HP, maker of the Jet Fusion and Metal Jet S100 additive manufacturing (AM) ecosystems, has made some big announcements at RAPID + TCT 2024 in Los Angeles (June 25-27), where attendees can learn more about the company’s latest updates at booth #2839. Most excitingly, perhaps, are the announcements surrounding the S100 metal binder jetting (MBJ) printer, which entail the launch of HP Metal Jet Production Service and the establishment of a Metal Jet Adoption Center, located in Corvallis, Oregon.
HP also announced that it has enhanced its partnership with Autodesk, while also forging collaborations with Altair, CoreTechnologie, and Dyndrite, all of which aim to improve the user’s design and print preparation process. In addition, the company partnered with 3D and XR software provider Leopoly to create the HP 3D Texture Visualizer, which enables users “to apply and visualize digital 3D textures on their CAD geometry in real time”.
Finally, HP announced a host of continued improvements to its Jet Fusion polymer ecosystem, including Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) print mode, especially important for customers printing parts for electronics products.
In a press release about HP’s multifaceted updates to both its metal and polymer AM ecosystems, Savi Baveja, President of HP Personalization & 3D Printing, said, “HP is deeply committed to driving the [AM] industry forward with persistent and new enhancements to our existing portfolio. Our innovations in both metal and polymer 3D printing technologies are testament to our dedication to advancing the capabilities and applications of 3D printing, empowering our customers to turn their ideas into reality with unprecedented efficiency and quality.”
Yeshwant Mummaneni, Altair’s Chief Engineer of Data Management and Analytics, said, “We are excited to help our customers better design parts for HP Metal Jet and HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing Solutions by giving them access to HP material information. Through this collaboration with HP, we are creating a bridge across the often-siloed functions of design and production of additive parts so that even more exciting applications can be realized.”
As detailed in an AM Research white paper about bridge production, sponsored by HP Digital Manufacturing Network partner Endeavor 3D, HP’s strengths lie just as much in its dedication to building partnerships with a global network of manufacturers, as it does in constantly improving the company’s underlying technologies. These announcements serve to do both at once, and the establishment of the Metal Jet Production Service and Adoption Center illustrate that HP remains as committed to this approach in MBJ as it is on the polymer side.
Further, for the AM industry as a whole, the announcements signal optimism regarding the potential of the MBJ market, particularly concerning demand for MBJ parts in the US. Heightened interest in MBJ should be a positive sign for everyone in the metal powders space, given the realistic possibility that accelerated growth in MBJ could bring new metal AM users into the fold at a faster pace than powder bed fusion (PBF) traditionally has, in turn lowering the overall cost of metal powders.
Images courtesy of HP