Applicon

Applicon, Incorporated was one of the first vendors of Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) systems. It was founded in 1969 in Bedford, Massachusetts. During the 1970s and early 1980s, the company had its headquarters and R&D facility in Burlington, MA, while their manufacturing facility was in Billerica, MA. In 1986, Applicon moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, following their acquisition by Manufacturing Data Systems, Inc. (MDSI). Their main product was called Bravo CAD/CAM. The founder was Fontaine Richardson who earned a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Illinois in 1968. He left in 1980 when the company was sold to Schlumberger. At the time, it had revenues of over $100 million per year.