Align Technology 10-K 2017-12-31

10-K 1 algn-20171231x10k.htm 10-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017

OR

For the transition period from to

Commission file number: 0-32259

ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

2820 Orchard Parkway

San Jose, California 95134

(Address of principal executive offices)

(408) 470-1000

(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 ý No ¨

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

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 ý No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate website, 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 ý No ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K 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. ý

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

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

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $9,773,962,344 as of June 30, 2017 based on the closing sale price of the registrant’s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market on such date. Shares held by persons who may be deemed affiliates have been excluded. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for other purposes.

On February 23, 2018, 80,135,229 shares of the registrant’s common stock were outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement relating to its 2018 Annual Stockholders’ Meeting to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A within 120 days after the registrant’s fiscal year end of December 31, 2017 are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

FORM 10-K

For the Year Ended December 31, 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Invisalign, Align, the Invisalign logo, ClinCheck, Made to Move, Invisalign Assist, Invisalign Teen, Invisalign Go, Vivera, SmartForce, SmartTrack, SmartStage, Power Ridge, iTero, iTero Element, Orthocad, iCast and iRecord, among others, are trademarks and/or service marks of Align Technology, Inc. or one of its subsidiaries or affiliated companies and may be registered in the United States and/or other countries.

In addition to historical information, this annual report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements include, among other things, our expectations regarding the anticipated impact of our new products and product enhancements will have on doctor utilization and our market share, our expectations regarding product mix and product adoption, our expectations regarding the existence and impact of seasonality, our expectations regarding the financial and strategic benefits of establishing regional order acquisition, treatment planning and manufacturing facilities, as well as the anticipated timing of such facilities being operational, our expectations regarding the continued expansion of our international markets, impact of the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the level of our operating expenses and gross margins and other factors beyond our control, as well as other statements regarding our future operations, financial condition and prospects and business strategies. These statements may contain words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” or other words indicating future results. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in Item 2 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and in particular, the risks discussed below in Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors.” We undertake no obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

PART I

Our Company

Align Technology, Inc (“We”, “Our”, “Align”) is a global medical device company engaged in the design, manufacture and marketing of Invisalign® clear aligners and iTero® intraoral scanners and services for orthodontics, restorative and aesthetic dentistry. Align’s products are intended primarily for the treatment of malocclusion or the misalignment of teeth and are designed to help dental professionals achieve the clinical outcomes that they expect. Align Technology was founded in March 1997 and incorporated in Delaware in April 1997. Our headquarters is located at 2820 Orchard Parkway, San Jose, California 95134, and our telephone number is 408-470-1000. Our internet address is www.aligntech.com. Our European headquarters is located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and our Asia Pacific headquarters is located in Singapore.

We have two operating segments: (1) Clear Aligner and (2) Scanners and Services ("Scanner"). For the year ended December 31, 2017, Clear Aligner net revenues represent approximately 89% of worldwide net revenues, while Scanner represent the remaining 11% of worldwide net revenues. We sell the vast majority of our products directly to our customers: orthodontists and general practitioner dentists ("GPs"), as well as to restorative and aesthetic dentists, including prosthodontists, periodontists, and oral surgeons. Our Clear Aligner operating segment includes revenues from non-Invisalign aligners supplied to SmileDirectClub, LLC ("SDC"). Refer to "Supply Agreement with SmileDirectClub, LLC" section.

We received 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) to market the Invisalign System in 1998. The Invisalign System is regulated by the FDA as a Class II medical device. In order to provide Invisalign treatment to their patients, orthodontists and GPs must initially complete an Invisalign training course. The Invisalign System is sold primarily through a direct sales force in North America, Asia Pacific ("APAC"), Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Latin America. To date, over 5.2 million people worldwide have been treated with our Invisalign System.

Our iTero scanner is used by dental professionals and/or labs and service providers for restorative and orthodontic digital procedures as well as Invisalign case submission. We received 510(k) clearance from the FDA to market iTero software for expanded indications in 2013. Scanners and CAD/CAM Services are primarily sold through our direct sales force and a few distributors in North America, Europe and certain Asia Pacific countries, and through distribution partners in Thailand, Scandinavia and Russia.

Our Products and Services

Our net revenues are generated from the sale of the following product offerings:

Clear Aligner Segment

Malocclusion and Traditional Orthodontic Treatment

Malocclusion, or the misalignment of teeth, is one of the most prevalent clinical dental conditions, affecting billions of people, or approximately 60% to 75% of the population. Annually, approximately 10 million people in major developed countries elect treatment by orthodontists worldwide. Most orthodontic patients are treated with the use of traditional methods such as metal arch wires and brackets, referred to as braces, and may be augmented with elastics, metal expanders, headgear or functional appliances, and other ancillary devices as needed. Upon completion of the treatment, the dental professional may, at his or her discretion, have the patient use a retainer appliance. Of the 10 million annual orthodontic cases started, approximately 60% or 6 million are applicable to Invisalign treatment - our served market. In addition, approximately 300 million people with malocclusion could benefit from straightening their teeth, but are unlikely to seek treatment through a doctor’s office. This represents an incremental opportunity for us as we expand the market for orthodontics by educating more consumers about the benefits of straighter teeth using Invisalign clear aligners and connect them with an Invisalign doctor of their choice.

The Invisalign System

The Invisalign System is a proprietary method for treating malocclusion based on a series of doctor-prescribed, custom manufactured, clear plastic, removable aligners. The Invisalign System offers a range of treatment options, specialized services, and proprietary software for treatment visualization and is comprised of the following phases:

Orthodontic diagnosis and transmission of treatment data to us. The Invisalign-trained dental professional prepares and sends us a patient’s treatment data package which consists of a prescription form, a polyvinyl-siloxane (or "PVS") impression of the relevant dental arches, photographs of the patient and, at the dental professional’s election, x-rays of the patient’s dentition. The Invisalign-trained dental professional can also submit an intraoral digital scan instead of a physical PVS impression through either Align's iTero scanner or several third-party scanners. See "Third Party Scanners and Digital scans for Invisalign treatment submission." More than 50% of Invisalign case submissions are submitted via digital scan instead of a physical PVS impression.

Preparation of computer-simulated treatment plan. Using propriety software which we do not sell, we generate a proposed custom, three-dimensional treatment plan, called a ClinCheck treatment plan. The ClinCheck treatment plan simulates appropriate tooth movement in stages and details timing and placement of any features or attachments that will be used during treatment. Attachments are tooth-colored “buttons” that are sometimes used to increase the biomechanical force on a specific tooth or teeth in order to effect the desired movement.

Review and approval of the treatment plan by an Invisalign provider. The patient’s ClinCheck treatment plan is then made available to the prescribing dental professional via the Invisalign Doctor Site which enables the dental professional to project tooth movement with a level of accuracy not previously possible with metal arch wires and brackets. By reviewing, modifying as needed and approving the treatment plan, the dental professional retains control over the treatment plan.

Manufacture of custom aligners. Upon the dental professional’s approval of the ClinCheck treatment plan, we use the data underlying the simulation, in conjunction with stereolithography technology (a form of 3D printing technology), to construct a series of molds depicting the future position of the patient’s teeth. Each mold is a replica of the patient’s teeth at each stage of the simulated course of treatment. From these molds, aligners are fabricated by pressure-forming polymeric sheets over each

mold. Aligners are thin, clear plastic, removable dental appliances that are custom manufactured in a series to correspond to each stage of the ClinCheck treatment plan.

Shipment to the dental professional and patient aligner wear. All the aligners for a patient are shipped directly to the dental professional, who then dispenses them to the patient at regular check-up intervals throughout the treatment. Aligners are generally worn for a period of time which correspond to the stages of the approved ClinCheck treatment plan. The patient replaces the aligners with the next pair in the series when prescribed, advancing tooth movement with each aligner stage. Throughout treatment, the doctor may place attachments or use other auxiliaries to achieve desired tooth movements, per the doctor’s original prescription and resulting ClinCheck treatment plan. In October 2016, we introduced one-week aligner wear. At the treating doctor’s discretion, we recommend changing from two-week aligner wear to one-week aligner wear for Invisalign treatments with Invisalign Full, Invisalign Teen, Invisalign Assist, Invisalign Lite, and Invisalign Go products, thereby reducing treatment time by up to 50%. Align’s recommendation is based on clinical analysis of more than 200 in-progress Invisalign cases (data on file) and the experiences of numerous Invisalign providers.

Additional aligners. Should the dental professional determine that the treatment is not tracking for various reasons, such as patient compliance, certain teeth movement not tracking to plan, or they need to extend the treatment a few stages further to achieve their treatment goals, the dental professional can request additional aligners at no charge at any point during the treatment, subject to certain requirements.

Clear Aligner Products

Comprehensive Products - Invisalign Treatment Options:

Invisalign Full and Invisalign Teen. Used for a wide range of malocclusion, the Invisalign Full and Invisalign Teen treatment plans each consist of the number of aligners necessary to achieve the doctor’s treatment goals. The Invisalign Teen treatment includes all the features of Invisalign Full treatment, plus additional features that address the orthodontic needs of teenage patients such as compliance indicators, compensation for tooth eruption and six free single arch replacement aligners. Aligners for Invisalign Full and Invisalign Teen treatments (other than the replacement aligners) are manufactured and then delivered to the dental professionals in a single shipment. Both treatment options are sold in the U.S., Canada and our international countries.

Invisalign Assist. Used for anterior alignment and aesthetically-oriented cases, the Invisalign Assist treatment offers added support to our dental practitioners throughout the treatment process, including progress tracking that allows the dental professional to submit new impressions every nine stages. When the progress tracking feature is selected, aligners are shipped to the dental professional after every nine stages thereby helping to achieve successful treatment outcomes. Predominantly marketed to GPs, Invisalign Assist is intended to make it easier to select appropriate cases for their experience level or treatment approach, submit cases more efficiently and manage appointments with suggested tasks. Invisalign Assist is sold in the U.S. and Canada.

Non-Comprehensive Products - Invisalign Treatment Options:

Invisalign Express 10, Invisalign Express 5, Invisalign i7 and Invisalign Lite. Lower-cost solutions are used for less complex orthodontic cases, non-comprehensive treatment relapse cases, or straightening prior to restorative or cosmetic treatments such as veneers. Invisalign Express 10, Invisalign Express 5 and Invisalign i7 use up to 10 sets, 5 sets and 7 sets of aligners, respectively. Invisalign Lite use up to 14 sets of aligners. Non-comprehensive products are available in select country markets and delivered to the dental professionals in a single shipment.

Invisalign Go. A simplified and streamlined solution designed for GPs to more easily identify and treat patients with mild malocclusion. Invisalign Go combines case assessment support, a simplified ClinCheck treatment plan and a progress assessment feature for case monitoring. Invisalign Go is available in core European markets and in certain markets in North America and Asia Pacific.

Non-Comprehensive Products - Non-Invisalign Aligners Supplied to SmileDirectClub, LLC:

SmileDirectClub Aligners. On July 25, 2016, we entered into a supply agreement with SmileDirectClub, LLC ("SDC") to manufacture non-Invisalign clear aligners for SDC's doctor-led, at-home program for simple teeth straightening. In October 2016, we became SDC's exclusive third-party supplier and began supplying aligners directly to SDC. SDC aligners include up to 20 stages without attachments or interproximal reduction ("IPR"). Align manufactures the aligners per SDC’s specifications for minor tooth movement using EX-30, our proprietary aligner material used prior to the introduction of SmartTrack. Align does

not market or sell SDC products and ships supply of aligners directly to SDC when requested. Refer to "Supply Agreement with SmileDirectClub, LLC" section.

Non-Case Products:

Clear Aligner non-case products include retention products, Invisalign training fees and sales of ancillary products, such as cleaning material and adjusting tools used by dental professionals during the course of treatment.

Retention. We offer two products for post treatment retention. The first is a single set of custom clear aligner retainers. The second is offered as a set of four custom clear aligners called Vivera Retainers made with proprietary material strong enough to maintain tooth position and correct minor relapse if necessary. A shipment of four sets are available to both Invisalign and non-Invisalign patients.

Feature Enhancements

We have consistently introduced enhanced features across the Invisalign System over the past several years to improve treatment outcomes or address broader clinical indications. Feature enhancements are marketed primarily under an Invisalign “G” series and have included Invisalign G3 (launched in October 2010), Invisalign G4 (launched in November 2011), Invisalign G5 (launched in February 2014), Invisalign G6 (launched in March 2015), and Invisalign G7 (launched in October 2016).

Invisalign Teen with mandibular advancement (launched in March 2017) is the first clear aligner solution for Class II correction in growing tween and teen patients. This new offering combines the benefits of our clear aligner system with features for moving the lower jaw forward while simultaneously aligning the teeth. Invisalign with mandibular advancement offers a simpler, more efficient and patient-friendly treatment option than functional appliances and without the need for elastics typically used to treat teen Class II patients. Invisalign Teen with mandibular advancement is available is most country markets; however, it is pending 510(k) clearance in the U.S. and is not yet available for use.

SmartTrack™ Aligner Material

SmartTrack is a patented, custom-engineered Invisalign clear aligner material that delivers gentle, more constant force considered ideal for orthodontic tooth movements. Conventional aligner materials relax and lose a substantial percent of energy in the initial days of aligner wear, but SmartTrack maintains more constant force over the period of time the patient wears the aligners. The flexible SmartTrack material also more precisely conforms to tooth morphology, attachments and interproximal spaces to improve control of tooth movement throughout treatment.

Scanner Segment

Intraoral scanning is an emerging technology that we believe will have substantial impact on the future of dentistry. By enabling the dental practitioner to create a 3D image of the patient's teeth (digital scan) using a handheld intraoral scanner inside the mouth, digital scanning is more efficient and precise and more comfortable for patients, compared to the mess, discomfort and subjective nature of taking physical impressions. The digitally scanned model is more accurate than a physical impression and substantially reduces the rate of restoration "remakes" so patients are recalled less often and the appointment time for the restoration is shorter because of fewer adjustments which results in greater overall patient satisfaction. The digital model file can be used for various procedures and services including fabrication of physical dental models for use by labs to create restorative units such as veneers, inlays, onlays, crowns, bridges and implant abutments; digital records storage; orthodontic diagnosis; orthodontic retainers and appliances; and Invisalign digital impression submission.

iTero Scanner. The iTero Element scanner (launched in September 2015) is available as a single hardware platform with software options for restorative or orthodontic procedures. We market and sell the iTero Element in North America and in select international markets. The iTero scanner is interoperable with our Invisalign treatment such that a full arch digital scan can be submitted as part of the Invisalign case submission process. In addition, the Invisalign Outcome Simulator and Invisalign Assessment tool are exclusive to the iTero scanner. Prior to the launch of iTero Element, we sold the iTero 2.9 scanner.

Restorative software for iTero. Software designed for GPs, prosthodontists, periodontists, and oral surgeons which includes restorative workflows providing them with the ability to send digital impressions to the lab of choice and communicate seamlessly with external treatment planning, custom implant abutment, chairside milling, and laboratory CAD/CAM systems.

Orthodontic software for iTero. Software designed for orthodontists for digital records storage, orthodontic diagnosis, and for the fabrication of printed models and retainers.

CAD/CAM Services

iTero Models and Dies. An accurate physical model and dies are manufactured based on the digital scan and sent to the laboratory of the dentist’s choice for completion of the needed restoration. The laboratory also has the option to export the digital file for immediate production of coping and full-contour restorations on their laboratory CAD/CAM systems. The laboratory conducts then completes the ceramic buildup or staining and glazing and delivers the end result - a precisely fitting restoration. iTero prosthetics have a near-zero remake rate.

OrthoCAD iCast. iCast provides a digital alternative to traditional stone cast models which allows for simplified storage and digital record retrieval. The iCast digital model contains a full American Board of Orthodontics ("ABO") base and is available from an iTero scan or from a traditional alginate impression.

OrthoCAD iRecord. iRecord scans provide a digital alternative to traditional stone cast models which allows for simplified storage and digital record retrieval. iRecord scan data may also be exported to orthodontic laboratories for the fabrication of retainers, orthodontic appliances, and hard model fabrication.

Third Party Scanners and Digital scans for Invisalign treatment submission. We support an open systems approach to digital scans and other intraoral scanning companies interested in qualifying their scanners to submit a digital impression in place of a traditional PVS impression as part of the Invisalign case submission process. We have qualified third party scanners for digital scan submission including 3M™ True Definition scanner, the Sirona CEREC Omnicam scanner and certain 3Shape TRIOS scanners. Information regarding legal proceedings associated with the scanner may be found in Item 3 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K under the heading “Legal Proceedings.”

iTero Applications and Tools

Invisalign Outcome Simulator. The Invisalign Outcome Simulator is an exclusive chair-side and cloud-based application for the iTero scanner that allows doctors to help patients visualize how their teeth may look at the end of Invisalign treatment through a dual view layout that shows a prospective patient an image of his/her own current dentition next to his/her simulated final position after Invisalign treatment.

Invisalign 3D Assessment tool. The Invisalign Progress Assessment tool provides the ability to compare a patient’s new scan with a specific stage of their ClinCheck treatment plan to visually assess and communicate Invisalign treatment progress with an easy to read, color-coded tooth movement report that allows the doctor to know how each tooth is tracking.

TimeLapse. TimeLapse technology allows doctors or practitioners to compare a patient’s historic 3D scans to the present-day scan, enabling clinicians to identify and measure orthodontic movement, tooth wear, and gingival recession. This highlights areas of diagnostic interest to dental professionals and helps foster a proactive conversation with the patient regarding potential restorative or orthodontic solutions.

Our iTero Element scanner includes the Invisalign Outcome Simulator, Invisalign 3D Assessment tool and Timelapse as well as the orthodontic software and/or restorative software. The orthodontic or restorative software may also be purchased subsequently for an upgrade fee. Additional applications such as the Invisalign Outcome Simulator are not available for sale separately.

Other proprietary software mentioned in this Annual Report on Form 10-K such as ClinCheck and ClinCheck Pro software, the Invisalign Doctor Site, and enhanced feature solutions such as Invisalign G7 are included as part of the Invisalign System and are not sold separately nor do they contribute as individual items to revenue.

Business Strategy

Our goal is to give patients of all ages access to the smiles they want and deserve. Our smile-changing technology and innovations are designed to meet the demands of today’s patients with treatment options that are convenient, comfortable, affordable, while helping to improve overall oral health. We strive to help our doctors move their practices forward by connecting them with new patients, providing digital solutions to help increase practice efficiency and helping them deliver the best possible treatment outcomes and experiences to millions of people around the world.

We achieve this by continued focus and execution of our strategic growth drivers:

Supply Agreement with SmileDirectClub, LLC

On July 28, 2016, we announced a supply agreement with SmileDirectClub, LLC to manufacture non-Invisalign clear aligners for SDC’s doctor-led, at-home program for affordable, cosmetic teeth straightening. The agreement brings our manufacturing and production expertise to a new and growing segment of the adult treatment market, one that provides new treatment choices to consumers and new business opportunities to Invisalign providers.

Beginning October 2016, we became SDC’s exclusive third-party supplier for its minor tooth movement aligner program. Specifically, we provide a case setup through SDC’s SmileCheck viewer portal and upon review and approval by a participating licensed orthodontist or general dentist in SDC’s network, we manufacture clear aligners and ship them directly to SDC. While we are SDC's only third-party supplier, SDC also manufactures some of their own aligners.

SDC aligners include up to 20 stages without attachments or IPR. We manufacture the aligners per SDC’s specifications for minor tooth movement using EX-30. Align does not market or sell SDC products.

In addition, under the agreement, Align and SDC created a new Invisalign doctor referral program similar to the Invisalign Doctor Locator, that systematically refers a portion of case assessments that are too complex for their minor tooth movement product, to Invisalign providers in the patient’s local area. The goal of the agreement is to help expand the market and opportunity for our Invisalign doctors, while supporting SDC’s efforts to provide consumers with access to more choices in treating simple cases from the convenience of their own home. The Invisalign brand and system of clear aligners continue to be available exclusively for in office treatment with Invisalign-trained orthodontists and general dentists.

Manufacturing and Suppliers

Our manufacturing facilities are located in Juarez, Mexico, where we conduct our aligner fabrication, distribute and repair our scanners and perform our CAD/CAM services, and in Or Yehuda, Israel where we produce our handheld intraoral scanner wand and perform the final assembly of our iTero scanner. Our Invisalign digital treatment planning and interpretation for iTero restorative cases are conducted primarily at our facility located in San Jose, Costa Rica; however, in 2017, we opened new treatment planning facilities in Chengdu, China and Cologne, Germany to support our customers within these regions. Information regarding risks associated with our manufacturing process and foreign operations may be found in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K under the heading “Risk Factors.”

Our quality system is required to be in compliance with the Quality System regulations enforced by the FDA, and similar regulations enforced by other worldwide regulatory authorities. We are certified to EN ISO 13485:2003, an internationally recognized standard for medical device manufacturing. We have a formal, documented quality system by which quality objectives are defined, understood and achieved. Systems, processes and procedures are implemented to ensure high levels of product and service quality. We monitor the effectiveness of the quality system based on internal data and direct customer feedback and strive to continually improve our systems and processes, taking corrective action, as needed.

Since the manufacturing process of our products requires substantial and varied technical expertise, we believe that our manufacturing capabilities are important to our success. In order to produce our highly customized, highly precise, medical quality products in volume, we have developed a number of proprietary processes and technologies. These technologies include complex software algorithms and solutions, CT scanning, stereolithography and automated aligner fabrication. To increase the efficiency of our manufacturing processes, we continue to focus our efforts on software development and the improvement of rate-limiting processes or bottlenecks. We continuously upgrade our proprietary, three-dimensional treatment planning software to enhance computer analysis of treatment data and to reduce time spent on manual and judgmental tasks for each case, thereby increasing the efficiency of our technicians. In addition, to improve efficiency and increase the scale of our operations, we continue to invest in the development of automated systems for the fabrication and packaging of aligners.

We are highly dependent on manufacturers of specialized scanning equipment, rapid prototyping machines, resin and other advanced materials for our aligners, as well as the optics, electronic and other mechanical components of our intraoral scanners. We maintain single supply relationships for many of these machines and materials technologies. In particular, our CT scanning and stereolithography equipment used in our aligner manufacturing and many of the critical components for the optics of our intraoral scanners are provided by single suppliers. We are also committed to purchasing all of our resin and polymer, the primary raw materials used in our manufacturing process for clear aligners, from a single source. The need to replace one of our single source suppliers could cause a disruption in our ability to timely deliver certain of our products or increase costs. See Item 1A Risk Factors — “We maintain single supply relationships for certain of our key machines and materials technologies, and our business and operating results could be harmed if supply is restricted or ends or the price of raw materials used in our manufacturing process increases.”

Sales and Marketing

Our sales efforts are focused primarily on the Invisalign System and continuing to increase adoption and utilization by orthodontists and GPs worldwide. In North America, Europe, certain Asia Pacific country markets, and, more recently in Brazil and certain countries in the Middle East and Africa, we have direct sales and support organizations, which includes quota carrying sales representatives, sales management and sales administration. We also have distribution partners that sell the Invisalign System in smaller non-core international country markets. We continued to expand in our existing markets through targeted investments in sales resources, professional marketing and education programs, along with consumer marketing in select country markets.

For the iTero scanner, we have a small team of direct sales representatives and a few distributors in North America who leverage leads generated by our Invisalign sales and marketing resources, including customer events and industry trade-shows. We sell the iTero scanner in select country markets internationally and will expand to additional markets over time to grow the scanner business.

We provide training, marketing and clinical support to orthodontists and GPs. As of December 31, 2017, we had approximately 64,400 active Invisalign providers.

Research and Development

We are committed to investing in world-class technology development, which we believe is critical to achieving our goal of establishing the Invisalign System as the standard method for treating malocclusion and our intraoral scanning platform as the preferred scanning protocol for digital scans. Our research and development expenses were $97.6 million, $75.7 million and $61.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Our research and development activities are directed toward developing the technology innovations that we believe will deliver our next generation of products and platforms. These activities range from accelerating product and clinical innovation to developing manufacturing process improvements to researching future technologies and products.

In an effort to demonstrate Invisalign’s broad treatment capabilities, various clinical case studies and articles have been published that highlight the clinical applicability of Invisalign to malocclusion cases, including those of severe complexity. We undertake pre-commercialization trials and testing of our technological improvements to the product and manufacturing process.

Intellectual Property

We believe our intellectual property position represents a substantial business advantage. As of December 31, 2017, we had 420 active U.S. patents, 456 active foreign patents, and 416 pending global patent applications.

We continue to pursue further intellectual property protection through U.S. and foreign patent applications and non-disclosure agreements. Certain of our issued U.S. patents expired in 2017. In addition, corresponding foreign patents will start to expire in 2018. Our active U.S. patents expire between 2018 and 2035. When patents expire, we lose the protection and competitive advantages they provided to us, which could negatively impact our operating results; however, we continue to pursue further intellectual property protection through U.S. and foreign patent applications and non-disclosure agreements. We also seek to protect our software, documentation and other written materials under trade secret and copyright laws. We cannot be certain that patents will be issued as a result of any patent application or that patents that have been issued to us or that may be issued in the future will be found to be valid and enforceable and sufficient to protect our technology or products. Our intellectual property rights may not be successfully asserted in the future or may be invalidated, circumvented or challenged. In addition, the laws of various foreign countries do not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as U.S. laws. Our inability to protect our proprietary information could harm our business. Information regarding risks associated with failing to protect our proprietary technology and our intellectual property rights may be found in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K under the heading “Risk Factors.”

Seasonal Fluctuations

General economic conditions impact our business and financial results, and we experience seasonal trends within our two operating segments, customer channels and the geographic locations that we serve. For example, European sales of Invisalign treatments are often weaker in the summer months due to our customers and their patients being on holiday. In North America, summer is typically the busiest season for orthodontists with practices that have a high percentage of adolescent and teenage patients as many parents want to get their teenagers started in treatment before the start of the school year; however, many GPs are on vacation during this time and therefore tend to start fewer cases. For our Scanner segment, capital equipment sales are often stronger in the fourth calendar quarter. Consequently, these seasonal trends have caused and may continue to cause fluctuations in our quarterly results, including fluctuations in sequential revenue growth rates.

Backlog

All Invisalign treatments are individually unique and prescribed by a doctor so, no two cases are alike. The period from which a treatment data package (or a "case”) is received until the acceptance of the digital ClinCheck treatment plan is dependent on the dental professional’s discretion to modify, accept or cancel the treatment plan. Therefore, we consider the case a firm order to manufacture aligners once the dental professional has approved the ClinCheck treatment plan. Our Invisalign backlog consists of ClinCheck treatment plans that have been accepted but not yet shipped. Because aligners are shipped shortly after the ClinCheck treatment plan has been accepted, we believe that backlog is not a good indicator of future Invisalign revenues. Our quarterly Invisalign revenues can be impacted by the timing of the ClinCheck treatment plan acceptances and our ability to ship those cases in the same quarter. We define our intraoral scanner backlog as orders where credit and financing is approved and payment is reasonably assured but the scanner has not yet shipped. Our intraoral scanner backlog as of December 31, 2017 was not material.

Competition

We operate in a highly competitive market and we encounter a wide variety of competitors, including larger companies or divisions of larger companies with substantial sales, marketing, research and financial capabilities. We also face competition from early stage companies. Although the number of competitors varies by segment, currently our products compete directly against products manufactured and distributed by various companies, both within and outside the U.S., including Danaher Corporation, Sirona Dental Systems, Inc., Dentsply International, Inc., 3M Company, Straumann Holding AG, 3Shape, Angel Align and other private competitors. In addition, the expiration of certain of key patents, which commenced in 2017, may result in additional competition. Information regarding risks associated with increased competition may be found in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K under the heading “Risk Factors.”

Key competitive factors include:

We believe that our products compare favorably with our competitors’ products with respect to each of these factors.

Government Regulation

In order for us to market our products, we must obtain regulatory authorization and comply with extensive product and quality system regulations both within and outside the U.S. These regulations, including the requirements for approvals or clearance and the time required for regulatory review, vary from country to country. Failure to obtain regulatory approval and to meet all local requirements including language and specific safety standards in any country in which we currently market or plan to market our products could prevent us from marketing products in such countries or subject us to sanctions and fines. The approval by government authorities is unpredictable and uncertain and may not be granted on a timely basis, if at all. Delays in receipt of, or a failure to receive, such approvals or clearances, or the loss of any previously received approvals or clearances, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Certain of our products are classified as medical devices under the United States Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the “FD&CA”). The FD&CA requires these products, when sold in the U.S., to be safe and effective for their intended use and to comply with the regulations administered by the FDA. Our products may also be regulated by comparable agencies in non-U.S. countries in which they are produced or sold. In the European Union ("EU"), our products are subject to the medical devices laws of the various member states, which are based on a Directive of the European Commission which was updated in April 2017 to the Medical Device Regulation. Such laws generally regulate the safety of the products in a similar way to the FDA regulations.

We believe we are in compliance with all FDA, federal and state laws and international regulatory requirements that are applicable to our products and manufacturing operations.

We are also subject to various laws inside and outside the U.S. concerning our relationships with healthcare professionals and government officials, price reporting and regulation, the promotion, sales and marketing of our products and services, the importation and exportation of our products, the operation of our facilities and distribution of our products. As a global company, we are subject to varying degrees of government regulation in the various countries in which we do business, and the general trend is toward increasingly stringent oversight and enforcement. Initiatives sponsored by government agencies, legislative bodies, and the private sector to limit the growth of healthcare expenses generally are ongoing in markets where we do business. It is not possible to predict at this time the long-term impact of such cost containment measures on our future business.

Our customers are healthcare providers that may be reimbursed by federal funded programs such as Medicaid or a foreign national healthcare program, each of which may offer some degree of oversight. Many government agencies, both domestic and foreign, have increased their enforcement activities with respect to healthcare providers and companies in recent years. Enforcement actions and associated defense can be expensive, and any resulting findings carry the risk of significant civil and criminal penalties.

In addition, we must comply with numerous data protection requirements that span from individual state and national laws in the U.S. to multinational requirements in the EU. In the U.S., final regulations implementing amendments to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) became effective in the latter part of 2013 with the HIPAA Omnibus Rule. In the EU, Align must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), which serves as a harmonization of European data-privacy laws. The GDPR goes into effect May 25, 2018. Meanwhile, the Asia Pacific region has also seen rapid development of privacy laws, including in China, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia. We believe we have designed our product and service offerings to be compliant with the requirements of applicable data protection laws and regulations. Maintaining systems that are compliant with these laws and regulations is costly and could require complex changes in the way we do business or provide services to our customers and their patients. Additionally, our success may be dependent on the success of healthcare providers in managing data protection requirements.

Employees

As of December 31, 2017, we had approximately 8,715 employees, including 5,705 in manufacturing and operations, 1,830 in sales and marketing which includes customer care, 475 in research and development and 705 in general and administrative functions.

Available Information

Our website is www.aligntech.com, and our investor relations website is http://investor.aligntech.com. The information on or accessible through our websites is not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, our proxy statement on Schedule 14A for our annual stockholders’ meeting and amendments to such reports are available, free of charge, on our investor relations website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file or furnish such material with the SEC. Further, a copy of this Annual Report on Form 10-K is located at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room can be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding our filings at www.sec.gov.

Executive Officers of the Registrant

The following table sets forth certain information regarding our executive officers as of February 28, 2018:

Joseph M. Hogan has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of our Board of Directors since June 2015. Prior to joining us, Mr. Hogan was Chief Executive Officer of ABB Ltd., a global power and automation technologies company based in Zurich, Switzerland from 2008 to 2013. Prior to working in ABB, Mr. Hogan worked at General Electric Company (GE) in a variety of executive and management roles from 1985 to 2008, including eight years as Chief Executive Officer of GE Healthcare from 2000 to 2008.

John F. Morici has served as our Chief Financial Officer since November 2016. Prior to joining us, Mr. Morici was at NBC Universal from 2007 to 2016 where he held several senior management positions in their Universal Pictures Home Entertainment U.S. and Canadian business, including Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and most recently, Executive Vice President and Managing Director from 2014 to 2016. Prior to NBC Universal, Mr. Morici was in various senior financial management positions at GE Healthcare from 1999 to 2007, including Chief Financial Officer for its Diagnostic Imaging and Global Products units from 2002 to 2003.

Simon Beard has served as our Vice President and Managing Director, EMEA since October 2015. In February 2018, Mr. Beard's title was changed to Senior Vice President and Managing Director, EMEA. Prior to joining us, from 2012 to 2014, Mr. Beard was Regional Director for the South East Asia business of Smith & Nephew, a multinational medical equipment manufacturing company. From 2006 to 2012, Mr. Beard was Director & General Manager for UK and Ireland for Smith & Nephew's Advanced Woundcare business. Prior to Smith & Nephew, Mr. Beard held multiple commercial, strategic, and general management positions in companies such as DePuy International (Johnson & Johnson), Sankyo Pharmaceutical and Sanofi Aventis.

Roger E. George has served as our Vice President, Corporate and Legal Affairs and General Counsel since July 2002. In February 2018, Mr. George's title was changed to Senior Vice President, Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer. Prior to joining us, Mr. George was the Chief Financial Officer, Vice President of Finance and Legal Affairs and General Counsel of SkyStream Networks, a privately held broadband and broadcast network equipment company. Prior to SkyStream, Mr. George was a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C. in Palo Alto, California.

Stuart Hockridge has served as our Vice President, Global Human Resources since May 2016. In February 2018, Mr. Hockridge's title was changed to Senior Vice President, Global Human Resources. Prior to joining us, Mr. Hockridge was Senior Vice President of Talent at Visa Inc. from 2013 to 2016 where he led all aspects of talent delivery for the company including executive development, succession planning, employee engagement, learning and development, and talent acquisition. Prior to Visa, Mr. Hockridge held a number of human resource management positions at GE Healthcare from 2002 to 2012 leading HR processes both globally and for various divisions.

Sreelakshmi Kolli has served as our Vice President, Information Technology since December 2012. In February 2018, Ms. Kolli's title was changed to Senior Vice President, Global Information Technology. Ms. Kolli joined us in June 2003 and has held positions leading business operations and engineering for customer-facing applications. Before joining us, she held technical lead positions with Sword CT Space and Accenture.

Jennifer Olson has served as our Vice President and Managing Director, Doctor-Directed Consumer Channel since August 2016. In February 2018, Ms. Olson's title was changed to Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Doctor-Directed Consumer Channel. Ms. Olson joined us in 2002 and has held multiple roles in sales, marketing, and business development. Most recently, she was Area Sales Director for the North America region where she led all sales activities in Western Canada and the Western region of the U.S. Prior to joining Align, Ms. Olson was with technology companies including Extreme Networks and PWI Technologies.

Raphael Pascaud has served as our Chief Marketing, Portfolio and Business Development Officer, and Vice President, iTero Scanner and Services since July 2015. In February 2018, his title was changed to Chief Marketing, Portfolio and Business Development Officer and Senior Vice President, iTero Scanner and Services. He joined Align in 2010 as Vice President and Managing Director for EMEA and was promoted in January 2014 to Vice President, International. Prior to Align, Mr. Pascaud spent 14 years in various management positions within Johnson & Johnson, including Vice President Orthopedics of EMEA and Vice President Marketing of International.

Christopher C. Puco has served as our Vice President and Managing Director, Americas since December 2017 and became Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Americas in February 2018. He joined us in 2006 as a sales director and in 2008 became senior director for the U.S. Eastern sales area. He served as Vice President of North America from December 2012 to December 2017. Mr. Puco has more than 20 years of experience in the medical device industry holding sales management positions in both starts-ups and established corporate environments. Prior to joining us, he was with United States Surgical Corporation, General Surgical Innovations, Baxter BioSurgery and Fusion Medical Technologies.

Zelko Relic joined Align in 2013 as Vice President, Research & Development. In December 2017, he became Chief Technology Officer, Vice President, Research & Development. In February 2018, his title was changed to Chief Technology Officer, Senior Vice President, Global Research & Development. Prior to joining us, Mr. Relic was Vice President, Engineering for Datalogic Automation, a global leader in automatic data capture and industrial automation markets from 2012. Mr. Relic was previously Vice President, Engineering at Danaher Corporation, Accu-Sort Systems business from 2010 to 2012 before it was acquired by Datalogic Automation. From 2005 to 2010, he was at Siemens Medical Solutions USA, most recent as Vice President, and from 2002 to 2004, he held senior management positions in engineering at Kulicke & Soffa Industries, designers and manufactures of semiconductor products. He also held management positions at KLA-Tencor from 1994 to 2000.

Julie Tay was appointed Vice President and Managing Director, Asia Pacific in March 2013 and became Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Asia Pacific in February 2018. Prior to joining us, Ms. Tay was regional head of Bayer Healthcare (Diabetes Care) overseeing operations across Asia from 2010 to 2013. From 2006 to 2010, Ms. Tay served as director of marketing and corporate accounts at Sealed Air Corporation (formerly Johnson Diversey), a global provider of food safety and security, facility hygiene and product protection. Prior to that, Ms. Tay spent 15 years with Johnson & Johnson Medical.

Emory M. Wright has served as our Vice President, Operations since December 2007 and became Senior Vice President, Global Operations in February 2018. He has been with us since March 2000 predominantly in manufacturing and operations roles including Vice President, Manufacturing and was General Manager of New Product Development. Prior to joining Align, from 1999 to 2000, Mr. Wright was Senior Manufacturing Manager at Metrika, Inc. a medical device manufacturer. Mr. Wright served as Manager of Manufacturing and Process Development for Metra Biosystems Inc.

We depend on the sale of the Invisalign System for the vast majority of our net revenues, and any decline in sales of Invisalign treatment for any reason, or a decline in average selling prices would adversely affect net revenues, gross margin and net income.

We expect that net revenues from the sale of the Invisalign System, primarily Invisalign Full and Invisalign Teen, will continue to account for the vast majority of our total net revenues for the foreseeable future. Continued and widespread market acceptance of Invisalign by orthodontists, GPs and consumers is critical to our future success. If orthodontists and GPs experience a reduction in consumer demand for orthodontic services, if consumers prove unwilling to adopt Invisalign as rapidly as we anticipate or in the volume that we anticipate, if orthodontists or GPs choose to use a competitive product rather than Invisalign or if the average selling price of our product declines for any reason, including as a result of a shift in product mix towards lower priced products, our operating results would be harmed.

Competition in the markets for our products is intense and we expect aggressive competition from existing competitors and other companies that may introduce new technologies in the future.

Currently, our products compete directly against products manufactured and distributed by various companies, both within and outside the U.S. In addition, as a result of the expiration of certain key patents owned by us, which began in 2017, we expect that existing competitors such as Danaher Corporation, Dentsply Sirona Inc., Straumann AG, 3M, 3Shape and Angel Align as well as new entrants into the clear aligner market such as start-ups will begin offering an orthodontic system more similar to ours in the near future. Several of these competitors will likely have greater resources as well as the ability to leverage their existing channels in the dental market to compete directly with us, and therefore our share of the clear aligner market could decline which would likely have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation and financial condition. In addition, corresponding foreign patents will start to expire in 2018 which will likely result in increased competition in some of the markets outside the U.S. Large consumer product companies may also enter the orthodontic supply market. Furthermore, we also face competition from companies that now offer clear aligner therapy directly to the consumer eliminating the need for the consumer to visit a dental office. In addition, we may also face competition in the future from new companies that may introduce new technologies. We may be unable to compete with these competitors and one or more of these competitors may render our technology obsolete or economically unattractive. If we are unable to compete effectively with existing products or respond effectively to any products developed by new or existing competitors, our business could be harmed. Increased competition has resulted in the past and may in the future result in volume discounting and price reductions, reduced gross margins, reduced profitability and loss of market share, and reduce dental professionals’ efforts and commitment to expand their use of our products, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our net revenues, volume growth, net income and stock price. We cannot assure that we will be able to compete successfully against our current or future competitors or that competitive pressures will not have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are dependent on our international operations, which exposes us to foreign operational, political and other risks that may harm our business.

Our key production steps are performed in operations located outside of the U.S. In San Jose, Costa Rica, technicians use a sophisticated, internally developed computer-modeling program to prepare digital treatment plans, which are then transmitted electronically to Juarez, Mexico. These digital files form the basis of the ClinCheck treatment plan and are used to manufacture aligner molds. In 2017, we opened new treatment planning facilities in Chengdu, China and Cologne, Germany to support our customers within these regions. Our order acquisition, aligner fabrication and shipping operations are conducted in Juarez, Mexico, and we also have order acquisition for the EMEA region in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We will continue to establish additional order acquisition and treatment planning facilities closer to our international customers in order to improve our operational efficiency. In addition to the research and development efforts conducted in our North America facilities, we also carry out research and development in Moscow, Russia. We also have customer-care, accounts receivable, customer event registration and accounts payable organizations located in San Jose, Costa Rica. In addition, we have operations in Israel where the design and wand are assembled and our intraoral scanner is manufactured. Our reliance on international operations exposes us to risks and uncertainties that may affect our business or results of operation, including:

If any of these risks materialize in the future, we could experience production delays and lost or delayed revenue.

We earn an increasingly larger portion of our total revenues from international sales and face risks attendant to those operations.

W

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None.

We occupy several leased and owned facilities with total office and manufacturing area of over 786,714 square feet. At December 31, 2017, the significant facilities were occupied as follows:

Patent Infringement Lawsuit

On November 14, 2017, Align filed six patent infringement lawsuits asserting 26 patents against 3Shape A/S, a Danish corporation, and a related U.S. corporate entity, asserting that 3Shape's Trios intraoral scanning system and Dental System software infringe Align patents. Align filed two Section 337 complaints with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) alleging that 3Shape violates U.S. trade laws by selling for importation and importing its infringing Trios intraoral scanning system and Dental System software. Align's ITC complaints seek cease and desist orders and exclusion orders prohibiting the importation of 3Shape's Trios scanning system and Dental System software products into the U.S. Align also filed four separate complaints in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware alleging patent infringement by 3Shape's Trios intraoral scanning system and Dental System software. All of these district court complaints seek monetary damages and injunctive relief against further infringement.

In the course of Align's operations, Align is involved in a variety of claims, suits, investigations, and proceedings, including actions with respect to intellectual property claims, patent infringement claims, government investigations, labor and employment claims, breach of contract claims, tax, and other matters. Regardless of the outcome, these proceedings can have an adverse impact

on us because of defense costs, diversion of management resources, and other factors. Although the results of complex legal proceedings are difficult to predict and Align's view of these matters may change in the future as litigation and events related thereto unfold; Align currently does not believe that these matters, individually or in the aggregate, will materially affect Align's financial position, results of operations or cash flows (Refer to Note 8 "Legal Proceedings" of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for details on legal proceedings).

Not applicable.

PART II

Price Range of Common Stock

Our common stock is quoted on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “ALGN.” The following table sets forth the range of high and low per share sales prices as reported for each period indicated:

On February 23, 2018, the closing price of our common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market was $265.07 per share. As of February 23, 2018, there were approximately 86 holders of record of our common stock. Because the majority of our shares of outstanding common stock are held by brokers and other institutions on behalf of stockholders, we are unable to estimate the total number of stockholders represented by these record holders.

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain any future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

Performance Graph

Notwithstanding any statement to the contrary in any of our previous or future filings with the SEC, the following information relating to the price performance of our common stock shall not be deemed “filed” with the SEC or “Soliciting Material” under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or subject to Regulation 14A or 14C, or to liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act except to the extent we specifically request that such information be treated as soliciting material or to the extent we specifically incorporate this information by reference.

The graph below matches our cumulative 5-year total shareholder return on common stock with the cumulative total returns of the NASDAQ Composite index, the S&P 500 and the S&P 1500 Composite Health Care Equipment & Supplies index. The graph tracks the performance of a $100 investment in our common stock, in the peer group, and the index (with the reinvestment of all dividends) from December 31, 2012 to December 31, 2017.

UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

Following is a summary of stock repurchases for the three months ended December 31, 2017:

(1) Stock Repurchase Programs

The following tables set forth the selected consolidated financial data for each of the years in the five-year period ended December 31, 2017. The selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. We have derived the statements of operations data for the year ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 and the balance sheet data as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 from the consolidated audited financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The statements of operations data for the year ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 and the balance sheet data as of December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 were derived from the consolidated audited financial statements that are not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

(in thousands, except per share data)

(2) Income from operations includes:

(3) Net income before provision for income taxes and equity in losses of investee includes:

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with “Selected Consolidated Financial Data” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Overview

Our goal is to establish Invisalign clear aligners as the standard method for treating malocclusion and to establish the iTero intraoral scanner as the preferred scanning device for 3D digital scans, ultimately driving increased product adoption by dental professionals. We intend to achieve this by continued focus and execution of our strategic growth drivers set forth in the Business Strategy section in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The successful execution of our business strategy in 2018 and beyond may be affected by a number of other factors including:

• Invisalign Utilization Rates = # of cases shipped divided by # of doctors cases were shipped to

We expect that over the long-term our utilization rates will gradually improve as a result of advancements in product and technology, which continue to strengthen our doctors’ clinical confidence in the use of Invisalign. In addition, since the teenage market makes up 75% of the 10 million total orthodontic case starts each year and as we continue to drive adoption of teenage patients through sales and marketing programs, we expect our utilization rate to improve. In 2017, 25.5% of our volume was from teenagers starting treatment with Invisalign, an increase of 40.4% from 2016. Our utilization rates, however, may fluctuate from period to period due to a variety of factors, including seasonal trends in our business along with adoption rates of new products and features.

Refer to Item 1A Risk Factors - “As we continue to grow, we are subject to growth related risks, including risks related to excess or constrained capacity at our existing facilities” for information on related risk factors and Refer to Note 9 "Commitments and Contingencies" of the Notes of Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on the C

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In the normal course of business, we are exposed to foreign currency exchange rate and interest rate risks that could impact our financial position and results of operations.

Interest Rate Risk

Changes in interest rates could impact our anticipated interest income on our cash equivalents and investments in marketable securities. Our cash equivalents and investments are fixed-rate short-term and long-term securities. Fixed-rate securities may have their fair market value adversely impacted due to a rise in interest rates, and as a result, our future investment income may fall short of expectations due to changes in interest rates or we may suffer losses in principal if forced to sell securities which have declined in market value due to changes in interest rates. As of December 31, 2017, we had approximately $312.0 million invested in available-for-sale marketable securities. An immediate 10% change in interest rates would not have a material adverse impact on our future operating results and cash flows.

We do not have interest bearing liabilities as of December 31, 2017, and, therefore, we are not subject to risks from immediate interest rate increases.

Currency Rate Risk

As a result of our international business activities, including the impact of the change in our new international corporate structure in 2016, our financial results could be affected by factors such as changes in foreign currency exchange rates or economic conditions in foreign markets, and there is no assurance that exchange rate fluctuations will not harm our business in the future. We generally sell our products in the local currency of the respective countries. This provides some natural hedging because most of the subsidiaries’ operating expenses are generally denominated in their local currencies as discussed further below. Regardless of this natural hedging, our results of operations may be adversely impacted by exchange rate fluctuations. For the year ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, we had foreign currency net gains (losses) of $9.0 million and $(8.0) million, respectively.

We may enter into foreign currency forward contracts to minimize the short-term impact of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations on cash and certain trade and intercompany receivables and payables. These forward contracts are not designated as hedging instruments and do not subject us to material balance sheet risk due to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. The gains and losses on these forward contracts are intended to offset the gains and losses in the underlying foreign currency denominated monetary assets and liabilities being economically hedged. These instruments are marked to market through earnings every period and generally are one month in original maturity. We do not enter into foreign currency forward contracts for trading or speculative purposes. As our international operations grow, we will continue to reassess our approach to managing the risks relating to fluctuations in currency rates. It is difficult to predict the impact hedging activities could have on our results of operations. As of December 31, 2017, we did not have any outstanding foreign exchange forward contracts.

Although we will continue to monitor our exposure to currency fluctuations, and, where appropriate, may use financial hedging techniques in the future to minimize the effect of these fluctuations, the impact of an aggregate change of 10% in foreign currency exchange rates relative to the U.S. dollar on our results of operations and financial position could be material.

Quarterly Results of Operations

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

REPORT OF MANAGEMENT ON INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING

Management of Align is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed by, or under supervision of, our CEO and CFO, and effected by the board of directors, management and other personnel to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. In addition, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017. In making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

Based on our assessment, management has concluded that, as of December 31, 2017, our internal control over financial reporting was effective based on criteria in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the COSO.

The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017 has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report which is included herein.

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of Align Technology, Inc.

Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Align Technology, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2017, including the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the index appearing under Item 15(a)(2) (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). We also have audited the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2017 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material

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None

Evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures.

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, we have evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act). Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective as of December 31, 2017 to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure, and that such information is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission rules and forms.

Management's annual report on internal control over financial reporting.

See “Report of Management on Internal Control over Financial Reporting” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Changes in internal control over financial reporting.

There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended December 31, 2017 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

None.

PART III

Certain information required by Part III is omitted from this Form 10-K because we intend to file a definitive Proxy Statement for our 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Proxy Statement”) not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and certain information to be included therein is incorporated herein by reference.

The information required by Item 401 of Regulation S-K concerning our directors is incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement under the section captioned “Election of Directors.” The information required by Item 401 of Regulation S-K concerning our executive officers is set forth in Item 1— “Business” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The information required by Item 405 of Regulation S-K is incorporated by reference to the section entitled “Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance” contained in the Proxy Statement. The information required by Item 407(c)(3), 407(d)(4) and 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K is incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement under the section entitled “Corporate Governance”.

Code of Ethics

We have a code of ethics that applies to all of our employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer. This code of ethics is posted on our Internet website. The Internet address for our website is www.aligntech.com, and the code of ethics may be found on the “Corporate Governance” section of our “Investor Relations” webpage.

We intend to satisfy the disclosure requirement under Item 5.05 of Form 8-K regarding an amendment to, or waiver from, a provision of this code of ethics by posting such information on our website, at the address and location specified above, or as otherwise required by the NASDAQ Global Market.

The information required by Item 402 of Regulation S-K is incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement under the section captioned “Executive Compensation.” The information required by Items 407(e)(4) and (e)(5) is incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement under the section captioned “Corporate Governance—Compensation Committee Interlocks” and “Compensation Committee Report,” respectively.

The information required by Item 403 of Regulation S-K is incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement under the section captioned “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management.”

Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table provides information as of December 31, 2017 about our common stock that may be issued upon the exercise of options and awards granted to employees, consultants or members of our Board of Directors under all existing equity compensation plans, including the 2005 Incentive Plan and the Employee Stock Purchase Plan ("ESPP"), each as amended, and certain individual arrangements (Refer to Note 10“Stockholders’ Equity” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for a description of our equity compensation plans).

The information required by Item 404 and Item 407 of Regulation S-K is incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement under the sections captioned “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” and “Corporate Governance—Director Independence,” respectively.

The information required by Item 9(e) of Schedule 14A of the Securities Act of 1934, as amended, is incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement under the section captioned “Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accountants.”

PART IV

The following documents are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

Schedule II—Valuation and Qualifying Accounts and Reserves For the Year Ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015

All other schedules have been omitted as they are not required, not applicable, or the required information is otherwise included.

SCHEDULE II: VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS AND RESERVES

Not applicable.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, on February 28, 2018.

Each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Joseph M. Hogan or John F. Morici, his or her attorney-in-fact, with the power of substitution, for him or her in any and all capacities, to sign any amendments to this Report on Form 10-K and to file the same, with exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-fact, or his or her substitute or substitutes, may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.