Twenty-six years ago, Chuck Hull received a patent for a system
he called stereolithography. The patent described a procedure of
creating three-dimensional objects with a computer-controlled
system that shoots ultraviolet light into a pool of liquid
polymer or some other "fluid medium." The fluid at the surface
turns solid when hit by UV light. The object is then lowered as
layer upon layer of light beams hit the liquid surface and
stitch together, sliver by sliver, the object the computer has
been programmed to produce. Abraham Reichental, CEO of 3D
Systems, wears a glove and holds a copy of a Les Paul guitar,
both made from his company's 3D printers. View Enlarged Image As
the Hull patent described, "stereolithography is a method and
apparatus for making solid objects by successively 'printing'
thin layers of a curable material, one on top of another." That
same year, in 1986, Hull co-founded 3D Systems (DDD), now based
in Rock Hill, S.C., where he is currently the chief technology
officer. It began making