Ping Fu, author of Bend, Not Break, founder and CEO of Geomagic, and incoming chief strategy officer at 3D Systems (DDD) , tells of her journey from being a penniless newcomer to the United States, to an incredibly successful CEO.

3D Systems is at the leading edge of a disruptive technological revolution, with the broadest portfolio of 3-D printers in the industry. However, despite years of earnings growth, 3D Systems' share price has risen even faster, and today the company sports a dizzying valuation. To help investors decide whether the future of additive manufacturing is bright enough to justify the lofty price tag on the company's shares, The Motley Fool has compiled a premium research report on whether 3D Systems is a buy right now. In our report, we take a close look at 3D Systems' opportunities, risks, and critical factors for growth. You'll also find reasons to buy or sell, and you'll receive a full year of analyst updates with the report. To start reading, simply click here now for instant access.

The following transcript is lightly edited.

Brendan Byrnes: So this movement, two big players, 3D Systems and Stratasys. How do you see the competitive landscape playing out? Is there room for more players than these two? Do you see further consolidation in the industry?

Ping: There are three big players now, and a lot of newcomers. 3D Systems focuses on content to print, and Stratasys and Objet are great with innovations and machines and materials, and EOS is absolutely fabulous in machining metal. They even create structure of metals such that you can use traditional metals to create new materials. All three of them are doing similar things, but they have their focus on excellence. And now you have little companies coming up ... and the more the better. This is going to be huge, and there are going to be a lot of newcomers and increasing competitiveness, which is good for the market.

So as I'm so fortunate to be the strategic officer for 3D Systems, not only is my responsibility for the company, but it's also for the entire industry, and that's what is really exciting.