On Monday, September 10th, HP unveiled the HP Metal Jet, a new metal 3D printing system.
According to a report from Design & Development Today, the company is touting the new technology as the most advanced system for printing metal parts at a production scale.
HP debuted the system at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) held in Chicago. According to the company, it is 50x more productive than rival technologies currently on the market.
While the company made a big splash, it could be a while before many of these new printers make it into manufacturing facilities. Tim Weber, the head of HP's metal 3D printing business, says that the printers are "not quite ready for prime time."
If you want parts before 2020, HP has partnered with GKN Powder Metallurgy, a powder metals company, and Parmatech, a metal injection molding firm. Customers can upload CAD files and receive printed parts via a new Metal Jet Production Service.
GKN and Parmatech will also use the printing platform to make final parts for Volkswagen as well as medical products manufacturer Okay Industries.
The system uses HP’s Thermal Inkjet technology to deliver a binding agent that joins together particles in a standard metal powder.
The HP Metal Jet may not be available until 2020 and will cost around $399,000.