HP’s new Metal Jet S100 3D printer at IMT show in Chicago

Commercially available for mass production of 3D printed metal parts 

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HP
The HP Metal Jet S100 solution for the mass production of 3D printed metal parts Photo HP

At the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) at Chicago’s McCormick Place, HP announced the commercial availability of its Metal Jet S100 Solution. Accelerating innovative designs and products and digitally printing mass quantities of quality parts, HP’s Metal Jet S100 Solution can help scale 3D metals to mass production.

HP’s press release states that the manufacturing industry has evolved drastically over the past decade and is currently expected to be worth around US$ 12 trillion. We are in the early stages of a fourth industrial revolution, spearheaded by the accelerated growth of 3D printing and its ability to accelerate designs, improve process developments, and now in an industry first, realize true economies of scale. 

“We are witnessing entire industries, from industrial to consumer, and healthcare to automotive, looking to digitally transform their manufacturing processes and supply chains in a world where volatility is the new normal,” said Didier Deltort, president of HP’s Personalization and 3D Printing business. “As the promise of additive manufacturing takes hold, HP has become a trusted partner to help speed the path to production. The introduction of our new Metal Jet commercial solution, along with innovative collaboration with market leaders like Schneider Electric, is delivering the blueprint for more sustainable, reliable, and efficient manufacturing.”

New HP Metal Jet S100

The HP Metal Jet S100 Solution provides industrial production capabilities, integrated workflow, subscription, and service offerings – an unprecedented level of technical and business advantages for customers, helping them achieve their goals for business transformation. The modular solution enables build units to travel between four different stations, meaning users can continually run production at scale for mass metal production. 

“Since announcing the breakthrough Metal Jet technology in 2018, we have been working to develop the industry’s most advanced commercial solution for 3D metals mass production,” said Ramon Pastor, Global head and general manager of 3D Metals, HP. “3D printed metal parts are a key driving force behind digital transformation and the new Metal Jet S100 Solution provides a world-class metals offering for our customers, from the first designs right through to production, but more importantly helps them to realize the unlimited potential for digital manufacturing.” 

HP’s Thermal Inkjet printhead dramatically improves printing speed, part quality, and repeatability. The advanced latex chemistries developed by HP lend significant benefits to the binder itself, enabling stronger green parts, eliminating the need for de-binding, and yielding industrial production-grade quality.

Key advantages of HP Metal Jet technology include:

Innovative new designs: New geometries, density control and designs to lightweight or consolidate metal parts push the boundaries of what is possible with 3D printing.

Improved customer economics: Process steps needed to create parts are shortened whilst costs due to manual labor or complexity requirements are reduced, driving efficiencies across the supply chain.

Increased productivity: Binder jetting can boost productivity tenfold, allowing for processing layer by layer versus point process. Isotropic properties also require no post-processing and no support removal, and the use of metal powders is also more cost-effective than laser-based 3D printing powder. 

Higher resolution to drive part quality: HP printheads leverage decades of industrial thermal inkjet technology developments, defining geometry and delivering high resolution and system robustness, making mass 3D metal parts a viable option for commercial manufacturing. 

Innovative collaboration, breakthrough applications

Advancements and new production applications highlight the advantages of Metal Jet, including better productivity, low part cost, and outstanding quality. HP has already built strong momentum with leading partners and customers including GKN, ParmatechCobra GolfLegor GroupVolkswagen, and more. HP is also collaborating on mass metals production opportunities with new partners and customers around the world, including Domin Digital Motion, an innovative industrial company focused on hydraulic systems and valves, Lumenium, a startup developer of advanced rotational engines, and Schneider Electric.

Schneider Electric is the global leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation. Their product portfolio includes products, controls, software, and services across residential, commercial, industrial, and critical applications.

“We are excited about the new possibilities for our business as a result of this collaboration with HP,” said Michael Lotfy, SVP of Power Products & Systems, North America, Schneider Electric. “We are constantly in pursuit of solutions that will enable more sustainable, agile innovations development. Leveraging HP Metal Jet our teams have delivered a proven use case showcasing the benefits of digital manufacturing and 3D printing, and we look forward to uncovering many more applications that meet the evolving demands of our customers addressing the challenges around sustainability and Electricity 4.0.”

Together with GKN, a new filter used on Schneider Electric’s NSX breaker was produced using HP Metal Jet technology, which could not be achieved with conventional industrial manufacturing capabilities due to the shape and material complexity. HP Metal Jet technology not only facilitated the design of new power filter shapes that reduce gas, pressure, and heat impact in a more limited space, but it also resulted in significant productivity gains and environmental benefits.

HP Showcasing 3D Metals Mass Production at IMTS

Michael Lotfy will join Ramon Pastor, and Meaghan Ferris, HP’s Global Head of 3D Metals Go-to-Market, on September 15 at 8:15 am U.S. Central Time for a keynote address at the Additive Manufacturing Conference at IMTS. HP and its partners and customers will showcase their journey in driving 3D printing metals technology into mass production. See the new HP Metal Jet S100 Solution and a wide variety of production applications at the HP booth at IMTS #433000.

2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India

Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.

The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry. While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.

The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.

Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.

Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.

Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.

– Naresh Khanna

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