Ī whitewater enthusiast from the first time he went down the Chattooga River, Masters launched his business with $50 in capital. He repaired the kayak and his workmanship attracted the attention of other kayakers, who quickly asked him to repair their kayaks. Masters's original 3D printing patent expired in 2004.Īs a student at Clemson University, Masters received a broken kayak as payment for fixing a friend's car. Both of these men filed their patent applications after Bill Masters (filed Jul 2, 1984), making him the true father of 3D printing. Scott Crump, who patented fused deposition modeling (filed Oct 30, 1989). Hull, who invented stereo lithography (filed Aug 8, 1984), and S. Two other American inventors developed 3D printing technology that achieved commercial viability in additive manufacturing: Charles W. BPM would go out of business in 1997, but the corporate entity still exists. Negative publicity resulting from the product introduction proved to be fatal, which had struggled to develop its market. After eight years of product development, the technology was still unreliable, and most of the companies who received the Personal Modelers shipped them back and turned their attention elsewhere. The company, responding to pressure from investors and competitors, shipped and installed sixteen Personal Modelers in beta to customers and distributors. īPM launched its Personal Modeler 2100 in 1996, a device that used a computer aided design (CAD) system to manufacture an object of any shape by "shooting droplets of plastic." During this time, Masters was forced to part ways with BPM to focus on his growing kayak business. In 1992, Perception Systems changed its name to Ballistic Particle Manufacturing (BPM) and received funding from Palmetto Seed Capital, a state funded South Carolina venture capital group by headed by former South Carolina Governor Carroll A. Undeterred, he founded Perception Systems to handle research and development of his technology. Masters introduced his 3D printing technology at CAD/CAM conferences in the late 1980s with little success. This filing is on record at the USPTO as the first 3D printing patent in history it was the first of three patents belonging to Masters that laid the foundation for the 3D printing systems used today. Masters filed a patent for his Computer Automated Manufacturing Process and System on J( US 4665492)). If you can control the direction of the wads and the motion of the device shooting them, you can produce any desired shape." In the mid 1970s, Masters began work on a revolutionary manufacturing process, one which he compared to using a straw to deposit "spit wads." "When you shoot a lot of wads," he explained, "they begin to take shape. He graduated with honors from Pickens County Vocational School in 1968 and was the first member of his family to attend college, earning a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Clemson University. Masters was born in Pickens, South Carolina, and grew up in Easley Mill Village, a mill town in the Upstate, to Beatrice Masters (née Landreth) and Wallace Masters.
#PERCEPTION KAYAK PROFESSIONAL#
7 Professional Organizations, Committees, and Non-profits.Anne Graham Masters), three children, and two grandchildren. He currently lives in Greenville, South Carolina with his wife (Dr. The Wall Street Journal, in the Augedition of its Southeastern Journal, described Masters as "an intense, hands-on tinkerer who isn't shy about touting his accomplishments." His innovations in kayak manufacturing, including rotational molding and working in engineered plastics instead of fiberglass, revolutionized the sport and recreational kayak markets. Masters is widely recognized as a pioneer in kayak manufacturing and for his success in connecting whitewater enthusiasts with his kayaks. He founded Perception Kayaks, at one time the largest kayak manufacturer in the U.S., and has served as a small business delegate to the Reagan and Clinton administrations. He holds the first 3D printing patent, along with patents for other 3D printing technologies (piezo transducer, extrusion, lithography, surface tension, and pin array) and computer assisted manufacturing. William Masters is an engineer, inventor, designer, manufacturing entrepreneur and business advisor/mentor. Engineer, Inventor, Designer, Entrepreneur
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