HP Inc., which helped define printing technology for paper, is turning to the industry’s next generation: producing three-dimensional objects.
The company is introducing two 3D printers aimed at manufacturing customers looking for efficient ways to make items without traditional tools, Chief Executive Officer Dion Weisler said Tuesday.
The company’s president of 3D printing, Stephen Nigro, is based out of HP’s east Vancouver campus. He promoted the Jet Fusion 3D 3200 and 4200 in a social media post Tuesday.
“HP’s new 3D printing solution is 10 times faster than any other 3D technology,” Nigro wrote. “And they deliver superior physical parts at half the cost of competing systems. … Our 30 years of leadership in 2D printing is about to enter a new dimension.”
HP Inc., which sells printers and computers, is investing in new industries as it looks for ways to drive growth after splitting last year from its corporate sibling HP Enterprise, which focuses on business customers with servers, storage and services.
The 3D printers will begin to be delivered in late 2016 and may help the company reach its objective of reversing a trend of declining sales amid sagging demand for paper-based documents.
“It’s an incredibly important part of our strategy,” Weisler said. “These are designed for real commercial applications.”
Nigro wrote that manufacturers who adopt the technology early will position themselves for the industry’s future.
“By 2022, 3D printing will shift from prototyping and short-run manufacturing to a full-scale, production-ready technology,” he wrote. “HP’s 3D printing platform won’t just disrupt the manufacturing industry, however. It’s also going to reinvent how we make things, how we do business, and even where and how we live.”
About half of the custom parts inside the new printers are made by HP printers, Weisler said. The cost of one of the printers starts at about $130,000.
“HP really realized now was the time to get involved and take advantage of this growing industry,” said Joe Kempton, an analyst at Canalys. “It’s hugely important for HP to prove themselves as a dynamic company, as an innovative company, who are really disrupting the market.”
The new printers take advantage of more than 5,000 patents and 30 years of research and development, HP Inc. said Tuesday in a statement. The machines craft objects at what’s called the “voxel” level — similar to the pixel for two-dimensional projects — making it simpler and quicker to manufacture parts, according to the company.
“I think they’ll do well,” said Pete Basiliere, an analyst at Gartner Inc. “I think the price point is very attractive.”
Columbian staff reporter Brooks Johnson contributed to this report
