Rapid Prototyping in Brazil

From: Terry T. Wohlers (twohlers@compuserve.com)
Date: Thu Oct 28 1999 - 23:33:29 EEST


Pedro Gago wrote:

> I´m very interested in make a complete characterisation of the Brazilian
> Market of Rapid Prototyping .

Pedro,

I had the pleasure of visiting several companies in Brazil last month, in
addition to an industry event that included RP in both its conference and
exhibition. With few exceptions, most organizations are only now becoming
familiar with the basics of RP. Two service bureaus, Flag and Robtec, are
leading the way. Bene Padovani of Stratasys (based in Sao Paulo), as well
as the Instituto Superior de Tecnologia, a highly respected engineering and
manufacturing research and educational institute in Joinville, Santa
Catarina, are also helping to educate companies in a positive way.

Embraer, a Brazilian manufacturer of airplanes, is beginning to explore
what RP has to offer, but they are brand new to it. Tupy, the largest
foundry in Brazil and one of the largest in the world, is also in the
beginning stages of evaluating RP's potential. Meanwhile, Multibras (now
owned by Whirlpool) has been successfully producing laser sintered parts
for kitchen appliances for considerable time. The footwear industry in
Brazil is big (correction: huge) with an estimated 5,000 manufacturers.
Some of them, including a company that I visited in Rio, are beginning to
look at RP.

If you step back and view Brazil's RP activity as a whole, you will find
that it has been limited to date. An estimated 16 systems have been
installed in the entire country through the end of last year. This
compares favorably, however, to its neighboring countries including
Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Peru, and Uruguay, each having installed only
one system through the end of last year. The growth potential and interest
level of RP in Brazil are quite high.

Terry

**********************
Terry Wohlers
Wohlers Associates, Inc.
OakRidge Business Park
1511 River Oak Drive
Fort Collins, Colorado 80525 USA
970-225-0086
Fax 970-225-2027
twohlers@compuserve.com
www.WohlersAssociates.com

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