HP Accelerates Digital Reinvention of Manufacturing Industry with Open Platform and 3D Printing Materials Advancements

HP Inc. (NYSE:HPQ) announced the opening of the world’s first 3D Open Materials and Applications Lab lab in Oregon, as well as the first 3D printing Material Development Kit.
As quoted in the press release:

News highlights:

• Unveils industry’s first 3D printing Material Development Kit (MDK) to simplify testing and certification of innovative new materials for partners
• Showcases world’s first 3D Open Materials and Applications Lab, speeding innovation and development
• Reveals new 3D printing materials development innovations with global leaders BASF and Evonik

Today at the Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) conference, HP Inc. announced significant milestones to its open platform for 3D printing materials and production-ready applications development. Expanding the development and lowering the cost of advanced 3D printing materials and applications is a critical catalyst for the digital reinvention of the global manufacturing industry. HP’s unique open platform model for 3D printing helps expand the availability of new materials and addresses a broader set of applications. The open platform model also helps lower materials and development costs, drive speed and performance improvements, and create new possibilities for part properties meeting specific industry needs.
“An open ecosystem of industry leaders is critical for greater innovation, breakthrough economics, and faster development of 3D printing materials and applications,” said Tim Weber, global head, 3D Materials and Advanced Applications at HP. “Our growing certified partner network and leading-edge lab facilities are a testament to the progress we are making in spearheading a dynamic community of collaborators focused on delivering the most innovative and production-ready 3D printing solutions.”
Industry’s First 3D Printing Materials Development Kit (MDK)
HP, in collaboration with SIGMADESIGN, will offer the industry’s first MDK for 3D printing materials, ensuring a robust and expanding array of materials for end-customers and a simplified certification and testing process for partners.
An integral element of HP’s open platform strategy for 3D printing, the MDK will enable companies interested in certifying their materials to quickly test 3D powder spread-ability and compatibility with HP Jet Fusion 3D printers prior to submitting the materials to HP for testing. This greatly simplifies the testing and certification process, leading to faster innovation cycles while achieving strict quality standards.
“HP is leading the evolution of 3D printing from prototyping to production and SIGMADESIGN understands how important each step of the manufacturing process is in this journey,” said Bill Huseby, president and CEO, SIGMADESIGN. “Materials are at the center of successful manufacturing, and the combination of HP’s open platform and the ability to enable voxel-level control will help expedite the digital transformation of this multi-trillion dollar market.”
Huseby emphasized the importance of enabling materials development and applications design with the right resources, “Many companies, both large and small, do not have the internal capabilities to execute their 3D printing vision as quickly or as broadly as they’d like. We are proud to provide world-class foundational tools such as the MDK and in-depth design expertise for organizations ready to innovate using HP Multi Jet Fusion technology right now.”
The MDK is expected to ship this spring and partners can pre-order the kit beginning today by contacting mdk@sigmadzn.com.
HP Unveils World’s First 3D Open Materials and Applications Lab
Building on its open platform vision and leveraging more than four decades of print innovation, HP took the wraps off the world’s first state-of-the-art laboratory to help companies develop, test and deliver the next generation of materials and applications for 3D printing. Located in Corvallis, Oregon, the new HP 3D Open Materials and Applications Lab will offer partners a range of equipment and in-house expertise to accelerate materials and applications innovation, which is critical to quickening the evolution and adoption of 3D printing technologies.
In May 2016, HP announced the HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing Solution, a production-ready commercial 3D printing system that delivers superior¹ quality physical parts up to 10 times²faster and at half the cost³ of current 3D print systems. In addition, by printing functional parts at the individual voxel level (a voxel is the 3D equivalent of a 2D pixel in traditional printing), HP offers customers an unprecedented ability to transform part properties and deliver mass customization.

Click here for the full press release.