HP Launches Advanced Metals 3D Printing Technology for Mass Production

HP Inc. has launched HP Metal Jet, a 3D printing technology for manufacturing of production-grade metal parts. HP Metal Jet is being deployed by manufacturers GKN Powder Metallurgy and Parmatech for factory production of final parts. HP also has launched the Metal Jet Production Service, enabling customers to rapidly iterate new 3D part designs, produce final parts in volume and integrate HP Metal Jet into production roadmaps.

 “We are in the midst of a digital industrial revolution that is transforming the $12 trillion manufacturing industry," says Dion Weisler, CEO and president, HP Inc.

"HP has helped lead this 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,” Weisler adds. “The implications are huge—the auto, industrial and medical sectors alone produce billions of metal parts each year. HP’s new Metal Jet 3D printing platform unlocks the speed, quality and economics to enable our customers to completely rethink the way they design, manufacture and deliver new solutions in the digital age.”

HP Metal Jet is a voxel-level binder jetting technology. HP Metal Jet will start with stainless steel finished parts, delivering isotropic properties that meet or exceed ASTM and MPIF Standards.

Image courtesy of HP.

HP is partnering with GKN Powder Metallurgy to deploy HP Metal Jet in their factories to produce functional metal parts for companies including Volkswagen and Wilo. GKN Powder Metallurgy is a producer of materials and products using powder metallurgy technologies.  

“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,” says Peter Oberparleiter, CEO of GKN Powder Metallurgy. “Our DNA and our expertise in powder production and metal part processing using digitally networked systems will enable us to drive industrialization across the whole additive manufacturing value stream.” 

Volkswagen is integrating HP Metal Jet into its long-term design and production roadmap.

"A big advantage of an additive technology like HP Metal Jet is it allows us to produce many of these parts without first having to build manufacturing tools. By reducing the cycle time for the production of parts, we can realize a higher volume of mass production very quickly," says Dr. Martin Goede, head of Technology Planning and Development, Volkswagen.

GKN Powder Metallurgy is also leveraging HP Metal Jet technology to produce cost-effective industrial parts with higher hydraulic efficiency for Wilo, maker of pumps and pump system solutions. Wilo is looking to HP Metal Jet technology to produce initial hydraulic parts such as impellers, diffusors and pump housings with widely variable dimensions that must withstand intense suction, pressure and temperature fluctuations. 

HP is also partnering with Parmatech, an ATW Company, to expand mass production of Metal Jet parts. Parmatech is focused on metal injection molding and has been a metals manufacturer, specializing in producing low-cost, high-volume metal parts for the medical and industrial sectors.

“HP Metal Jet represents the first truly viable 3D technology for the industrial-scale production of metal parts," says Rob Hall, president of Parmatech.

“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," Hall adds.  

In first half of 2019, customers will be able to upload 3D design files and receive industrial-grade parts in large quantities from the new Metal Jet Production Service. The parts will be produced by HP partners GKN Powder Metallurgy and Parmatech.

More information about HP Inc. is available here.

Sources: Press materials received from the company.