HP Inc. on Monday stepped into the world of 3D metal printing with Metal Jet. HP Metal Jet is the world’s most advanced 3D printing technology for mass manufacturing of production-grade metal parts. The company launched the machine at the 2018 International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS).
The printing technology giant aims to transform the $12 trillion manufacturing industry in the mid of the digital industrial revolution. The automobile, industrial, and medical industries jointly manufacture billions of additive metal components every year.
At the launch event, HP CEO and President, Dion Weisler said that its newest 3D printer is a “voxel-level binder jetting technology” offering up to 50 times better performance when measured against the other 3D printer methods. And since the implications of 3D metal printing are huge, through economies of scale, the company is assured to deliver the final product at low cost.
“HP has helped lead the transformation by pioneering the 3D mass production of plastic parts and we are now doubling down with HP Metal Jet, a breakthrough metals 3D printing technology,” announced Weisler.
New HP Metal Jet technology delivers mechanically functional final parts with up to 50x more productivity than other 3D printing methods and at the significantly lower cost compared to other binder jetting systems. Source: HP
HP Metal Jet Technology Partners
The company is already collaborating with GKN Powder Metallurgy (GKN) and Parmatech to install HP Metal Jet technology in their numerous production facilities.
Both the firms cater innovative metallurgic solutions to the automobile industry, medical sector and industrial leaders including their respective leading clients – Volkswagen, Wilo, OKAY Industries, Primo Medical Group, and others.
GKN currently manufactures more than three billion parts annually using additive manufacturing. With the help of HP 3D metal printing technology, it is now projecting to print millions of production-grade components for its business clients, starting from next year.
“We’re at the tipping point of an exciting new era from which there will be no return: the future of mass production with 3D printing,” said Peter Oberparleiter, CEO, GKN. “HP’s new Metal Jet technology enables us to expand our business by taking on new opportunities that were previously cost prohibitive.”
The automobile giant, Volkswagen, in partnership with HP and GKN, is planning to deploy HP Metal Jet for producing mass-customizable spare parts like key rings and nameplates. It later on plans to stretch the technology to manufacture gearshift knobs and mirror mounts.
Similarly, Parmatech is a pioneer in employing metal additive molding for 40 years, producing low-cost surgical tools.
“We are excited to deploy HP Metal Jet in our factories and begin manufacturing complex parts, such as surgical scissors and endoscopic surgical jaws, and new applications and geometries not possible with conventional metal fabrication technologies,” mentioned Rob Hall, President, Parmatech.
HP Metal Jet System Price & Availability
Metal Jet’s bed size is 430 x 320 x 200mm, attributing four times the nozzle redundancy and twice the printbars than the competitors.
HP will start manufacturing stainless steel finished parts with 3D Metal Jet technology at the primary level. Throughout the first half of 2019, the clients will have to share 3D design documents with the Metal Jet Production Service center. Following this, the HP team in collaboration with its partners will produce the industrial-grade components in bulk quantities.
The Metal Jet system is available on pre-orders for $399,000 and the company is expecting to begin shipping in early 2020.
