ExOne Co - Annual Report: 2017 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017

OR

For the transition period from                 to                

Commission file number 001-35806

The ExOne Company

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

127 Industry Boulevard

North Huntingdon, PA 15642

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

(724) 863-9663

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

The aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates for the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter was approximately $125.7 million.

As of March 15, 2018, 16,202,119 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 were outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A of the general rules and regulations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, for its 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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PART I

Item 1. Business.

General

As used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, unless the context otherwise requires or indicates, the terms “ExOne,” “Company,”  “we,” “our,” “ours,” and “us” refer to The ExOne Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act with respect to our future financial or business performance, strategies, or expectations. Forward-looking statements typically are identified by words or phrases such as “trend,” “potential,” “opportunity,” “pipeline,” “believe,” “comfortable,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “current,” “intention,” “estimate,” “position,” “assume,” “outlook,” “continue,” “remain,” “maintain,” “sustain,” “seek,” “achieve,” as well as similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “would,” “should,” “could” and “may.”

We caution that forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, which change over time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and we assume no duty to and do not undertake to update forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements and future results could differ materially from historical performance.

In addition to risk factors previously disclosed in our reports and those identified elsewhere in this report, the following factors, among others, could cause results to differ materially from forward-looking statements or historical performance: our ability to generate operating profits; fluctuations in our revenues and operating results; our competitive environment and our competitive position; our ability to enhance our current three-dimensional (“3D”) printing machines and technology and develop new 3D printing machines; our ability to qualify more industrial materials in which we can print; demand for our products; the availability of skilled personnel; the impact of loss of key management; the impact of market conditions and other factors on the carrying value of long-lived assets; our ability to continue as a going concern; the impact of customer specific terms in machine sale agreements on the period in which we recognize revenue; risks related to global operations including effects of foreign currency; the adequacy of sources of liquidity; the scope, sufficiency of funds for required capital expenditures, working capital, and debt service; dependency on certain critical suppliers; nature or impact of alliances and strategic investments; reliance on critical information technology (“IT”) systems; the effect of litigation, contingencies and warranty claims; liabilities under laws and regulations protecting the environment; the impact of governmental laws and regulations; operating hazards, war, terrorism and cancellation or unavailability of insurance coverage; the impact of disruption of our manufacturing facilities, Production Service Centers (“PSCs”) or ExOne Adoption Centers (“EACs”); the adequacy of our protection of our intellectual property; expectations regarding demand for our industrial products, operating revenues, operating and maintenance expenses, insurance expenses and deductibles, interest expenses, debt levels, and other matters with regard to outlook.

These and other important factors, including those discussed under Item 1A, “Risk Factors” and Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, may cause our actual results of operations to differ materially from any future results of operations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Before making a decision to purchase our common stock, you should carefully consider all of the factors identified in this Annual Report on Form 10-K that could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements.

Implications of being an Emerging Growth Company

Since our initial public offering (“IPO”), we have continued to qualify as an “emerging growth company” (“EGC”) as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). An EGC may take advantage of specified reduced reporting requirements and is relieved of certain other significant requirements that are otherwise generally applicable to public companies.

As an EGC:

We may choose to take advantage of some, but not all, of these reduced burdens. We will continue to operate under these provisions until December 31, 2018, or such earlier time that we are no longer an EGC. We would cease to be an EGC if we have

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more than $1.07 billion in annual revenues, qualify as a “large accelerated filer” under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which requires us to have more than $700 million in market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates, or issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt over a three-year period.

Trademarks, Service Marks and Trade Names

We have registrations in the United States for the following trademarks: EXONE, X1 ExOne Digital Part Materialization (plus design), EXCAST, EXMAL, EXTEC, INNOVENT, M-FLEX, M-PRINT, S MAX, S-MAX, S-PRINT, X1, and X1-LAB. We also have an application in the United States for registration pending for the following trademark: EXERIAL. We also have registrations for EXONE in China, Europe (Community Trade Mark), Japan, and South Korea, and an application for registration pending in Canada for that trademark. We have registrations for X1 ExOne Digital Part Materialization (plus design) in Brazil, China, Europe (Community Trade Mark), Japan, and South Korea, and an application for registration pending in Canada for that mark. We have a registration for the mark X1 in Europe (Community Trade Mark). We have a registration for the mark EX-1 in Europe (Community Trade Mark). We have registrations for a stylized form of X1 in Europe (Community Trade Mark) and South Korea. We have registrations for DIGITAL PART MATERIALIZATION in Japan and South Korea. We have registrations for the trademarks EXERIAL, INNOVENT, M-FLEX, S-MAX, and S-PRINT in Europe (Community Trade Mark).

This Annual Report on Form 10-K also contains trademarks, service marks and trade names of other companies, which are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, marks and trade names referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K may appear without the ^® or TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the right of the applicable licensor to these marks and trade names. Third-party marks and trade names used herein are for nominative informational purposes only and their use herein in no way constitutes or is intended to be commercial use of such names and marks. The use of such third-party names and marks in no way constitutes or should be construed to be an approval, endorsement or sponsorship of us, or our products or services, by the owners of such third-party names and marks.

Our Business

We are a global provider of 3D printing machines and 3D printed and other products, materials and services to industrial customers. Our business primarily consists of manufacturing and selling 3D printing machines and printing products to specification for our customers using our installed base of 3D printing machines. Our machines serve direct and indirect applications.  Direct printing produces a component; indirect printing makes a tool to produce a component. We offer pre-production collaboration and print products for customers through our network of PSCs and EACs. We also supply the associated materials, including consumables and replacement parts, and other services, including training and technical support that is necessary for purchasers of our 3D printing machines to print products. We believe that our ability to print in a variety of industrial materials, as well as our industry-leading volumetric output (as measured by build box size and printing speed), uniquely position us to serve the needs of industrial customers.

Our History

Our business began as the advanced manufacturing business of the Extrude Hone Corporation, which manufactured its first 3D printing machine in 2003 using licensed technology developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (“MIT”). In 2005, our business assets were transferred to The Ex One Company, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, when Extrude Hone Corporation was purchased by another company. In 2007, we were acquired by S. Kent Rockwell through his wholly-owned company, Rockwell Forest Products, Inc. On January 1, 2013, the Company was formed, when The Ex One Company, LLC was merged with and into a newly created Delaware corporation, which changed its name to The ExOne Company. On February 12, 2013, we completed our IPO, raising approximately $90.4 million in unrestricted net proceeds after underwriting commissions and offering costs. Subsequent secondary offerings of our common stock have resulted in raising approximately $78.0 million in additional unrestricted net proceeds after underwriting commissions and offering costs.

The Additive Manufacturing Industry and 3D Printing

3D printing is the most common type of an emerging manufacturing technology that is broadly referred to as additive manufacturing (“AM”). In general, AM is a term used to describe a manufacturing process that produces 3D objects directly from digital or computer models through the repeated deposit of very thin layers of material. 3D printing is the process of joining materials from a digital 3D model, usually layer by layer, to make objects using a printhead, nozzle, or other printing technology. The terms “AM” and “3D printing” are increasingly being used interchangeably, as the media and marketplace have popularized the term 3D printing rather than AM, which is the industry term.

AM represents a transformational shift from traditional forms of manufacturing (e.g., machining or tooling), which are sometimes referred to as subtractive manufacturing. We believe that AM and 3D printing are increasingly poised to displace traditional manufacturing methodologies in a growing range of industrial applications. Our 3D printing process differs from other forms of 3D printing processes, in that we use a chemical binding agent and focus on industrial applications.

AM has focused on prototyping and small, limited production in order to find acceptance of its varying technologies by end users in order to convince users of traditional methods of the viability of such new applications. As AM has evolved, the focus has evolved

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into production readiness and increasing reliability and repeatability standards associated with higher volumetric output and specifications that industrial applications demand.

ExOne and 3D Printing  

We provide 3D printed and other products, materials and services primarily to industrial customers and other end-market users. We believe that we are an early entrant into the AM industrial products market and are one of the few providers of 3D printing solutions to industrial customers.

Our binder jetting technology was developed over 15 years ago by researchers at MIT. Our 3D printing machines build or print products from computer-aided drafting (“CAD”) models by depositing successive thin layers of particles of materials such as silicate sand or metal powder in a “build box.” A moveable printhead passes over each layer and deposits a chemical binding agent in the selected areas where the finished product will be materialized. Each layer can be unique.

Depending on the industrial material used in printing, printed products may need post-production processing. We generally use silica sand or foundry sand for casting, both of which typically require no additional processing. Products printed in other materials, such as metals, or for use in specific applications, may need varying amounts of heat treating or sintering, drying or curing, or other post-processing or finishing.

Pre-Print. We believe that our customers have the opportunity to take greater advantage of the design freedom that our 3D printing technology provides. We collaborate with our customers to develop and refine CAD designs that meet our customers’ specifications and can be read and processed by our 3D printing machines. We continue to invest in additional pre-print capabilities and resources that empower our customers to fully exploit the design freedom of 3D printing.

Industrial Materials. We supply printing materials to our customers that have been qualified for use with our machines. As we experience increased demand for our products globally, it is essential that the material supply chain and distribution channels be in close proximity to our current and prospective customers. For the highest quality printed products, the sand grains and metal particles used in the 3D printing process must be uniform in size and meet very specific tolerances. We continue to focus on material development activities associated with our 3D printing process, including collaborative arrangements with customers targeted at local supply resources. In addition, we have specifically targeted fine powder printing with respect to our direct printing technologies as one of our strategic priorities as an organization.

Our Machines. Our 3D printing machines consist of a build box that includes a machine platform and a computer processor controlling the printheads for applying layers of industrial materials and binding agents. We currently build our 3D printing machines in both Germany and the United States. Our machines serve direct and indirect applications.  Direct printing produces a component; indirect printing makes a tool to produce a component. Our focus is on enhancing our existing machine technologies and developing large format printers for both direct and indirect applications, with specific emphasis on fine powder printing for our direct technologies.

Our 3D printing machines are used primarily to manufacture industrial products that are ordered in relatively low volumes, are highly complex and have a high value to the customer. Our technology is not appropriate for the mass production of simple parts, such as certain higher volume injection molded parts or certain higher volume parts made in metal stamping machines. Traditional manufacturing technology is more economical in making those parts. While we expect over time to be able to increase the kinds of parts that we can make more economically than using subtractive manufacturing, we do not ever expect to use our technology to make simple, low-cost, mass-produced parts.

Post-Print Processing. After a product is printed, the bound and unbound powder in the build box requires curing of the chemical binding agent. For indirect printing of sand molds and cores, curing may occur at room temperature and the printed product is complete after the binder is cured. For certain binder types, a drying process (utilizing an industrial microwave or other means) may be necessary. The mold or core is then poured at a foundry, yielding the finished metal product. We believe that our casting technology offers a number of advantages over traditional casting methods, including increased yield, weight reduction and improved thermal range.

For direct printing the product needs to be either sintered, or sintered and infiltrated. With sintering, the product is placed into a furnace in an inert atmosphere to sinter the bonded particles and form a strong bonded porous structure. The porous structure can be further infiltrated with another material to fill the voids. After the sintering and infiltration, the product can be polished and finished with a variety of standard industrial methods and coatings. We believe that our 3D printing capabilities enable customers to develop the ideal design for products, freeing them of some of the design constraints inherent in traditional manufacturing, in the industrial metal of choice and in a more efficient manner than traditional manufacturing methods.

Customers and Sales

Our Customers

Our customers are located primarily in North America, Europe and Asia. We are a party to non-disclosure agreements with many of our customers and, therefore, are often prohibited from disclosing many of our customers’ identities. Our customers include a number of Fortune 500 companies that are leaders in their respective markets, as well as mid-cap and smaller public and private

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companies. During 2017, 2016 and 2015, we conducted a significant portion of our business with a limited number of customers, though not necessarily the same customers for each respective period. During 2017, 2016 and 2015, our five most significant customers represented approximately 20.5%, 17.1% and 19.0% of total revenue, respectively. During 2017, 2016 and 2015, there were no customers that individually represented 10.0% or greater of our total revenue. Sales of 3D printing machines are low volume, but generate significant revenue based on their per-unit pricing. Generally, sales of 3D printing machines are to different customers in each respective period, with the timing of such sales dependent on the customer’s capital budgeting cycle, which may vary from period to period. The nature of our revenue from 3D printing machines does not leave us dependent upon a single or a limited number of customers. Sales of 3D printed and other products, materials and services generally result in a significantly lower aggregate price per order as compared to 3D printing machine sales. The nature of the revenue from 3D printed and other products, materials and services does not leave us dependent upon a single or a limited number of customers.

Educating Our Customers

Educating our customers and raising awareness in our target markets about the many uses and benefits of our 3D printing technology is an important part of our sales process. We believe that customers who experience the efficiency gains, decreased lead-time, increased design flexibility, and decreased cost potential of 3D printing, as compared to subtractive manufacturing, are more likely to purchase our 3D printing machines and be repeat customers of our products and services. We educate our customers on the design freedom, speed, and other benefits of 3D printing by providing printing and design services and support through our PSCs and EACs. We also seek to expose key potential users to our products through our PSCs and EACs, installed machines at customers’ locations, university programs, and sales and marketing efforts. Additionally, our EACs provide a greater variety of our latest binder and material sets, including cold hardening phenolic and sodium silicate production, as well as an expanded range of our machine platforms and machine options.

Production Service Centers and ExOne Adoption Centers

We have established a network of PSCs and EACs in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania; Troy, Michigan; Houston, Texas; Gersthofen, Germany; Desenzano del Garda, Italy; and Kanagawa, Japan. Our three centers located in the United States were certified to ISO 9001:2008 as Industrial Additive Manufacturers. Through our PSCs and EACs, we provide sales and marketing and delivery of support and printing services to our customers. Our customers see our 3D printing machines in operation and can evaluate their production capabilities before ordering a 3D printing machine or a printed product or service. While our centers are scalable and have a well-defined footprint that can be easily replicated to serve additional regional markets, we are focusing on enhancing our existing centers to enable adoption rather than geographic expansion. As described below, enhancing our positon in strategic locations around the world is an important part of our business strategy.

For all customers, we offer the following support and services through our PSCs and EACs:

Our Competitive Strengths

We believe that our competitive strengths include:

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Our Business Strategy

The principal elements of our growth strategy include:

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Our Machines and Machine Platforms

We produce a variety of 3D printing machines in order to enable designers and engineers to rapidly, efficiently, and cost-effectively design and produce industrial prototypes and production parts. The models of our 3D printing machines differ based on the materials in which they print, build box size, and production speeds, but all utilize our advanced technology and designs. The variation in the models of 3D printing machines that we produce allows for flexibility of use based on the needs of our customers.

Exerial. The Exerial is our largest format indirect 3D printing machine. It is unique compared to our other indirect 3D printing systems in that it contains multiple industrial stations that allow for continuous production and simultaneous processing. The Exerial is distinctly equipped with two build boxes, each 1.5 times larger than the single build box in our next largest model, the S-Max. Notably, the Exerial system offers a total build platform of 3,168 liters and is expected to be capable of printing output rates nearly four times faster than the S-Max. The Exerial utilizes an advanced recoater system, multiple printheads and automation controls. As part of the development of the Exerial, we have filed six patents related to machine design elements. We formally debuted this 3D printing machine at the GIFA International Foundry Trade Fair in Dusseldorf, Germany in June 2015. We are in the process of re-designing certain elements of this platform to increase its flexibility for purposes of customer integration.

S-Max/S-Max+. The S-Max machine is our most widely utilized indirect 3D printing machine. We introduced the S-Max machine in 2010 to provide improved size and speed over the predecessor model, the S-15. The S-Max has a build box size of 1,800mm x 1,000mm x 700mm. The S-Max machine is generally used by customers interested in printing complex molds and cores on an industrial scale for casting applications. Each of our global PSCs and EACs has at least one S-Max machine installed on-site. In addition to our traditional S-Max machine, during 2014 we introduced an S-Max+ configuration designed for easier post-processing of the build box for certain applications which require phenolic or sodium silicate binder for printing.

S-Print/M-Print. The S-Print (indirect) and M-Print (direct) machines are our mid-sized 3D printing machines presently available. Both the S-Print and M-Print have a build box size of 800mm x 500mm x 400mm. The S-Print machine is generally used by customers interested in printing objects made from silica sand and ceramics, with a particular focus on industrial applications for smaller casting cores that are often required for the aerospace applications. The build box size also permits the use of exotic and expensive print materials, such as ceramics, that are required for high heat/high strength applications. The M-Print machine is generally used by customers interested in direct printing of objects made from metals. We have installed both S-Print and M-Print machines in certain of our PSCs and EACs to complement our S-Max machines currently in use.

M-Flex. The M-Flex machine is our most flexible direct 3D printing machine presently available. We introduced the M-Flex machine platform in 2013 to satisfy the demand for a large range of industrial customers that are interested in directly printing metal products. The M-Flex has a build box size of 400mm x 250mm x 250mm.  

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Innovent. The Innovent is the smallest of our direct 3D printing machines presently available. As an industrial-grade, laboratory-sized machine, Innovent allows for testing material properties, specifically in educational institutions, research laboratories, and research and development departments at commercial organizations. Innovent is uniquely designed in that it balances a specific build box for the technical qualification of materials with a smaller overall lab machine platform size, when compared to other industrial-grade 3D printing machines. In 2016, we introduced our fine powder Innovent machine that 3D prints metal and ceramic objects that have higher printed density and achieves significant improvements in surface finish quality, ideally suited for the metal injection molding and powder metallurgy industries. We offer a fine powder Innovent machine, as well as an Innovent upgrade package for existing equipment.

Binding Agents

We use liquid chemical binding agents (including furan, phenolic and sodium silicate) during the 3D printing process. We initially introduced the availability of phenolic binding agent in July 2013, which binder is used with ceramic sands in the 3D printing of molds and cores, offering customers three primary benefits as compared with other binders:

In September 2015, we expanded our suite of 3D printing binder offerings to add a new class of phenolic binding agent, referred to as cold hardening phenolic ("CHP"). The CHP binder accelerates the 3D printing process by eliminating the infrared heating lamp that is utilized in the printing process with traditional phenolic binders. Using CHP, the polymerization of 3D printed molds and cores may occur at room temperature, further reducing both printing and curing time and eliminating the need for additional equipment such as a microwave. Alternatively, if additional drying is desired this may be achieved in a conventional air oven, equipment which is maintained by most industrial manufacturers. We have qualified CHP on our S-Print and S-Max indirect printing machine platforms and are in the process of optimizing our indirect printing machine platforms for utilization of CHP.

Sodium silicate reduces or eliminates the release of fumes and gas in the casting process, helping to reduce costs associated with air ventilation and electrical and maintenance equipment, which we believe will appeal to casting houses that are in search of cleaner environmental processes.

We believe that our unique chemical binding agent technology can more readily achieve efficiency gains over time than other AM technologies such as laser-fusing technologies.

Marketing and Sales

We market our products under the ExOne brand name in three major geographic regions — North America, Europe and Asia. Our sales are made primarily by our global sales force. Our sales force is augmented, in certain territories, by representatives with specific industry or territorial expertise. Even where we are supported by a representative, substantially all of our product and service offerings provided by our PSCs and EACs are sold directly to customers by us.

We believe that our direct selling relationship helps to create one of the building blocks for our business — the creation of true collaboration between us and industrial customers who are interested in 3D printing. Increasingly, industrial producers are considering shifting from subtractive manufacturing techniques to 3D printing. Our marketing efforts include educating potential customers about 3D printing technology through collaboration starting with pre-production services and continuing with production and technical support at our PSCs and EACs.

Services and Warranty

We have fully trained service technicians to perform machine installations in North America, Europe and Asia. We generally provide a standard twelve month warranty on sales of 3D printing machines. Customers can purchase additional service contracts for maintenance and service. We also sell replacement parts which we maintain in stock worldwide to assist in providing service expeditiously to our customers.

Suppliers

Our largest suppliers in 2017, based upon dollar volume of purchases, were Bauer GmbH & Co KG, Erhardt & Leimer GmbH, Fuji Film Dimatix and Astro Manufacturing & Design.

We buy our industrial materials from several suppliers and, except as set forth below, the loss of any one would not materially adversely affect our business. We currently have a single supplier of certain printhead components for our 3D printing machines. While we believe that this printhead component supplier is replaceable, in the event of the loss of this supplier, we could experience delays and interruptions that might adversely affect the financial performance of our business. Additionally, we obtain certain pre-production services through design and data capture providers, and certain post-production services though vendors with whom we have existing and good relationships. The loss of any one of these providers or vendors would not materially adversely affect our business.

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Research and Development

We spent approximately $9.9 million, $7.8 million and $7.3 million on research and development during 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. We expect to continue to invest in our research and development activities in the future.

A significant portion of our research and development expenditures have been focused on the following:

Intellectual Property

Patents and Licenses. Significant portions of our technology are covered by a variety of patents. Through December 31, 2016, we were the worldwide licensee of certain patents held by MIT for certain AM printing processes (the “MIT Patents”), with exclusive rights to practice the patents in certain fields including the application of the printing processes to metals (with sublicensing rights), and non-exclusive rights to practice the patents in certain fields including the application of the printing processes to certain non-metals (without sublicensing rights) which gave us a significant head start in the AM industry.

We continue from time to time to evaluate our current licenses and patents. On March 1, 2018, our ExOne GmbH subsidiary notified Voxeljet AG that it has materially breached a 2003 Patent and Know-How Transfer Agreement and asserted its rights to set off damages as a result of the breaches against the annual license fee that we pay to Voxeljet AG under the agreement.

We hold patents as a result of our own technological developments. Our patents were issued in the United States and in various foreign jurisdictions, including Germany and Japan. As a result of our commitment to research and development, we also have applied for other patents for equipment, processes, materials and 3D printing applications in the United States and in various foreign countries. The expiration dates of our patents range from 2023 to 2036. We are also a minority owner of patent rights of several patents in the United States and in various foreign jurisdictions as a successor interest to a 2003 Agreement made between Generis GmbH and Extrude Hone GmbH.

We have developed know-how and trade secrets relative to our 3D printing technology and believe that our early entrance into the industrial market provides us with a timing and experience advantage. Through our investment in our technology, we have been able to qualify industrial materials for use in our 3D printing machines and we intend to continue such efforts. In addition, we have taken steps to protect much of our technology as a trade secret. Given the significant steps that we have taken to establish our experience in AM for industrial applications, as well as our ongoing commitment to research and development, we intend to maintain our preeminent position in the AM industry market.

Trademarks. We have registrations in the United States for the following trademarks: EXONE, X1 ExOne Digital Part Materialization (plus design), EXCAST, EXMAL, EXTEC, INNOVENT, M-FLEX, M-PRINT, S MAX, S-MAX, S-PRINT, X1, and X1-LAB. We also have an application in the United States for registration pending for the following trademark: EXERIAL. We also have registrations for EXONE in China, Europe (Community Trade Mark), Japan, and South Korea, and an application for registration pending in Canada for that trademark. We have registrations for X1 ExOne Digital Part Materialization (plus design) in Brazil, China, Europe (Community Trade Mark), Japan, and South Korea, and an application for registration pending in Canada for that mark. We have a registration for the mark X1 in Europe (Community Trade Mark). We have a registration for the mark EX-1 in Europe (Community Trade Mark). We have registrations for a stylized form of X1 in Europe (Community Trade Mark) and South Korea. We have registrations for DIGITAL PART MATERIALIZATION in Japan and South Korea. We have registrations for the trademarks EXERIAL, INNOVENT, M-FLEX, S-MAX, and S-PRINT in Europe (Community Trade Mark).

Trade Secrets. The development of our products, processes and materials has involved a considerable amount of experience, manufacturing and processing know-how and research and development techniques that are not easily duplicated. We protect this knowledge as a trade secret through the confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements which all employees, customers and consultants are required to sign at the time they are employed or engaged by us. Additional information related to the risks associated with our intellectual property rights are described within Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Competition

Other companies are active in the market for 3D printing products and services. These companies use a variety of AM technologies, including:

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Some of the companies that have developed and employ one or more AM technologies include: Hoganas AB, Viridus3d, 3D Systems Corporation, Stratasys Inc., HP Inc., EOS GmbH, EnvisionTEC, Concept Laser, Solid Model Ltd., Voxeljet AG and General Electric Co.

Some of these processes and companies compete with some of the products and services that we provide. Despite the challenging competitive landscape, we believe that we are the only AM printing solutions provider that focuses primarily on metal industrial applications on a production scale. Our competitive advantages, including the size of our build platforms, the speed of our printheads, the variety of materials used by industrial manufacturers in which we can print, the industry qualification of many of the materials we print in, our robust market capabilities, and our suite of machine system families offering scale and flexibility, also serve to differentiate us from the other competitors in the AM market.

We also compete with established subtractive manufacturers in the industrial products market. These companies often provide large-scale, highly capitalized facilities that are designed or built to fill specific production purposes, usually mass production. However, we believe that we are well positioned to expand our share of the industrial products market from these manufacturers as AM gains recognition. As our technologies improve and our unit cost of production decreases, we expect to be able to compete with subtractive manufacturing on a wide range of products, thereby expanding our addressable market.

Seasonality

Purchases of our 3D printing machines are often subject to the capital expenditure cycles of our customers. Generally, 3D printing machine sales are higher in our third and fourth quarters than in our first and second quarters; however as acceptance of our 3D printing machines as a credible alternative to traditional methods of production grows, we expect to limit the seasonality we experience.

Backlog

At December 31, 2017, our backlog was approximately $21.3 million, of which, approximately $18.3 million is expected to be fulfilled during the next twelve months. At December 31, 2016, our backlog was approximately $19.7 million.

Environmental Matters

Compliance with federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the discharge of materials into the environment or otherwise relating to the protection of the environment has not had a material impact on capital expenditures, earnings or the competitive position of us and our subsidiaries. We are not the subject of any legal or administrative proceeding relating to the environmental laws of the United States or any country in which we have an office. We have not received any notices of any violations of any such environmental laws.

Employees

At December 31, 2017, we employed a total of 302 (277 full-time) employees at our seven global locations. None of these employees is a party to a collective bargaining agreement, and we believe our relations with them are good.

Product, Geographic and Other Information

Refer to Note 21 to the consolidated financial statements included in Part II Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for product and geographic information related to our revenues (based on the country where the sale originated) and geographic information related to our long-lived assets (based on the physical location of assets). For information on risks related to our international operations refer to Item 1A, “Risk Factors”. Other information relating to our revenues, measurement of profit or loss and total assets is provided in the consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto in Part II Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Executive Offices

Our principal executive offices are located at 127 Industry Boulevard, North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania 15642 and our telephone number is (724) 863-9663.

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Available Information

Our website address is http://www.exone.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K unless expressly noted.

We file reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), which we make available on our website free of charge at http://www.exone.com/financials.cfm. These reports include Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, each of which is provided on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such materials with or furnish them to the SEC. We also make, or will make, available through our website other reports filed with or furnished to the SEC under the Exchange Act, including our proxy statements and reports filed by officers and directors under Section 16(a) of that Act. You can also read and copy any materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20549. You can obtain additional information about the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. In addition, the SEC maintains a website (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, including us.

You can obtain copies of exhibits to our filings electronically at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or by mail from the Public Reference Section of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549 at prescribed rates. The exhibits are also available as part of the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, which is available on our corporate website at www.exone.com. Stockholders may also obtain copies of exhibits without charge by contacting our General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at (724) 863-9663.

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Item 1A. Risk Factors.

RISK FACTORS

You should carefully consider the following risks, together with all of the other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes, in evaluating our business, future prospects and an investment in our common stock. If any of the following risks and uncertainties develops into actual events, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially adversely affected. In that case, the price of our common stock could decline and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

We may not be able to generate operating profits.

Since our inception, we have not generated operating profits, and we may be unable to generate operating profits in the future if we are unable to execute on our business plan. Our operating expenses (which include research and development and selling, general and administrative expenses) were approximately $34.1 million, $28.5 million and $29.9 million (excluding approximately $4.4 million of a goodwill impairment charge) for 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Our research and development expenses are due primarily to continued investment in our binder jetting technologies, including 3D printing machine development (including our fine powder direct printing capabilities and larger format direct and indirect 3D printing machines) and materials development (including our proprietary binders). Our selling, general and administrative expenses are due primarily to personnel costs associated with managing a public company and related professional service fees (including legal, audit and other consulting expenses). We believe that our operating expenses may increase in future periods as we pursue our growth strategies. Increases in our research and development expenses and selling, general and administrative expenses will directly affect our future results of operations and may have an adverse effect on our financial condition.

Our revenues and operating results may fluctuate.

Our revenues and operating results have fluctuated in the past from quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year and are likely to continue to vary due to a number of factors, many of which are not within our control. Both our business and the AM industry are changing and evolving rapidly, and our historical operating results may not be useful in predicting our future operating results.

Our machine orders are often subject to the capital expenditure cycles of our customers. Thus, revenues and operating results for any future period are not predictable with any significant degree of certainty. Comparing our operating results on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful. You should not rely on our past results as an indication of our future performance.

Fluctuations in our operating results and financial condition may occur due to a number of factors, including, but not limited to, those listed below and those identified throughout this “Risk Factors” section:

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Due to the foregoing factors, you should not rely on quarter-to-quarter or year-to-year comparisons of our operating results as an indicator of future performance.

Customer demands for certain qualities and capabilities in our machines is constantly evolving.  We may not be able to respond to customer demand as quickly as a larger competitor may be able to respond.    

Generally, our business is focused on the sale of 3D printing machines for, and products manufactured using, AM. Most recently, our company has focused on developing our fine powder direct printing capabilities and larger format direct and indirect 3D printing machines.  

We have encountered and will continue to encounter risks and difficulties frequently experienced by growing companies in a market subject to innovation and rapidly developing and changing technology. A variety of technologies have the capacity to compete against one another in the AM market, which is, in part, driven by technological advances and end-user requirements and preferences, as well as the emergence of new standards and practices. Our ability to compete in the industrial AM market depends, in large part, on our success in enhancing and developing new 3D printing machines, in enhancing our current 3D printing machines, in enhancing and adding to our technology, and in developing and qualifying materials with which we can print. We believe that to remain competitive we must continuously enhance and expand the functionality and features of our products and technologies. However, we may not be able to:

We face significant competition in many aspects of our business, which could cause our revenues and gross profit to decline. Competition could also cause us to reduce sales prices or to incur additional marketing or production costs, which could result in decreased revenue, increased costs and reduced margins.

We compete for customers with a wide variety of producers of equipment for models, prototypes, other 3D objects and end-use parts as well as producers of print materials and services for this equipment. Some of our existing and potential competitors are researching, designing, developing and marketing other types of competitive equipment, print materials and services. Many of these competitors have financial, marketing, manufacturing, distribution and other resources that are substantially greater than ours.

We also expect that future competition may arise from the development of allied or related techniques for equipment and print materials that are not encompassed by our patents, from the issuance of patents to other companies that may inhibit our ability to develop certain products, from our entry into new geographic markets and industries and from improvements to existing print materials and equipment technologies. In addition, a number of companies that have substantial resources have announced that they intend to begin producing 3D printing machines, which will further enhance the competition we face.

We intend to continue to follow a strategy of continuing product development to enhance our position to the extent practicable. We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain our current position in the field or continue to compete successfully against current and future sources of competition. If we do not keep pace with technological change and introduce new products, our revenues and demand for our products may decrease.

We may not be able to retain or hire the number of skilled employees that we need to achieve our business plan.

For our business to grow in accordance with our business plan, we will need to recruit, hire, integrate and retain additional employees with the technical competence and engineering skills to operate our machines, improve our technology and processes and expand our technological capability to print using an increasing variety of materials. People with these skills are in short supply and may not be available in sufficient numbers to allow us to meet the goals of our business plan. In addition, new employees often require significant training and, in many cases, take significant time before they achieve full productivity. As a result, we may incur significant costs to attract and retain employees, including significant expenditures related to salaries and benefits, and we may lose new employees to our competitors or other companies before we realize the benefit of our investment in recruiting and training them. Moreover, new employees may not be or become as productive as we expect, as we may face challenges in adequately or

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appropriately integrating them into our workforce and culture. If we cannot obtain the services of a sufficient number of technically skilled employees, we may not be able to achieve our planned rate of growth, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

Loss of key management or sales or customer service personnel could adversely affect our results of operations.

Our future success depends to a significant extent on the skills, experience and efforts of our management and other key personnel. We must continue to develop and retain a core group of management individuals if we are to realize our goal of continued expansion and growth. While we have not previously experienced significant problems attracting and retaining members of our management team and other key personnel, there can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to retain these individuals and the loss of any or all of these individuals could materially and adversely affect our business.

We may incur future impairment charges to our long-lived assets held and used.

As a result of continued operating losses and cash flow deficiencies, we have completed certain tests for the recoverability of long-lived assets held and used at the asset group level. Assessing the recoverability of long-lived assets held and used requires significant judgments and estimates by management. We will be required to conduct additional testing for the recoverability of long-lived assets held and used to the extent that a triggering event requiring such testing is identified in a future period. A significant decrease in the market price of a long-lived asset, adverse change in the use or condition of a long-lived asset, adverse change in the business climate or legal or regulatory factors impacting a long-lived asset and continued operating losses and cash flow deficiencies associated with a long-lived asset, among other indicators, could cause a future assessment to be performed which may result in an impairment of long-lived assets held and used. The amount of any impairment could be significant and could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations for the period in which the impairment is recorded.

We may conclude that there is substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern.

As a result of our continued operating losses, cash flow deficiencies and liquidity, we may conclude that there is substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern. In connection with this conclusion, if our independent registered public accounting firm issues a “going concern” opinion, it could impair our ability to finance our operations through the sale of equity, incurring debt, or other financing alternatives. If we fail to raise sufficient additional capital, we will not be able to completely execute our business plan. As a result our business would be jeopardized and we may not be able to continue.

Some of our arrangements for 3D printing machines contain customer-specific provisions that may impact the period in which we recognize the related revenues under U.S. GAAP.

Some customers that purchase 3D printing machines from us may require specific, customized factors relating to their intended use of the machine or the installation of the machine in the customer’s facilities. These specific, customized factors are often required by the customer to be included in our commercial agreements relating to the purchase. As a result, our responsiveness to our customers’ specific requirements has the potential to impact the period in which we recognize the revenue relating to that 3D printing machine sale.

Our business is subject to risks associated with having significant operations in Germany and selling machines and other products in other non-United States locations.

We have significant manufacturing and development operations in Germany. In addition, a significant portion of our revenue is derived from transactions outside of the United States (approximately 56.7%, 54.0% and 50.9% for 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively).

Our operations outside of the United States are subject to risks associated with the political, regulatory and economic conditions of Germany and other countries in which we sell or service machines, such as:

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In addition our operating results may be affected by volatility in currency exchange rates and our ability to effectively manage our currency transaction and translation risks because we generally conduct our business, earn revenue and incur costs in the local currency of the countries in which we operate. For example, the financial condition and results of operations of Germany operations are reported in euros and then translated to United States dollars at the applicable currency exchange rate for inclusion in our consolidated financial statements. We do not manage our foreign currency exposure in a manner that would eliminate the effects of changes in foreign exchange rates, which means that changes in exchange rates between these foreign currencies and the United States dollar will affect the recorded levels of our foreign assets and liabilities, as well as our revenues, cost of sales, and operating margins, and could result in exchange losses in any given reporting period. Given the volatility of exchange rates, we can give no assurance that we will be able to effectively manage our currency transaction and/or translation risks or that any volatility in currency exchange rates will not have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

One of our principal stockholders is able to exert substantial influence in determining the outcome of matters which require the approval of our stockholders.

Our Executive Chairman, S. Kent Rockwell, beneficially owns approximately 28.5% of our outstanding shares of common stock. As a holder of 28.5% of our shares of common stock, Mr. Rockwell may have effective control over the election of our Board of Directors and the direction of our affairs. As a result, he could exert considerable influence over the outcome of any corporate matter submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of directors and any transaction that might cause a change in control, such as a merger or acquisition. Any stockholders in favor of a matter that is opposed by Mr. Rockwell would have to obtain a significant number of votes to overrule the votes of Mr. Rockwell.

We may need to raise additional capital from time to time if we are going to meet our growth strategy and may be unable to do so on attractive terms.

Expanding our business to meet the growth strategy may require additional investments of capital from time to time, and our existing sources of cash and any funds generated from operations may not provide us with sufficient capital. For various reasons, including any current non-compliance with existing or future lending arrangements, additional financing may not be available when needed, or may not be available on terms favorable to us. If we fail to obtain adequate capital on a timely basis or if capital cannot be obtained at reasonable costs, we may not be able to achieve our planned rate of growth, which will adversely affect our results of operations. Additional equity financing may result in ownership and economic dilution to our existing stockholders and/or require us to grant certain rights and preferences to new investors. Also, although S. Kent Rockwell, our Executive Chairman and our controlling stockholder, has previously provided capital to us through a related entity, he has no obligation to do so and our stockholders should have no expectation that he will do so in the future.

We have entered into an At Market Issuance Sales Agreement (“ATM”) with FBR Capital Markets & Co. (“FBR”) and MLV & Co. LLC (“MLV”) pursuant to which FBR and MLV have agreed to act as distribution agents in the sale of up to $50.0 million in the aggregate of our common stock in “at the market offerings” as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Our ability to raise capital through the use of our ATM may be restricted for various reasons, including our adherence with SEC regulations prohibiting the sale of our common stock for certain periods of time or other adverse market conditions.

We are currently dependent on a single supplier of certain printhead components.

We currently rely on a single source to supply certain printhead components used by our 3D printing machines. While we believe that there are other suppliers of printhead components upon which we could rely, we could experience delays and interruptions if our supply is interrupted that might temporarily impact the financial performance of our business.

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We may not be able to consummate and/or effectively integrate strategic transactions.

We may from time to time engage in strategic transactions with third parties if we determine that they will likely provide future financial and operational benefits. Successful completion of any strategic transaction depends on a number of factors that are not entirely within our control, including our ability to negotiate acceptable terms, conclude satisfactory agreements and obtain all necessary regulatory approvals. In addition, our ability to effectively integrate an investment into our existing business and culture may not be successful, which could jeopardize future operational performance for the combined businesses.

We explore from time to time various strategic investments and/or alliances. With respect to strategic investments and/or alliances that we may pursue, there is no guarantee that we will complete such transactions on favorable terms or at all. The exploration, negotiation, and consummation of strategic investments and/or alliances may involve significant expenditures by us, which may adversely affect our results of operations at the time such expenses are incurred. We may not be able to successfully negotiate and complete a specific investment or alliance on favorable terms. If we do complete transactions, they may not ultimately strengthen our competitive position or may not be accretive to us for a period of time which may be significant following the completion of such transaction.

We may be required to pay cash, incur debt and/or issue equity securities to pay for any such transaction, each of which could adversely affect our financial condition and the value of our common stock. Our use of cash to pay for transactions would limit other potential uses of our cash. The issuance or sale of equity or convertible debt securities to finance any such transactions would result in dilution to our stockholders. If we incur debt, it could result in increased fixed obligations and could also impose covenants or other restrictions that could impede our ability to manage our operations.

We rely on our information technology systems to manage numerous aspects of our business and customer and supplier relationships, and a disruption or failure of these systems could adversely affect our results of operations.

We rely on our IT systems to manage numerous aspects of our business and provide analytical information to management. We may incur significant costs in order to implement the security measures that we feel are necessary to protect our IT systems. However, our IT systems may remain vulnerable to damage despite our implementation of security measures that we deem to be appropriate. Our IT systems allow us to efficiently purchase products from our suppliers, provide procurement and logistic services, ship products to our customers on a timely basis, maintain cost-effective operations and provide service to our customers. Our IT systems are an essential component of our business and growth strategies, and a disruption to or failure of our IT systems, including our computer systems, could significantly limit our ability to manage and operate our business efficiently. Although we take steps to secure our IT systems, including our computer systems, intranet and internet sites, email and other telecommunications and data networks, the security measures we have implemented may not be effective and our systems may be vulnerable to, among other things, damage and interruption from power loss, including as a result of natural disasters, computer system and network failures, loss of telecommunication services, operator negligence, loss of data, security breaches and computer viruses. If our systems for protecting against cyber security risks prove not to be sufficient, we could be adversely affected by loss or damage of intellectual property, proprietary information, or client data, interruption of business operations, or additional costs to prevent, respond to, or mitigate cyber security attacks. Any such disruption or loss of business information could materially and adversely affect our reputation, brand, results of operations and financial condition.

We could be subject to personal injury, property damage, product liability, warranty and other claims involving allegedly defective products that we supply.

The products we supply are sometimes used in potentially hazardous applications, such as the assembled parts of an aircraft or automobile, that could result in death, personal injury, property damage, loss of production, punitive damages and consequential damages. While we have not experienced any such claims to date, actual or claimed defects in the products we supply could result in our being named as a defendant in lawsuits asserting potentially large claims.

We attempt to include provisions in our agreements with customers that are designed to limit our exposure to potential liability for damages arising from defects or errors in our products. However, it is possible that these limitations may not be effective as a result of unfavorable judicial decisions or laws enacted in the future. Any such lawsuit, regardless of merit, could result in material expense, diversion of management time and efforts and damage to our reputation, and could cause us to fail to retain or attract customers, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

Defects in new products or in enhancements to our existing products that give rise to product returns or warranty or other claims could result in material expenses, diversion of management time and attention and damage to our reputation.

Our 3D printing machines may contain undetected defects or errors when first introduced or as enhancements are released that, despite testing, are not discovered until after a machine has been used. This could result in delayed market acceptance of those machines or claims from sales agents, end-users or others, which may result in litigation, increased end-user service and support costs and warranty claims, damage to our reputation and business or significant costs to correct the defect or error. We may from time to time become subject to warranty or product liability claims related to product quality issues that could lead us to incur significant expenses.

We could face liability if our 3D printers are used by our customers to print dangerous objects.

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Customers may use our 3D printing machines to print products that could be used in a harmful way or could otherwise be dangerous. For example, there have been recent news reports that 3D printing machines were used to print guns or other weapons. We have little, if any, control over what objects our customers print using our 3D printing machines, and it may be difficult, if not impossible, for us to monitor and prevent customers from printing weapons with our 3D printing machines. While we have never printed weapons in any of our service centers, there can be no assurance that we will not be held liable if someone were injured or killed by a weapon printed by a customer using one of our 3D printing machines.

If any of our manufacturing facilities or PSCs or EACs are disrupted, sales of our products may be disrupted, which could result in loss of revenues and an increase in unforeseen costs.

We manufacture our machines at our facilities in Gersthofen, Germany and North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. In addition, we have a network of PSCs and EACs in the United States, Germany, Italy and Japan to provide sales and marketing and delivery of support and printing services to our customers. If the operations of these facilities are materially disrupted, we would be unable to fulfill customer orders for the period of the disruption, we would not be able to recognize revenue on orders and we might need to modify our standard sales terms to secure the commitment of new customers during the period of the disruption and perhaps longer. Depending on the cause of the disruption, we could incur significant costs to remedy the disruption and resume product shipments. Such a disruption could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

Under applicable employment laws, we may not be able to enforce covenants not to compete and therefore may be unable to prevent our competitors from benefiting from the expertise of some of our former employees.

We generally enter into non-competition agreements with our employees. These agreements prohibit our employees, if they cease working for us, from competing directly with us or working for our competitors or customers for a limited period. We may be unable to enforce these agreements under the laws of the jurisdictions in which our employees work, including Germany and Japan, and it may be difficult for us to restrict our competitors from benefitting from the expertise of our former employees or consultants developed while working for us. If we cannot demonstrate that our legally protectable interests will be harmed, we may be unable to prevent our competitors from benefiting from the expertise of our former employees or consultants and our ability to remain competitive may be diminished.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

We may not be able to protect our trade secrets and intellectual property.

Our success and future revenue growth will depend, in part, on our ability to protect our intellectual property. We cannot assure you that any of our existing or future intellectual property rights will be enforceable, will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, or will otherwise provide us with meaningful protection or any competitive advantage.

We rely primarily on a combination of trade secrets, patents, trademarks, confidentiality or non-disclosure agreements and other contractual arrangements with our employees, end-users and others to maintain our competitive position to protect our proprietary technologies and processes globally. While some of our technology is licensed under patents belonging to others or is covered by process patents which are owned or applied for by us, we have devoted substantial resources to the development of our technology, trade secrets, know-how and other unregistered proprietary rights and much of our key technology is not protected by patents. In particular, in fast-growing markets such as China and India, our technology is not protected by patents.

Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, it is possible that competitors or other unauthorized third parties may obtain, copy, use or disclose our technologies, inventions, processes or improvements.  While we enter into various agreements intended to protect our proprietary rights, these agreements may be breached and confidential information may be willfully or unintentionally disclosed, and these agreements can be difficult and costly to enforce or may not provide adequate remedies if violated.  In addition, our competitors or other parties may learn of our proprietary rights in some other way. Because we cannot legally prevent one or more other companies from developing similar or identical technology to our unpatented technology, it is likely that, over time, one or more other companies may be able to replicate our technology, thereby reducing our technological advantages. If we do not protect our technology or are unable to develop new technology that can be protected by patents or as trade secrets, we may face increased competition from other companies, which may adversely affect our results of operations.

We do, from time to time, apply for patent protection for some of our intellectual property. Our pending patent applications may not be granted. We cannot assure you that any of our existing or future patents will not be challenged, invalidated, or circumvented or will otherwise provide us with meaningful protection. Furthermore, patents are jurisdictional in nature and therefore only protect us in certain markets, rather than globally.  We may not be able to obtain foreign patents corresponding to our United States or foreign patent applications. Even if foreign patents are granted, effective enforcement in foreign countries may not be available. If our patents do not adequately protect our technology, our competitors may be able to offer additive manufacturing systems or other products similar to ours. Our competitors may also be able to develop similar technology independently or design around our patents, and we may not be able to detect the unauthorized use of our proprietary technology or take appropriate steps to prevent such use. Any of the foregoing events would lead to increased competition and lower revenues or gross margins, which could adversely affect our operating results.

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If our patents and other intellectual property protections do not adequately protect our technology, our competitors may be able to offer products similar to ours. We may not be able to detect the unauthorized use of our proprietary technology and processes or take appropriate steps to prevent such use. Our competitors may also be able to develop similar technology independently or design around our patents. Any of the foregoing events would lead to increased competition and lower revenue or gross profits, which would adversely affect our results of operations.

We may incur substantial costs enforcing or acquiring intellectual property rights and defending against third-party claims as a result of litigation or other proceedings.

In connection with the enforcement of our intellectual property rights, opposing third parties from obtaining patent rights or disputes related to the validity or alleged infringement of our or third-party intellectual property rights, including patent rights, we have been and may in the future be subject or party to claims, negotiations or complex, protracted litigation. Intellectual property disputes and litigation, regardless of merit, can be costly and disruptive to our business operations by diverting attention and energies of management and key technical personnel, and by increasing our costs of doing business. We may not prevail in any such dispute or litigation, and an adverse decision in any legal action involving intellectual property rights, including any such action commenced by us, could limit the scope of our intellectual property rights and the value of the related technology. While we strive to avoid infringing the intellectual property rights of third parties, we cannot provide any assurances that we will be able to avoid any infringement claims.

We may be subject to alleged infringement claims.

Our products and technology, including the technology that we license from others, may infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties. Patent applications in the United States and most other countries are confidential for a period of time until they are published, and the publication of discoveries in scientific or patent literature typically lags actual discoveries by several months or more. As a result, the nature of claims contained in unpublished patent filings around the world is unknown to us, and we cannot be certain that we were the first to conceive inventions covered by our patents or patent applications or that we were the first to file patent applications covering such inventions. Furthermore, it is not possible to know in which countries patent holders may choose to extend their filings under the Patent Cooperation Treaty or other mechanisms. In addition, we may be subject to intellectual property infringement claims from individuals, vendors and other companies, including those that are in the business of asserting patents, but are not commercializing products in the field of 3D printing. Any claims that our products or processes infringe the intellectual property rights of others, regardless of the merit or resolution of such claims, could cause us to incur significant costs in responding to, defending and resolving such claims, and may prohibit or otherwise impair our ability to commercialize new or existing products. Any infringement by us or our licensors of the intellectual property rights of third parties may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Third-party claims of intellectual property infringement successfully asserted against us may require us to redesign infringing technology or enter into costly settlement or license agreements on terms that are unfavorable to us, prevent us from manufacturing or licensing certain of our products, subject us to injunctions restricting our sale of products and use of infringing technology, cause severe disruptions to our operations or the markets in which we compete, impose costly damage awards or require indemnification of our sales agents and end-users. In addition, as a consequence of such claims, we may incur significant costs in acquiring the necessary third-party intellectual property rights for use in our products or developing non-infringing substitute technology. Any of the foregoing developments could seriously harm our business.

Certain of our employees and patents are subject to the laws of Germany.

Many of our employees work in Germany and are subject to German employment law. Ideas, developments, discoveries and inventions made by such employees and consultants are subject to the provisions of the German Act on Employees’ Inventions (Gesetz über Arbeitnehmererfindungen), which regulates the ownership of, and compensation for, inventions made by employees. We face the risk that disputes can occur between us and our employees or ex-employees pertaining to alleged non-adherence to the provisions of this act that may be costly to defend and take up our management’s time and efforts whether we prevail or fail in such dispute. In addition, under the German Act on Employees’ Inventions, certain employees retained rights to patents they invented or co-invented prior to 2009. Although most of these employees have subsequently assigned their interest in these patents to us, there is a risk that the compensation we provided to them may be deemed to be insufficient in the future and we may be required under German law to increase the compensation due to such employee for the use of their patent. In those cases where employees have not assigned their interests to us, we may need to pay compensation for the use of those patents. If we are required to pay additional compensation or face other disputes under the German Act on Employees’ Inventions, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

We may be subject to claims that our employees have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers.

Certain of our past and present employees were previously employed at other additive manufacturing companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. Some of these employees executed proprietary rights, non-disclosure and non-competition agreements in connection with such previous employment. Although we try to ensure that our employees do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or these employees have used or disclosed intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of any such employee’s former employer. We are not aware of any threatened or pending claims related to these matters, but in the future litigation may be necessary to defend

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against such claims. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable personnel or intellectual property rights. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management. As we expand our operations into the United States and elsewhere, we may face similar claims with regard to our future employees in these countries.

Risks Related to the Securities Markets and Ownership of Our Common Stock

We have broad discretion as to the use of the net proceeds from securities offerings and may not use them effectively.

We cannot specify with certainty how we will use the net proceeds that we have received or will receive from securities offerings. Our management has broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds, and we may use these proceeds in ways with which you may disagree or for purposes other than those contemplated at the time of the offering. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Pending their use, we may invest the net proceeds from a securities offering in a manner that does not produce income or that loses value.

Sales of a significant number of shares of our common stock in the public markets, or the perception that such sales could occur, could depress the market price of our common stock.

Sales of a significant number of shares of our common stock in the public markets, or the perception that such sales could occur as a result of our recently announced “at the market offerings,” other utilization of our universal shelf registration statement or otherwise could depress the market price of our common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We cannot predict the effect that future sales of our common stock or the market perception that we are permitted to sell a significant number of our securities would have on the market price of our common stock.

The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly.

The market price of our common stock has been and is expected to continue to be highly volatile and may be significantly affected by numerous factors, including the risk factors described in this report and other factors which are beyond our control and may not be directly related to our operating performance. These factors include:

If equity research analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they issue unfavorable commentary or downgrade our shares, the price of our shares could decline.

The trading market for our shares will rely in part on the research and reports that equity research analysts publish about us and our business. We do not have control over these analysts, and we do not have commitments from them to write research reports about us. The price of our shares could decline if one or more equity research analysts downgrades our shares, issues other unfavorable commentary or ceases publishing reports about us or our business.

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The price of our shares could decline if there are substantial sales of our common stock, particularly by our directors, their affiliates or our executive officers or when there is a large number of shares of our common stock available for sale. The perception in the public market that our stockholders might sell our shares also could depress the market price of our shares. From time to time, we may conduct offerings of our securities and our executive officers, directors and selling stockholders would be subject to lock-up agreements that restrict their ability to transfer their shares following the offering. The market price of our shares may drop significantly when the restrictions on resale by our existing stockholders lapse and these stockholders are able to sell their shares into the market. If this occurs, it could impair our ability to raise additional capital through the sale of securities, should we desire to do so.

We incur increased costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management is required to devote substantial time to compliance initiatives.

As a public company with shares listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market, we incur significant accounting, legal and other expenses that we would not incur as a private company. These expenses will increase after we are no longer an EGC on December 31, 2018. We incur significant costs associated with our compliance with the public company reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, requirements imposed by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (most notably Section 404), the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Protection Act, and other rules adopted, and to be adopted, by the SEC and the NASDAQ Stock Market. Compliance with these rules and regulations result in increased legal and financial compliance costs and make certain activities more time-consuming and costly. They also make it more difficult for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we incur substantial costs to maintain sufficient coverage.

In addition, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure create uncertainty for public companies generally, increasing legal and financial compliance costs and making some activities more time consuming. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We have invested resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management’s time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. If our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to their application and practice, regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us and our business may be adversely affected. We cannot predict or estimate the amount or timing of additional costs we may incur in the future to respond to these constantly evolving requirements. The impact of these requirements could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our Board of Directors, our board committees or as executive officers.

Our status as an “Emerging Growth Company” will end on December 31, 2018.  

Our status as an EGC will end on December 31, 2018, which means that we will no longer be able to take advantage of the reporting exemptions that are applicable to EGCs. These exemptions include, but are not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, less extensive disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, exemptions from the requirements to hold a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved and an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. We will continue to operate under these provisions until December 31, 2018.

We have never paid cash dividends on our common stock, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Therefore, if our share price does not appreciate, our investors may not gain and could potentially lose on their investment in our shares.

We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock, nor do we anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business and service and repay indebtedness, if any. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our shares will be investors’ sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.

The right of stockholders to receive liquidation and dividend payments on our common stock is junior to the rights of holders of indebtedness and to any other senior securities we may issue in the future.

Shares of our common stock are equity interests and do not constitute indebtedness. This means that shares of our common stock will rank junior to all of our indebtedness and to other non-equity claims against us and our assets available to satisfy claims against us, including our liquidation. Additionally, holders of our common stock are subject to the prior dividend and liquidation rights of holders of our outstanding preferred stock, if any. Our Board of Directors is authorized to issue classes or series of preferred stock in the future without any action on the part of our common stockholders.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting in the future, we may not be able to accurately report our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and, as a result, the value of our common stock.

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The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal controls for financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. The term “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, means controls and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the company’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. We are required under Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. This assessment includes disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting.

Additionally, Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires an attestation from our independent registered public accounting firm on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. As an EGC, we will not be required to comply with Section 404(b) until we file our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, with the SEC, provided we maintain our status as an EGC through December 31, 2018.

Any failure to maintain internal control over financial reporting could severely inhibit our ability to accurately report our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. If we are unable to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm determines we have a material weakness or significant deficiency in our internal control over financial reporting once that firm begins its Section 404(b) attestations, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of our common stock could decline, investor groups like Institutional Shareholder Services could initiate a withhold vote campaign with respect to the re-election of the members of our audit committee, and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the NASDAQ Stock Market, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. Failure to remedy any material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, or to implement or maintain other effective control systems required of public companies, could also restrict our future access to the capital markets.

Provisions in our charter documents or Delaware law may inhibit a takeover or make it more difficult to effect a change in control, which could adversely affect the value of our common stock.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain, and Delaware corporate law contains, provisions that could delay or prevent a change of control or changes in our management. These provisions will apply even if some of our stockholders consider the offer to be beneficial or favorable. If a change of control or change in management is delayed or prevented, the market price of our common stock could decline.

Raising additional capital by issuing securities may cause dilution to our stockholders.

We may need or desire to raise substantial additional capital in the future. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including, among others:

If we raise additional funds by issuing equity or convertible debt securities, including through the use of our ATM, we will reduce the percentage ownership of our then-existing stockholders, and the holders of those newly-issued equity or convertible debt securities may have rights, preferences, or privileges senior to those possessed by our then-existing stockholders. Additionally, future sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock or other equity-related securities in the public market could depress the market price of our common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity or equity-linked securities. We cannot predict the effect that future sales of our common stock or other equity-related securities would have on the market price of our common stock.  

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Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

None.

Item 2. Properties.

We have the following locations:

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

We are subject to various litigation, claims, and proceedings which have been or may be instituted or asserted from time to time in the ordinary course of business. Management does not believe that the outcome of any pending or threatened matters will have a material adverse effect, individually or in the aggregate, on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not applicable.

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PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Market Information

Our common stock has been listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market since February 7, 2013, under the symbol “XONE.” The following table sets forth the ranges of high and low sales prices per share of our common stock as reported on the NASDAQ Stock Market for the periods indicated. Such quotations represent inter-dealer prices without retail markup, markdown or commission and may not necessarily represent actual transactions.

Stockholders

As of March 3, 2018, there were 37 stockholders of record, which excludes stockholders whose shares were held in nominee or street name by brokers. The actual number of common stockholders is greater than the number of record holders, and includes stockholders who are beneficial owners and whose shares are held in street name by brokers and other nominees. This number of holders of record also does not include stockholders whose shares may be held in trust by other entities.

Dividend Policy

We do not anticipate that we will declare or pay regular dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future, as we generally intend to invest any future earnings in the development and growth of our business. Future dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on many factors, including general economic and business conditions, our strategic plans, our financial results and conditions, legal requirements, any contractual obligations or limitations, and other factors that our Board of Directors deems relevant.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

Our 2013 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) was adopted on January 24, 2013, and approved by our stockholders on August 19, 2013. The table below sets forth information with regard to securities authorized for issuance under the Plan as of December 31, 2017:

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Stock Performance Graph

The following graph compares the performance of our common stock with the NASDAQ Composite Index and the S&P 1500 Industrial Machinery Index. Such information shall not be deemed to be “filed.”

Prepared by Zacks Investment Research, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Copyright 1980-2017.

Index Data: Copyright Standard and Poor’s, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Index Data: Copyright NASDAQ OMX, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

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Item 6. Selected Financial Data.

The data presented in the Selected Financial Data table should be read in conjunction with the information required to be provided in Part II Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto in Part II Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

(dollars in thousands, except per-share amounts)

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the “Selected Financial Data” in Part II Item 6 and our consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto in Part II Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Certain statements contained in this discussion may constitute forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in any forward looking statements, as a result of a variety of risks and uncertainties, including those described under Item 1, “Cautionary Statements Concerning Forward Looking Statements” and Item 1A, “Risk Factors”.

Overview

Our Business

We are a global provider of 3D printing machines and 3D printed and other products, materials and services to industrial customers. Our business primarily consists of manufacturing and selling 3D printing machines and printing products to specification for our customers using our installed base of 3D printing machines. Our machines serve direct and indirect applications.  Direct printing produces a component; indirect printing makes a tool to produce a component. We offer pre-production collaboration and print products for customers through our network of PSCs and EACs. We also supply the associated materials, including consumables and replacement parts, and other services, including training and technical support that is necessary for purchasers of our 3D printing machines to print products. We believe that our ability to print in a variety of industrial materials, as well as our industry-leading volumetric output (as measured by build box size and printing speed), uniquely position us to serve the needs of industrial customers.

Outlook

Our operating priorities include the following:

Recent Developments

In January 2017, we committed to a plan to consolidate certain of our 3D printing operations from our North Las Vegas, Nevada facility into our Troy, Michigan and Houston, Texas facilities and exit our non-core specialty machining operations in our Chesterfield, Michigan facility. These actions were taken as a result of the accelerating adoption rate of our sand printing technology in North America which has resulted in a refocus of our operational strategy.

As a result of these actions, during 2017, we recorded charges of approximately $1,016, including approximately $142 associated with involuntary employee terminations, approximately $7 associated with other exit costs and approximately $867 associated with asset impairments. Charges associated with involuntary employee terminations and other exit costs were recorded to cost of sales in the accompanying statement of consolidated operations and comprehensive loss. Charges associated with asset impairments were split between cost of sales ($598), as a component of depreciation expense, and selling, general and administrative expenses ($269), as a component of amortization expense, in the accompanying statement of consolidated operations and comprehensive loss. There are no

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additional charges expected to be incurred associated with this plan in future periods. We have settled all amounts associated with involuntary employee terminations and other exit costs.  

Charges associated with asset impairments relate principally to our plan to exit our non-core specialty machining operations in our Chesterfield, Michigan facility. On April 21, 2017, we sold to a third party certain assets associated with these operations including inventories (approximately $79), property and equipment (approximately $2,475) and other contractual rights (approximately $269). Total gross proceeds from the sale of these assets were approximately $2,050. After deducting costs directly attributable to the sale of these assets (approximately $128), we recorded an impairment loss during the quarter ended March 31, 2017, of approximately $859 split between property and equipment ($590) and intangible assets ($269) based on the excess of the carrying value over the estimated fair value of the related assets at March 31, 2017 (recorded to cost of sales in the accompanying statement of consolidated operations and comprehensive loss), and a loss on disposal during the quarter ended June 30, 2017, of approximately $42 (recorded to cost of sales in the accompanying statement of consolidated operations and comprehensive loss).

Separate from the transaction described above, on May 9, 2017, we sold to a third party certain property and equipment (principally land and building) associated with our North Las Vegas, Nevada facility. Total gross proceeds from the sale of these assets were approximately $1,950. After deducting costs directly attributable to the sale of these assets (approximately $137), we recorded a gain on disposal (recorded to cost of sales in the accompanying statement of consolidated operations and comprehensive loss), of approximately $347. Additionally, we recorded an impairment loss during 2017 of approximately $8 associated with certain property and equipment which was abandoned in connection with our exit of our North Las Vegas, Nevada facility.

The consolidation of our 3D printing operations from our North Las Vegas, Nevada facility into our Troy, Michigan and Houston, Texas facilities is not expected to have a significant impact on our revenues in future periods. We expect annualized cost savings related to this consolidation of approximately $600, with approximately $570 in the form of cash cost savings (principally employee-related and other operating costs) and approximately $30 in the form of reduced depreciation expense. All cost savings associated with this consolidation are expected to benefit cost of sales. We expect to invest these cost savings into technological or process advancements that support either long-term cost benefits or revenue growth.

We expect annualized reductions in revenue related to our exit of our non-core specialty machining operations in our Chesterfield, Michigan facility of approximately $1,400. For 2017, 2016 and 2015, revenues associated with our non-core specialty machining operations in our Chesterfield, Michigan facility were approximately $346, $1,403 and $2,225, respectively. We expect annualized cost savings related to this exit of approximately $500, with approximately $200 in the form of cash cost savings (principally employee-related and other operating costs), approximately $200 in the form of reduced depreciation expense and approximately $100 in the form of reduced amortization expense. Cost savings associated with the exit of this facility are expected to benefit cost of sales by approximately $400 and selling, general and administrative expenses by approximately $100. We expect to invest these cost savings into technological or process advancements that support either long-term cost benefits or revenue growth.

In March 2017, we terminated our Cooperation Agreement with Swerea SWECAST AB (“Swerea”), resulting in an exit of our PSC operations in Jönköping, Sweden, effective April 1, 2017. Also in March 2017, we agreed to a leasing agreement with Beijer Industri AB, effective April 1, 2017, related to our 3D printing machine and related equipment located on the Swerea premises, previously covered under our Cooperation Agreement with Swerea. Both of these actions were taken in connection with our continuing evaluation of our business model in an effort to both streamline our existing European operations, and to take strategic advantage of our existing relationship with Beijer Industri AB in promoting indirect binder jet technologies in Scandinavia. There were no penalties or other adverse effects associated with our termination of our Cooperation Agreement with Swerea. There were no significant effects on our results of operations or financial position associated with these actions. 

In December 2017, we committed to a plan to consolidate certain of our 3D printing operations from our Desenzano del Garda, Italy facility into our Gersthofen, Germany facility. These actions were taken as part of our efforts to optimize our business model and maximize our facility utilization. As a result of these actions, during 2017, we recorded a charge of approximately $72 associated with involuntary employee terminations. This charge was split between cost of sales ($19) and selling, general and administrative expense ($53) in the accompany statement of consolidated operations and comprehensive loss. We currently estimate additional charges associated with involuntary terminations (approximately less than $100), other exit costs (approximately less than $50) and asset impairments (approximately $200 to $300) in 2018 associated with this plan. At December 31, 2017, amounts associated with involuntary employee terminations had not been settled by us. Such amounts are expected to be settled by us during 2018.

The consolidation of our 3D printing operations from our Desenzano del Garda, Italy facility into our Gersthofen, Germany facility is not expected to have a significant impact on our revenues in future periods. We expect annualized cost savings related to this consolidation of approximately $875, with approximately $600 in the form of cash cost savings (principally employee-related and other operating costs) and approximately $275 in the form of reduced depreciation expense. Cost savings associated with the exit of this facility are expected to benefit cost of sales by approximately $625 and selling, general and administrative expenses by approximately $250. We expect to invest these cost savings into technological or process advancements that support either long-term cost benefits or revenue growth.

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Backlog

At December 31, 2017, our backlog was approximately $21,300 of which approximately $18,300 is expected to be fulfilled during the next twelve months. At December 31, 2016, our backlog was approximately $19,700.

Impairment

During the quarter ended December 31, 2017, as a result of continued operating losses and cash flow deficiencies, we identified a triggering event requiring a test for the recoverability of long-lived assets held and used at the asset group level. Assessing the recoverability of long-lived assets held and used requires significant judgments and estimates by management.

For purposes of testing long-lived assets for recoverability, we operate as three separate asset groups: United States, Europe and Japan. In assessing the recoverability of long-lived assets held and used, we determined the carrying amount of long-lived assets held and used to be in excess of the estimated future undiscounted net cash flows of the related assets. We proceeded to determine the fair value of our long-lived assets held and used, principally through use of the market approach. Our use of the market approach included consideration of market transactions for comparable assets. Management concluded that the fair value of long-lived assets held and used exceeded their carrying value and, as such, no impairment loss was recorded.   

A significant decrease in the market price of a long-lived asset, adverse change in the use or condition of a long-lived asset, adverse change in the business climate or legal or regulatory factors impacting a long-lived asset and continued operating losses and cash flow deficiencies associated with a long-lived asset, among other indicators, could cause a future assessment to be performed which may result in an impairment of long-lived assets held and used, resulting in a material adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations.

During the quarter ended September 30, 2015, as a result of the significant decline in our market capitalization and continued operating losses and cash flow deficiencies, we identified a triggering event requiring both a test for the recoverability of long-lived assets held and used at the asset group level and a test for impairment of goodwill at the reporting unit level.  Assessing the recoverability of long-lived assets held and used and goodwill requires significant judgments and estimates by management.

In assessing the recoverability of long-lived assets held and used, we determined the carrying amount of long-lived assets held and used to be in excess of the estimated future undiscounted net cash flows of the related assets. We proceeded to determine the fair value of our long-lived assets held and used, principally through use of the market approach.  Our use of the market approach included consideration of market transactions for comparable assets. Management concluded that the fair value of long-lived assets held and used exceeded their carrying value and as such no impairment loss was recorded.

We subsequently performed an impairment test for goodwill. For purposes of testing goodwill for impairment, we operate as a singular reporting unit. In assessing goodwill for impairment, we compared the fair value of our reporting unit to its carrying value. We determined the fair value of our reporting unit through a combination of the market approach and income approach. Our use of the market approach included consideration of our market capitalization along with consideration of other factors that could influence the use of market capitalization as a fair value estimate, including premiums or discounts to be applied based on both market and entity-specific data. Our use of the income approach included consideration of present value techniques, principally the use of a discounted cash flow model. In performing the impairment test for goodwill, we determined the carrying amount of goodwill to be in excess of the implied fair value of goodwill. As a result, we recognized an impairment loss of approximately $4,419 associated with goodwill during the quarter ended September 30, 2015.

How We Measure Our Business

We use several financial and operating metrics to measure our business. We use these metrics to assess the progress of our business, make decisions on where to allocate capital, time and technology investments, and assess longer-term performance within our marketplace. The key metrics are as follows:

Revenue. Our revenue consists of sales of our 3D printing machines and 3D printed and other products, materials and services.

3D printing machines. 3D printing machine revenues consist of 3D printing machine sales and leasing arrangements. Sales of 3D printing machines may also include optional equipment, materials, replacement components and services (installation, training and other services, including maintenance services and/or an extended warranty). 3D printing machine sales and leasing arrangements are influenced by a number of factors including, among other things, the adoption rate of our 3D printing technology, end-user product design and manufacturing activity, the capital expenditure budgets of end-users and potential end-users and other macroeconomic factors. Purchases or leases of our 3D printing machines, particularly our higher-end, higher-priced systems, typically involve long sales cycles. Several factors can significantly affect revenue reported for our 3D printing machines for a given period including, among others, the overall low unit volume of 3D printing machine sales, the sales mix of machines for a given period and the customer-driven acceleration or delay of orders and shipments of machines.

3D printed and other products, materials and services. 3D printed and other products, materials and services consist of sales of products printed in our global PSC and EAC network or manufactured through our specialty machining operations (through April 2017) or castings, consumable materials and replacement parts for the network of 3D printing machines installed by our global customer base and services for maintenance and certain research and development activities. Our PSCs and EACs utilize our 3D

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printing machine technology to print products to the specifications of customers. In addition, our PSCs and EACs also provide support and services such as pre-production collaboration prior to printing products for a customer. Sales of consumable materials, replacement parts and service maintenance contracts are linked to the aftermarket opportunities from our growing network of 3D printing machines installed by our global customer base. Research and development arrangements are a function of customer-specific needs in applying our additive manufacturing technologies.

Cost of Sales and Gross Profit. Our cost of sales consists primarily of labor (related to our global workforce), materials (for both the manufacture of 3D printing machines and for our PSC, EAC and other manufacturing operations) and overhead to produce 3D printing machines and 3D printed and other products, materials and services. Also included in cost of sales are license fees (based upon a percentage of revenue of qualifying products and processes) for the use of intellectual properties, warranty costs and other overhead associated with our production processes.

Our gross profit is influenced by a number of factors, the most important of which is the volume and mix of sales of our 3D printing machines and 3D printed and other products, materials and services.

As 3D printing machine sales are cyclical, we seek to achieve a balance in revenue from 3D printing machines and 3D printed and other products, materials and services in order to maximize gross profit while managing business risk. In addition, we expect to reduce our cost of sales over time by continued research and development and supply chain activities directed towards achieving increased efficiencies in our production processes.

Operating Expenses. Our operating expenses consist of research and development expenses and selling, general and administrative expenses.

Research and development expenses. Our research and development expenses consist primarily of salaries and related personnel expenses aimed at 3D printing machine development and materials qualification activities. Additional costs include the related software and materials, laboratory supplies, and costs for facilities and equipment. Research and development expenses are charged to operations as they are incurred. We capitalize the cost of materials, equipment and facilities that have future alternative uses in research and development projects or otherwise.

Selling, general and administrative expenses. Our selling, general and administrative expenses consist primarily of employee-related costs (salaries and benefits) of our executive officers, and sales and marketing (including sales commissions), finance, accounting, information technology and human resources personnel. Other significant general and administrative costs include the facility costs related to our United States and European headquarters and external costs for legal, accounting, consulting and other professional services.

Interest Expense. Interest expense consists of the interest cost associated with outstanding long-term debt and capital lease arrangements.

Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes. We are taxed as a corporation for United States federal, state, local and foreign income tax purposes. Current statutory tax rates in the jurisdictions in which we operate, the United States, Germany, Italy, Sweden (effective in July 2015 through December 2017) and Japan, are approximately 34.0%, 28.4%, 24.0%, 22.0% and 30.9%, respectively.

In December 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) was enacted into law. The Tax Act reduces the corporate income tax rate from 34% to 21% and generally modifies certain United States income tax deductions and the United States taxation of certain foreign earnings, among other changes.

Results of Operations

Net Loss

Net loss for 2017 was $20,017, or $1.25 per basic and diluted share, compared with a net loss of $14,598, or $0.92 per basic and diluted share, for 2016. The increase in our net loss was principally due to a net decrease in our gross profit (as a percentage of sales) along with increases in research and development and selling, general and administrative expenses (all changes further described below).

Net loss for 2016 was $14,598, or $0.92 per basic and diluted share, compared with a net loss of $25,865, or $1.79 per basic and diluted share, for 2015. The decrease in our net loss was due to an increase in our revenues and gross profit principally based on an increase in volumes and favorable mix of sales of 3D printing machines, coupled with the elimination of certain production inefficiencies experienced during 2015 as a result of our global facilities transition and expansion activities and European enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) system deployment (effective January 1, 2015). Net operating expenses decreased for 2016 as compared to 2015 as a result of lower selling, general and administrative spending offset by increased research and development spending (see further discussion below) and the absence of a goodwill impairment charge recorded during 2015.

Revenue

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The following table summarizes revenue by product group for each of the years ended December 31:

Revenue for 2017 was $57,744 compared with revenue of $47,788 for 2016, an increase of $9,956, or 20.8%. The increase in revenue was as a result of increases in revenue attributable to both of our product groups (3D printing machines and 3D printed and other products, materials and services). The increase in revenues from 3D printing machines resulted primarily from an increase in volume of 3D printing machines sold (41 3D printing machines sold during 2017, as compared to 33 3D printing machines sold during 2016) and a favorable mix of 3D printing machines sold (as we sold 23 indirect printers during 2017, as compared to 18 indirect printers during 2016, indirect printers generally bearing a higher average selling price than direct printers). The increase in revenues from 3D printed and other products, materials and services principally resulted from an increase in revenues from our direct PSC printing operations as a result of increased customer acceptance of our binder jet technologies and an increase in aftermarket revenues (maintenance services and replacement components for 3D printing machines) based on an increased global installed base of 3D printing machines. These increases in revenues from 3D printed and other products, materials and services were offset by decreases in product sales associated with our indirect PSC and EAC printing operations and revenues associated with our former specialty machining operation located in our Chesterfield, Michigan facility (approximately $1,057) following the sale of certain assets associated with this operation in April 2017, and the absence of the sale of remaining inventories associated with our former laser micromachining 3D printing machine platform (approximately $475) during the quarter ended June 30, 2016.

Revenue for 2016 was $47,788 compared with revenue of $40,353 for 2015, an increase of $7,435, or 18.4%. The increase in revenue was as a result of increases to both of our product groups (3D printing machines and 3D printed and other products, materials and services). The increase in revenues from 3D printing machines resulted from both an increase in volume of 3D printing machines sold (33 3D printing machines sold during 2016 as compared to 26 3D printing machines sold during 2015) and a favorable mix of 3D printing machines sold (as we sold 18 indirect printers during 2016 as compared to 11 indirect printers during 2015, indirect printers generally bearing a higher average selling price than direct printers). The increase in revenues from 3D printed and other products, materials and services resulted from an increase in consumable materials revenues associated with an increased global installed base of our 3D printing machines, the sale of the remaining inventories associated with our former laser micromachining 3D printing machine platform (approximately $475) during the quarter ended June 30, 2016, and an increase in revenues derived from certain contractual research and development activities.

The following table summarizes 3D printing machines sold by type for each of the years ending December 31 (please refer to Part I Item 1, “Our Machines and Machine Platforms” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a description of 3D printing machines by type):

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Cost of Sales and Gross Profit

Cost of sales for 2017 was $43,362 compared with cost of sales of $33,626 for 2016, an increase of $9,736, or 29.0%. The increase in cost of sales was primarily due to an increase in our variable cost of sales associated with our increase in revenues. In addition, we recognized a net charge associated with slow-moving, obsolete and lower of cost or net realizable value inventories of approximately $2,056 during 2017, compared to a net recovery of approximately $5 during 2016. The net charge recorded during 2017 was primarily attributable to certain raw material and component inventories (principally machine frames and other fabricated components) of approximately $1,460 recorded during the quarter ended June 30, 2017 associated with our Exerial 3D printing machine platform based on decisions made by us during the period related to certain design changes to the underlying platform (rendering certain elements of the previous design obsolete). The net recovery recorded during 2016 principally relates to the sale of certain inventories associated with our former laser micromachining 3D printing machine platform (approximately $507) during the quarter ended June 30, 2016, offset by a charge of approximately $280 during the quarter ended December 31, 2016, associated with certain raw materials and components and work in process inventories for which cost was determined to exceed net realizable value. During 2017, we incurred costs of approximately $747 (approximately $142 in employee termination costs, $7 in other exit costs and $598 in asset impairments) associated with our consolidation of our 3D printing operations from our facility in North Las Vegas, Nevada into our Troy, Michigan and Houston, Texas facilities and our plan to exit our non-core specialty machining operations in Chesterfield, Michigan. These costs were offset by net gains on disposal of property and equipment (approximately $291) primarily related to our sale of certain property and equipment (principally land and building) associated with our consolidation and exit of our North Las Vegas, Nevada PSC, as compared to net losses on disposal of property and equipment during 2016 (approximately $169 primarily related to our sale and abandonment of certain property and equipment associated with our consolidation and exit of our Auburn, Washington PSC and the sale of certain machinery and equipment associated with our former specialty machining operations in Chesterfield, Michigan.

Gross profit for 2017 was $14,382 compared with gross profit of $14,162 for 2016. Gross profit percentage was 24.9% for 2017 compared with gross profit percentage of 29.6% for 2016. The increase in gross profit was the result of the increase in revenues net of the increase in cost of sales as further described above. This includes our recognition of five Exerial 3D printing machines during 2017 (associated revenues of approximately $4,946), which generated lower profitability on a comparable basis to other 3D printing machine sales, such lower profitability being generally consistent with our experience related to new product or technology releases.

Cost of sales for 2016 was $33,626 compared with cost of sales of $32,010 for 2015, an increase of $1,616 or 5.0%. The increase in cost of sales was primarily due to increases in our variable cost of sales associated with our increased revenues, resulting in an improved gross profit net of our fixed cost base. Offsetting this increase was a reduction in certain production inefficiencies experienced during 2015 as a result of the transition and expansion of our facilities in Germany and the United States, and the deployment of our European ERP system (effective January 1, 2015).

Gross profit for 2016 was $14,162 compared with gross profit of $8,343 for 2015. Gross profit percentage was 29.6% for 2016 compared with gross profit percentage of 20.7% for 2015. The increase in gross profit was the result of the increase in revenues offset by the increase in cost of sales as further cited above.

Research and Development

Research and development expenses for 2017 were $9,909 compared with research and development expenses of $7,814 for 2016, an increase of $2,095, or 26.8%. The increase in research and development expenses was primarily due to increases in employee-related costs (salaries, benefits and equity-based compensation) of approximately $474, consulting and professional fees associated with certain machine development and other organizational development activities of approximately $1,231 and material costs of approximately $212 (primarily associated with fine powder direct printing development activities).

We expect to increase our investment in research and development by approximately $6,000 to $8,000 during 2018 (as compared to 2017) in an effort to accelerate the development of our fine powder printing capabilities for direct printing, our large format direct and indirect 3D printing machines and our materials development activities for direct and indirect printing, among other initiatives.

Research and development expenses for 2016 were $7,814 compared with research and development expenses of $7,279 for 2015, an increase of $535, or 7.3%. The increase in research and development expenses was primarily due to an increase in costs associated with machine development activities, principally an increase in material costs of approximately $704 (primarily associated with sodium silicate and cold-hardening phenolic 3D printing machine and materials development).

Selling, General and Administrative

Selling, general and administrative expenses for 2017 were $24,155 compared with selling, general and administrative expenses of $20,722 for 2016, an increase of $3,433, or 16.6%. The increase in selling, general and administrative expenses was principally due to increases in employee-related costs (salaries, benefits and equity-based compensation) of approximately $1,564 associated with our investment in our commercial leadership team and executive separation costs, consulting and professional fees of approximately $654 (principally executive consulting, legal, including costs associated with our intellectual property, and other administrative

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arrangements), lower net recoveries for bad debts from customers (net recoveries of approximately $64 during 2017, compared to net recoveries of approximately $327 during 2016), an impairment of intangible assets of approximately $269 during the quarter ended March 31, 2017, in connection with our plan to exit our non-core specialty machining operations at our Chesterfield, Michigan facility, and an increase in selling costs of approximately $406 (promotional expenses, trade show activities and sales commissions on 3D printing machine sales).

Selling, general and administrative expenses for 2016 were $20,722 compared with selling, general and administrative expenses of $22,576 for 2015, a decrease of $1,854 or 8.2%. The decrease in selling, general and administrative expenses was principally due to a reduction in consulting and professional fees of approximately $1,202 (including costs associated with the deployment of our European ERP system during 2015), travel expenses of approximately $251 and selling expenses of approximately $354 (including the absence of costs associated with the GIFA International Foundry Trade Fair in June 2015), all of which was offset by the reversal of approximately $193 in remaining contingent consideration associated with our acquisition of Machin-A-Mation during the quarter ended June 30, 2015, which did not recur in 2016.

Interest Expense

Interest expense for 2017 was $94 compared with interest expense of $298 for 2016, a decrease of $204, or 68.5%. The decrease in interest expense was principally due to the effect of the termination of the revolving credit facility with a related party during the quarter ended March 31, 2016, which resulted in an acceleration of amortization of debt issuance costs of approximately $204.

Interest expense for 2016 was $298 compared with interest expense of $152 for 2015, an increase of $146, or 96.1%. The increase in interest expense was principally due to the effect of the termination of the revolving credit facility with a related party during the quarter ended March 31, 2016, which resulted in an acceleration of amortization of debt issuance costs of approximately $204, partially offset by a lower average outstanding debt balance for 2016 for all other instruments as compared to 2015.

Other Expense (Income) — Net

Other expense (income) — net for 2017 was $203 compared with other expense (income) — net of ($141) for 2016 and other expense (income) — net of ($45) for 2015. Amounts for all periods consist principally of net currency exchange gains on certain intercompany transactions between subsidiaries either settled or planned for settlement in the foreseeable future and interest income on cash and cash equivalent balances.

Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes

The provision (benefit) for income taxes for 2017, 2016 and 2015 was $38, $67 and ($173), respectively. The effective tax rate for 2017, 2016 and 2015 was 0.2% (provision on a loss), 0.5% (provision on a loss) and 0.7% (benefit on a loss), respectively. For 2017, 2016 and 2015, the effective tax rate differed from the United States federal statutory rate of 34.0% primarily due to net changes in valuation allowances for the respective periods.

We have provided a valuation allowance for our net deferred tax assets as a result of our inability to generate consistent net operating profits in jurisdictions in which we operate. As such, any benefit from deferred taxes in any of the periods presented in our consolidated financial statements has been fully offset by changes in the valuation allowance for net deferred tax assets. We continue to assess our future taxable income by jurisdiction based on our recent historical operating results, the expected timing of reversal of temporary differences, various tax planning strategies that we may be able to enact in future periods, the impact of potential operating changes on our business and our forecast results from operations in future periods based on available information at the end of each reporting period. To the extent that we are able to reach the conclusion that deferred tax assets are realizable based on any combination of the above factors in a single, or multiple, taxing jurisdictions, a reversal of the related portion of our existing valuation allowances may occur.

Impact of Inflation

Our results of operations and financial condition are presented based on historical cost. While it is difficult to accurately measure the impact of inflation due to the imprecise nature of the estimates required, we believe the effects of inflation, if any, on our results of operations and financial condition are not significant.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Liquidity

We have incurred a net loss in each of our annual periods since our inception. We incurred net losses of approximately $20,017, $14,598 and $25,865 for 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. In connection with the completion of our initial public offering and subsequent secondary offerings of our common stock, we received cumulative unrestricted net proceeds from the sale of our common stock of approximately $168,361 to fund our operations. At December 31, 2017, we had approximately $21,848 in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents. In addition, on March 12, 2018, we entered into a three-year, $15,000 revolving credit facility with a related party (see further discussion below).

We believe that our existing capital resources will be sufficient to support our operating plan.  If we anticipate that our actual results will differ from our operating plan, we believe we have sufficient capabilities to enact cost saving measures to preserve capital.  

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Further, we may seek to raise additional capital to support our growth through additional debt, equity or other alternatives (including asset sales), or a combination thereof.

LBM Holdings LLC Revolving Credit Agreement

On March 12, 2018, ExOne and its ExOne Americas LLC and ExOne GmbH subsidiaries, as guarantors (collectively, the “Loan Parties”), entered into a Credit Agreement with LBM Holdings LLC (“LBM”), a related party, on a $15,000 revolving credit facility (the “LBM Credit Agreement”) to provide additional funding for working capital and general corporate purposes. The LBM Credit Agreement includes a term of three years (through March 12, 2021) and bears interest at a rate of one month LIBOR plus an applicable margin of 500 basis points (approximately 6.7% at inception). The LBM Credit Agreement requires a commitment fee of 75 basis points, or 0.75%, on the unused portion of the facility, payable monthly in arrears. In addition, an up-front commitment fee of 125 basis points, or 1.25% (approximately $188), was required at closing. Borrowings under the LBM Credit Agreement are required to be in minimum increments of $1,000. ExOne may terminate or reduce the credit commitment at any time during the term of the LBM Credit Agreement without penalty. ExOne may also make prepayments against the LBM Credit Agreement at any time without penalty. Borrowings under the LBM Credit Agreement have been collateralized by the accounts receivable, inventories and machinery and equipment of the Loan Parties. The total estimated value of collateral was in significant excess of the maximum capacity of the LBM Credit Agreement at inception.

The LBM Credit Agreement contains several affirmative covenants including prompt payment of liabilities and taxes; maintenance of insurance, properties, and licenses; and compliance with laws. The LBM Credit Agreement also contains several negative covenants including restricting the incurrence of certain additional debt; prohibiting future liens (other than permitted liens); prohibiting investment in third parties; limiting the ability to pay dividends; limiting mergers, acquisitions, and dispositions; and limiting the sale of certain property and equipment of the Loan Parties. The LBM Credit Agreement does not contain any financial covenants. The LBM Credit Agreement also contains events of default, including, but not limited to, cross-default to certain other debt, breaches of representations and warranties, change of control events and breaches of covenants.

LBM was determined to be a related party based on common control by our Executive Chairman. Accordingly, we do not consider the LBM Credit Agreement indicative of a fair market value lending. Prior to execution, the LBM Credit Agreement was subject to review and approval by a sub-committee of independent members of our Board of Directors (which included each of the members of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors). At the time of execution of the LBM Credit Agreement, the $15,000 in available loan proceeds were deposited into an escrow account with an unrelated, third party financial institution pursuant to a separate Escrow Agreement by and among the parties. Loan proceeds held in escrow will be available to us upon our submission to the escrow agent of a loan request. Such proceeds will not be available to LBM until payment in-full of the obligations under the LBM Credit Agreement and termination of the LBM Credit Agreement. Payments of principal and other obligations will be made to the escrow agent, while interest payments will be made directly to LBM. Provided there exists no potential default or event of default, the LBM Credit Agreement and Escrow Agreement prohibit any acceleration of repayment of any amount outstanding under the LBM Credit Agreement and prohibit termination of the LBM Credit Agreement or withdrawal from escrow of any unused portion of the LBM Credit Agreement.

Cash Flows

The following table summarizes the significant components of cash flows for each of the years ended December 31 and our ending cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash balances:

Operating Activities

Net cash used for operating activities for 2017 was $9,673 compared with net cash used for operating activities of $2,652 for 2016. The change of $7,021 was due to an increase in our net loss (further described above) combined with a net decrease in net cash

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inflows from changes in assets and liabilities, including decreases in cash inflows from customers (principally due to the implementation of more favorable liquidity terms with customers during 2016 and the timing of certain 3D printing machine sale transactions) and cash outflows for inventories (based on our operating plans for delivery of 3D printing machines to customers). These changes were partially offset by a reduction in cash outflows to vendors (based on the terms and timing of payment).

Net cash used for operating activities for 2016 was $2,652 compared with $10,722 for 2015. The change of $8,070 was due to a reduction in our net loss (further described above) combined with a net increase in net cash inflows from changes in assets and liabilities, including net inflows associated with inventories (versus a net outflow in 2015) based on improved management of inventory levels in 2016 as compared to 2015 in meeting our operating plans. This net increase was partially offset by net decreases in cash inflows associated with deferred revenue and customer prepayments (as we saw stabilization in our commercial terms with customers) and other working capital items mostly due to the timing of payments from customers and to vendors, respectively.

Investing Activities

Net cash provided by investing activities for 2017 was $2,719 compared with net cash used for investing activities of $1,272 for 2016 and net cash used for investing activities of $4,748 for 2015.

Net cash provided by investing activities for 2017 included cash inflows of approximately $3,706 in proceeds from the sale of property and equipment, mostly attributable to our sale of assets associated with our non-core specialty machining operation in Chesterfield, Michigan and our PSC in North Las Vegas, Nevada during the quarter ended June 30, 2017. Remaining activity for all periods included cash outflows for capital expenditures consistent with our operating plans. Capital expenditures for 2015 included certain facility expansions spending which did not recur in 2017 or 2016.

We expect our 2018 capital expenditures to be limited to spending associated with sustaining our existing operations and strategic asset acquisition and deployment (estimated spending of approximately $1,000 to $1,500).

Financing Activities

Net cash used for financing activities for 2017 was $68 compared with net cash provided by financing activities of $12,822 for 2016 and net cash used for financing activities of $670 for 2015.

Uses of cash for 2017 included principal payments on outstanding debt and capital leases. Uses of cash for 2017 were offset by cash proceeds received by us as a result of employee stock option exercises during 2017.

Sources of cash for 2016, included net proceeds from the issuance of common stock of approximately $12,447 in connection with our registered direct offering to a related party in January 2016 and approximately $595 in connection with sales of our common stock under our ATM. Uses of cash for 2016 included principal payments on outstanding debt and capital leases.

Uses of cash for 2015 included principal payments on outstanding debt and capital and financing leases and deferred financing costs associated with our revolving credit facility with a related party (which was terminated in January 2016).

At December 31, 2017, we identified that we were not in compliance with the annual cash flow-to-debt service ratio covenant associated with our building note payable (outstanding indebtedness of approximately $1,675 at December 31, 2017). We requested and were granted a waiver related to compliance with this annual covenant at December 31, 2017 and through December 31, 2018. Related to our 2017 non-compliance, there were no cross default provisions or related impacts on other lending or financing agreements.

Contractual Obligations

We are required to make future payments under various contracts, including operating lease agreements, unconditional purchase arrangements, long-term debt agreements and capital lease agreements.

At December 31, 2017, a summary of our outstanding contractual obligations is as follows:

Operating Leases

Operating leases consist of various lease agreements of manufacturing and office facilities, machinery and other equipment and vehicles, expiring in various years through 2026.

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Purchase Obligations

Purchase obligations consist of unconditional commitments to purchase certain 3D printing machine components to support our operations.

Long-Term Debt

Long-term debt consists of the current and noncurrent portion of a note payable used to finance the acquisition of a building in the United States. Maturity of this debt instrument extends to 2027.

Capital Leases

Capital leases consist of certain lease agreements for equipment and vehicles, expiring in various years through 2023.

Interest

Interest related to long-term debt and capital leases is based on interest rates in effect at December 31, 2017, and is calculated on instruments with maturities that extend to 2027.

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

In the course of our normal operations, our ExOne GmbH subsidiary issues financial guarantees and letters of credit to third parties in connection with certain commercial transactions requiring security. At December 31, 2017, total outstanding financial guarantees and letters of credit issued by us were approximately $1,224 (€1,021). Included in the total outstanding financial guarantees and letters of credit by us were approximately $939 (€783) with expiration dates ranging from January 2018 through June 2022 and approximately $285 (€238) which have no expiration date. At December 31, 2016, total outstanding guarantees and letters of credit issued by us were approximately $400 (€380).

For further discussion related to the credit facility agreement, refer to Note 15 to the consolidated financial statements in Part II Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Guidance

Refer to Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements included in Part II Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Refer to Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements included in Part II Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

We are exposed to market risk from fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates which may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. We seek to minimize these risks through regular operating and financing activities and, when we consider it to be appropriate, through the use of derivative financial instruments. We do not purchase, hold or sell derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.

The local currency is the functional currency for significant operations outside of the United States. The determination of the functional currency of an operation is made based on the appropriate economic and management indicators.

Foreign currency assets and liabilities are translated into their United States dollar equivalents based on year end exchange rates, and are included in stockholders’ equity as a component of other comprehensive income (loss). Revenues and expenses are translated at average exchange rates. Transaction gains and losses that arise from exchange rate fluctuations are charged to operations as incurred, except for gains and losses associated with certain long-term intercompany transactions for which settlement is not planned or anticipated in the foreseeable future, which are included in accumulated other comprehensive loss in the consolidated balance sheet.

We transact business globally and are subject to risks associated with fluctuating foreign exchange rates. Approximately 56.7%, 54.0% and 50.9% of our consolidated revenue was derived from transactions outside the United States for 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. This revenue is generated primarily from wholly-owned subsidiaries operating in their respective countries and surrounding geographic areas. This revenue is primarily denominated in each subsidiary’s local functional currency, including the euro and Japanese yen. A hypothetical change in foreign exchange rates of +/- 10.0% for 2017 would result in an increase (decrease) in revenue of approximately $3,300. These subsidiaries incur nearly all of their expenses (other than intercompany expenses) in their local functional currencies.

At December 31, 2017, we held approximately $22,178 in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, of which approximately $14,436 was held by certain of our subsidiaries in United States dollars.

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Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors

of The ExOne Company

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of The ExOne Company and Subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”) as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the related statements of consolidated operations and comprehensive loss, changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes (collectively, the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements.  We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2016.

/s/ Schneider Downs & Co., Inc.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

March 15, 2018

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Board of Directors and Stockholders

of The ExOne Company and Subsidiaries

We have audited the accompanying statements of consolidated operations and comprehensive loss, changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows of The ExOne Company and Subsidiaries (the “Company”) for the year ended December 31, 2015. These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audit.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the results of operations and cash flows of The ExOne Company and Subsidiaries for the year ended December 31, 2015, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

/s/ Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

March 22, 2016

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The ExOne Company and Subsidiaries

Statement of Consolidated Operations and Comprehensive Loss

(in thousands, except per-share amounts)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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The ExOne Company and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Balance Sheet

(in thousands, except share amounts)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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The ExOne Company and Subsidiaries

Statement of Consolidated Cash Flows

(in thousands)