3d Systems Inc

3D Systems Inc. said it has settled patent litigation between the Valencia-based company and a Quadrax Corp. subsidiary. 3D produces machines that use a laser and chemicals to rapidly make prototype models of industrial parts and other products. The company had claimed in 1990 that Quadrax Laser Technologies Inc., a unit of Portsmouth, R. I.-based Quadrax Corp., had infringed certain existing and pending patents held by 3D.

3-D Systems Inc., the Canadian parent of Valencia-based 3D Systems Inc., said it lost $1.4 million in the quarter that ended June 30 contrasted with a year-earlier profit of $129,163. Sales dropped 16%, to $5.9 million from $7 million a year earlier. The company, which makes and markets machines for rapidly producing three-dimensional industrial models, reported a loss of $3.7 million for the first half of the year, contrasted with net income of $529,784 for the first six months of 1990.

3-D Systems Inc. said its biggest stockholder, Ciba-Geigy Ltd., has agreed to lend up to $2.5 million to help finance the company's operations over the next year. 3-D Systems is a Canadian company whose main unit is 3D Systems, a Valencia maker of machines that combine a computer, laser and chemicals to rapidly make plastic-like prototype models for manufacturers. The company has been struggling recently. 3-D Systems lost $2.

3-D Systems Inc., a Canadian company whose sole operating unit is 3D Systems in Valencia, said its third-quarter profit plummeted 96% from a year earlier, and it warned of more problems ahead. 3D Systems makes a machine that uses a computer, laser and chemicals to rapidly make plastic-like models that manufacturers use as prototypes for new products. In the quarter that ended Sept. 30, its parent company reported earnings of $14,722, down from $358,108 a year earlier.

Ciba-Geigy, a major Swiss corporation, said it plans to sell its 37% stake in 3D Systems Inc. in Valencia as part of a restructuring program. Ciba-Geigy bought its interest in 3D Systems in July, 1988, for $30 million. 3D Systems makes a machine that uses lasers, chemicals and a computer to rapidly produce models of parts, consumer packages and other products for manufacturers.