3D Systems introduced the SLA-1, widely recognized as the first commercial 3D printer, in 1987.
The machine used stereolithography, a process developed by engineer Charles “Chuck” Hull. It builds objects layer by layer by selectively curing liquid photopolymer resin with ultraviolet light. Hull filed a stereolithography patent in 1984, received it in 1986, and co-founded 3D Systems to commercialize the technology.
The SLA-1 was aimed at industrial rapid prototyping rather than home use. Engineers could turn digital designs into physical models much faster than with traditional machining or hand-built prototypes. The system helped establish additive manufacturing as a practical business technology for product development and tooling.
A timing detail causes occasional confusion. 3D Systems commercialized the SLA-1 in 1987, but testing and early customer shipments continued into 1988; some historical accounts therefore describe its first production delivery as occurring in 1988. That distinction does not change the canonical answer: 3D Systems was the company that brought the SLA-1 to commercial use.