HP unveils world’s first production-ready 3D printing system

The HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing Solution “revolutionizes design, prototyping and manufacturing, and for the first time delivers superior quality physical parts up to 10 times faster and at half the cost of current 3D print systems,” said the OEM. By printing functional parts at the individual voxel level (a voxel is the 3D equivalent of a 2D pixel in traditional printing), HP offers customers “an unprecedented ability to transform part properties and deliver mass customization.” Designed for model shops and 3D print service bureaus, the HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing Solution offers simplified workflow and reduced costs for radical prototyping, delivery of cost-efficient final parts’ manufacturing, and an open materials and software platform that lowers barriers to adoption and enables new applications across industries.

“Our 3D printing platform is unique in its ability to address over 340 million voxels per second, versus one point at a time, giving our prototyping and manufacturing partners radically faster build speeds, functional parts and breakthrough economics,” said Stephen Nigro, President of HP’s 3D Printing Business. “The new HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing Solution delivers a combination of speed, quality, and cost never before seen in the industry. Businesses and manufacturers can completely re-think how they design and deliver solutions to their customers.”
HP added that the new solution leverages HP’s decades of research and expertise in precision mechanics, microfluidics and materials sciences with key input and support of leading manufacturers, co-development partners and strategic partners – including Nike, BMW, Autodesk, Jabil, Johnson & Johnson, Materialise, Proto Labs, Shapeways and Siemens.
HP is offering two new 3D printers designed for rapid prototyping and production. The HP Jet Fusion 3D 3200 Printer is ideal for prototyping, with improved productivity and the capacity to grow usage at a lower cost per part. The HP Jet Fusion 3D 4200 Printer is designed for prototyping and short-run manufacturing needs, with high productivity to meet same-day demands at the lowest cost per part. A synchronized set of tools for both includes intuitive software, an innovative HP Jet Fusion 3D Processing Station with Fast Cooling, and high-quality materials.
HP also pointed out that customers will benefit from the ability to transform part properties at voxel level, giving unprecedented control and allowing limitless combinations of applications, colours, and materials with unique properties – including the ability to print with embedded intelligence/information such as sensors in parts and invisible traces or codes that will deliver increased security and tracking. In the future, said HP, up to 50% of the custom plastic parts for the HP Jet Fusion 3D Printers are expected to be printed and produced with HP Multi-Jet Fusion technology versus traditional manufacturing methods.
The HP Jet Fusion 3D 4200 Printer will be delivered in late 2016, with the HP Jet Fusion 3D 3200 Printer following in 2017.