HP
HP 3D Open Materials & Apps Lab
The 3,500 square-foot space will be accessible to HP’s 3D materials partners to jumpstart product development, test new materials and get real-time feedback from engineers.
Global technology company, HP has unveiled a 3D Open Materials and Applications Lab where its partners can accelerate the development of production-ready 3D printer parts.
HP gave behind-the-scenes tours of the facility, based in Corvallis, Oregon, to members of the press and tech analysts this week. The 3,500 square-foot space will be accessible to HP’s 3D materials partners to jumpstart product development, test new materials and get real-time feedback from engineers.
The focus of this new work space is to further establish HP and partners’ presence in the additive manufacturing industry. Spurring innovation, the Open Materials and Applications Lab will be used as a platform to develop new 3D printing materials and applications that are reliable, safe, and affordable.
“We are convening the world’s leading materials companies and empowering them to disrupt and innovate,” said Tim Weber, Global Head of 3D Materials and Advanced Applications and general manager of the Corvallis site. “It will be exciting to watch as these companies test the limits of the HP Open Platform. The ability to create new materials more quickly, and to easily iterate and improve those materials, will lower costs and accelerate the digital reinvention of manufacturing.”
HP multi Jet Fusion
Partners will work on certified materials for the HP Jet Fusion 3D 4200 and HP Jet Fusion 3D 3200 printers.
HP believes the new lab will be incredibly effective as it allows its partners to test new powdered raw materials in HP’s printers prior to market release. Currently, HP is working with four of the world’s leading materials companies to co-develop new materials and refine the materials certification process, though more partners will be added to the program. Arkema, BASF, Evonik and Lehman & Voss have announced their commitment to the HP Open Platform and are working on certified materials for the HP Jet Fusion 3D 4200 and HP Jet Fusion 3D 3200 printers.
“In order for 3D printing to go mainstream, you need the materials piece to take off with the technology or the ecosystem won’t flourish,” Weber added. “We want materials companies to work with their customers and drive innovation on our platform.”
To commemorate the new lab, HP Corvallis hosted a two-day event, which kicked off with a dinner and roundtable, and included topical discussion panels from 3D printing experts and partners. The launch of the lab comes just shy of a year since HP announced its Multi Jet Fusion technology and its first commercial 3D printers. Geared toward replacing injection-moulding machinery on factory floors, the solution is said to be able to produce high quality physical parts up to ten times faster and at half the cost of earlier systems.
