HP printed more than 10 million parts last year

In 2018, American manufacturer HP claims to have 3D printed 10 million parts, a record worth pausing on, especially when you know that the company made its official entry into the additive manufacturing market at the end of 2014. Its Multi Jet Fusion technology quickly became a benchmark in the sector, thanks to its speed and cost. The manufacturer is taking advantage of the AMUG show in Chicago to announce new partnerships, application cases and push its 3D printing solutions toward mass production.

In 2016, HP had announced the creation of 3.5 million 3D printed parts, 50% of which were finished, ready-to-use parts. The manufacturer's growth is therefore quite impressive, growth that is reflected in particular by the launch of several machines including its metal 3D printing solution, the Metal Jet, and its full color 3D printers, the 380 and the 580. It is also now part of the top 5 largest 3D printer resellers, after 3D Systems, Stratasys and EOS.

Christoph Schell, President of 3D Printing and Digital Manufacturing at HP Inc., explains: “More than 10 million parts were produced with HP's Multi Jet Fusion technology over the past year. We are seeing an explosion of new applications across all sectors, taking advantage of the design freedom, superior cost-effectiveness, speed and industrial quality unlocked by HP and its partners. As we continue to expand our portfolio of plastic and metal materials in both prototyping and production and grow our community of global partners, we help our customers save money, accelerate time to market and improve sustainability as they advance in their digital manufacturing process.”

New customers and applications for HP

With the announcement of this record also comes the announcement of new customers like Fast Radius, a 3D printing service that provides final parts to various customers in the automotive, defense, industrial sectors, etc. The most surprising thing is undoubtedly that manufacturer HP itself is part of the lot. Indeed, HP applies its own printing technology to reorganize and produce parts for its own machines, including more than 140 components for its Jet Fusion 300/500 range.

The CEO of Fast Radius, Lou Rassey, explains: “The HP Multi Jet Fusion solution offered by Fast Radius provides customers with enormous advantages in terms of design, production and supply chain. From reducing warehousing and obsolescence to reducing carbon footprint, our collaboration with HP truly brings out the real value of additive manufacturing for businesses around the world.”

Let us also note that delivery of the new HP Jet Fusion 300/500 series 3D printers is said to have begun, to very different types of customers. Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), for example, would rely on HP Jet Fusion 3D printing to accelerate its prototyping process. Unlimited Tomorrow, for its part, would use this technology to 3D print custom prosthetics. On the academic side, Clemson University has adopted HP's Jet Fusion 500/300 range to reinvent its prototyping and production processes.

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