Professor Neil Hopkinson joins Xaar.
Xaar plc, the World leader in industrial inkjet technology, Xaar has announced the appointment of Professor Neil Hopkinson to a new role as Director of 3D Printing.
Professor Hopkinson is the original inventor of High Speed Sintering (HSS) technology and brings with him 19 years’ experience in additive manufacturing technology gained at the University of Sheffield, Loughborough University, De Montfort University, 3D Systems and the University of Nottingham, when he joins the company in March.
HSS uses inkjet printheads and infrared heaters to manufacture products layer by layer from polymer powder materials at much higher speeds than other additive manufacturing processes. In his new role with Xaar Neil will build a team to continue the development of the technology and other additive manufacturing processes to accelerate the success of Xaar’s OEM partners.
Professor Hopkinson has already achieved significant success leading the Innovate UK funded Factum Project, based at the University of Sheffield. This three year project, set for completion this year, was set up to develop supply chain and full scale production capabilities for novel additive manufacturing technologies in major industrial sectors through three key partners; Unilever (FMCG), BAE Systems (Aerospace) and Cobham Technical Services (Space and Communications) within the UK. Xaar’s role in the project has focused on optimising the performance of specialist third party fluids in combination with its market leading printheads.
“Industrial 3D printing is entering an important phase of maturation and I am excited to be joining Xaar at this critical time”, Professor Hopkinson, explained. “It is clear that inkjet printing will be an important enabling technology as the 3D printing sector scales up to be an integral part of mainstream manufacturing. As a leading supplier to printing equipment manufacturers all over the world, Xaar is in a strong position to accelerate the adoption of HSS technology within a number of key applications”.
Xaar’s CEO, Doug Edwards, commented: “We are thrilled that Neil has agreed to join us. We are excited about the potential for HSS and other additive manufacturing technologies to expand Xaar’s horizons and exploit new opportunities”.
Professor Mike Hounslow, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Engineering at the University of Sheffield, added: “We are proud of the achievements of Professor Hopkinson and his team and we welcome Xaar’s investment to progress the commercialisation of this exciting technology. It’s a fantastic example of how our research translates to industrial application and we look forward to continued engagement with Neil in his new role.”
