, Schultheiss found that the 3D printers available on the market did not satisfy its requirements. Rather than continue with unsatisfactory equipment, the company decided to develop its own printers. This decision, described by Rapid Shape as making a virtue of necessity, produced the first machines and laid the foundation for a dedicated additive manufacturing business. Rapid Shape was formally founded in 2011. From its base in the south of Germany, the company built a portfolio of professional 3D printing systems and expanded internationally. Its product range grew substantially after founding, moving from initial printers to a broad family of machines and matched post-processing equipment. The company reports that it now employs over 200 people at seven locations in more than five countries, serving a global market. A defining strategic choice was to build an open material platform. Instead of locking customers into proprietary resins, Rapid Shape validates workflows with resins from leading manufacturers. The company states that its printers support more than 1,900 validated material workflows, comprising over 1,600 dental workflows and more than 300 audiology and jewelry workflows, with new materials added continuously by its validation team and material partners. Rapid Shape also invested in automation to reduce idle and cleaning time. Patented solutions include automatic separation units that remove printed parts from the build platform and allow the printer to start the next job independently, and an Automatic Refill unit that maintains a sufficient level of print material in the reservoir so manual refilling is unnecessary. These features are central to products such as the D50+, which offers an Automatic Separation Module and a resin refill system for semi-automated, continuous production. Quality control has been part of the company's process from the start. Before each 3D printer leaves the manufacturing facility, it undergoes several rigorous checks; one of the most important is printing validated print jobs on the machine and checking them for dimensional accuracy. This emphasis on validated, repeatable output underpins Rapid Shape's positioning in dental, audiology and jewelry applications. Over time the portfolio has segmented by customer type. Dental clinics are served by the compact ONE printer for chairside, same-appointment restorations. Dental laboratories can choose from desktop devices such as the PRO 20 and PRO 30 up to the automation-enabled D50+. High-volume dental labs are addressed by modular, fully automated systems including the D90+, D100+ and RS inline 3.0, designed to scale production across more than ten dental workflows. Audiology and jewelry professionals are served by the ONE for Audiology, PRO 20, PRO 30, HA50+/S50+ and HA90+/S90+. Across all segments, Rapid Shape pairs its printers with WASH and CURE post-processing for complete, validated workflows, and provides Print Studio software with integrations into leading dental CAD programs.

• 2011

  Rapid Shape is formally founded, growing out of parent company Schultheiss GmbH.

• Rapid Shape begins developing its own 3D printers after market offerings fail to meet Schultheiss GmbH's requirements.

• Company expands to over 200 employees at seven locations in more than five countries.

• Open material platform reaches 1,900+ validated workflows, including 1,600+ dental and 300+ audiology and jewelry workflows.

• D50+ dental 3D printer introduced with Automatic Separation Module and automatic resin refill for semi-automated production.

• ONE chairside dental 3D printer offered for same-appointment restorations, printing crowns and bridges in minutes.

Professional-grade, German-made DLP 3D printing systems with an open material platform, automation and validated workflows for dental, audiology and jewelry.

• ONE

  Compact chairside dental 3D printer for clinics, designed for same-appointment restorations; prints crowns and bridges in about 8 minutes and supports 15+ dental workflows with 50+ validated resins.

• PRO 20

  Desktop dental 3D printer for dental laboratories and audiology/jewelry applications.

• PRO 30

  Desktop dental 3D printer for dental laboratories and audiology/jewelry applications.

• D50+

  Dental lab 3D printer with Automatic Separation Module and Resin Refill system; queues up to 6 print jobs, compatible with 100+ dental resins and 200+ validated materials.

• D90+

  Modular, fully automated 3D printing system for high-volume dental labs, scaling production across 10+ dental workflows.

• D100+

  Modular, fully automated 3D printing system for high-volume dental labs.

• RS inline 3.0

  Automated 3D printing system for high-volume dental production.

• HA50+/S50+

  3D printer for audiology and jewelry applications, including hearing aid shells and castable jewelry.

• HA90+/S90+

  3D printer for audiology and jewelry applications.

• WASH

  Post-processing wash unit paired with Rapid Shape printers for validated workflows.

• CURE

  Post-processing cure unit paired with Rapid Shape printers for validated workflows.

• Print Studio

  Software with built-in integrations into leading dental CAD programs, marketed as enabling scan-to-print in under 60 seconds.

1. 13D Printing for Dental, Audiology and Jewelry | Rapid Shaperapidshape3d.com
2. 2About Us - Rapid Shaperapidshape3d.com
3. 3ONE - High-performing Chairside 3D Printer for Dental Clinicsrapidshape3d.com
4. 4RS D50+ - Automation-enabled 3D Printer for Dental Expertsrapidshape3d.com