Hewlett-Packard (HP) made its first foray into 3D printing with the announcement of a yet unnamed 3D printer it hopes will revolutionize the 3D printing and manufacturing industries.
At a media event in New York this week, HP showcased its Multi Jet Fusion technology, one that leverages the company's strength in inkjet paper printing by using massive 3D print heads that can handle up to 10,000 nozzles at a time. The result, HP says, is a 3D printer that can print out objects 10 times faster and with more precision than today's high-end machines, which typically use a method known as selective laser sintering, one that uses lasers to heat and fuse powders.
In contrast, HP's Multi Jet Fusion technology uses a print bar that jets out 350 million drops per second with a precision of 21 microns, which allows the printer to generate 1,000 new gears in three hours. The process starts with a material coating process, followed by the application of fusion agents using a print bar that scans over the material. Next, the material is detailed before being exposed to an energy source for the final fusion. Using selective laser sintering, it will have to take 83 hours to produce the same number of gears, says HP.
HP already enjoys a solid reputation in the traditional printing industry, but it sees 3D printing, which has yet to take off into the mainstream manufacturing industry, as a potential way to expand its business. HP also says that it plans to expand beyond the use of thermoplastics and create new printing materials such as metal and ceramic. It also hopes to accommodate the full spectrum of colors it already uses for traditional ink and paper printing.
"As we examined the existing 3D print market, we saw a great deal of potential but also saw major gaps in the combination of speed, quality and cost," says HP senior vice president for inkjet and graphics solutions Stephen Nigro.
He says that after examining current 3D printing technologies, HP decided that the best solution is to take advantage of its homegrown inkjet technology to create a 3D printer that can rapidly build layer after layer of fused material into whatever object one wishes to create.
"In the future, it enables printing of almost any product - a chip, a phone, headphones," says analyst Pat Moorhead at Moor Insights and Strategy. "This is the long-term future, but could fundamentally change the way we manufacture."
