HP makes advances in polymers and metals 3D printing

HP Inc. said it has committed to sustainable manufacturing through new innovations, materials, tools, and expanded software capabilities to accelerate the journey from adoption to scale for polymers and metals 3D printing. 

HP is also working with partners and customers including BMW, Decathlon, and INDO-MIM. “HP is pushing the boundaries of 3D printing with new innovation, expanded capabilities, and a relentless drive to help our partners and customers develop and grow opportunities for more sustainable manufacturing,” said Savi Baveja, President of Personalization & 3D Printing and Chief Incubation Officer, HP Inc. “We are proud to empower industries to create a greener, more agile future. Our commitment to sustainability is at the core of our vision.”

Commitment to sustainable manufacturing
HP’s commitment to enabling sustainability within its 3D printing business is underscored by a three-pillar approach, including: reducing carbon footprint, enabling circularity, and sharing knowledge for more impactful results.

“We have three core areas of focus across HP’s 3D printing solutions, capabilities, and materials to help advance more sustainable manufacturing,” said François Minec, global head of 3D Polymers, HP Inc. “From high-reusability materials to help brands reduce net zero waste and minimize carbon footprint to offering take-back programs and new tools to calculate carbon footprint we want to help our customers make choices that help our planet and our people.”

The company said that a notable example includes HP's long-standing collaboration with mobility leader BMW Group as they look to advance sustainable design, materials, production, and automation of applications using a variety of HP 3D printing solutions. 

Jens Ertel, Head of Additive Manufacturing at BMW Group, emphasized the shared vision, "We evaluate every part of our production process, continuously improving our operations to minimize our CO2 footprint. HP prioritizes environmental responsibility by offering CO2 reduced materials without additional costs, making it easy to adopt.”

The adoption of HP Multi Jet Fusion technology at BMW Group has led to faster development, shorter lead times, and a flexible, cost-effective approach to manufacturing. 

To help meet sustainability goals while reducing costs, BMW Group uses the HP Jet Fusion 3D Automation Accessory. The solution is designed to minimize idle time, reduce labor costs associated with additive manufacturing, and open new opportunities in series production. 

“Within our working model HP’s Automation Accessory allows us to double the output with the same printer, which is helpful in projects with short lead times,” said Ertel. “With cost savings in 3D printing and new business cases, adoption will accelerate, and the demand for 3D printed parts will grow.”

Other HP sustainability highlights include:

• HP is working with materials partners to develop more sustainable, high reusability materials. Together with Arkema, HP is developing bio-based materials made with renewable castor oil and using biomethane to further reduce carbon footprint. With Evonik, HP is doubling down on sustainability by developing the 3D High Reusability PA12. Made using renewable energy during production, the material can help reduce the carbon footprint of commonly used PA12 material by 49% without altering its propertiesi.
• HP customers like DECATHLON are constantly working to identify new opportunities to improve sustainability practices, this includes active participation in the Arkema Take Back program. Julien Guillen, Head of Additive Manufacturing at DECATHLON, stated, “Additive manufacturing, especially with Multi Jet Fusion technology, extends the lifecycle of our sports products, enhances their durability and upgradability, and mitigates the environmental impact of our manufacturing processes.”
• HP is launching a groundbreaking Carbon Footprint Calculator tool, an innovative software that will allow customers to get a calculation of the carbon footprint of specific printed parts. This tool empowers industries to make informed decisions regarding the environmental impact of their additive manufacturing practices.

Innovations and partnerships
HP is also showcasing new 3D polymers solutions, advanced automation capabilities, integrated software options, and 3D metals momentum, including:

• New innovations in HP’s extensive 3D polymers portfolio include the HP Jet Fusion 5600 Series and the HP Jet Fusion 5000 Solution. HP’s new 5600 Series offers greater repeatability, reliability, and customization to help reduce development and validation costs. Customers including Prototal and Protolabs are already producing parts using the new solution. The HP 5000 Solution is designed to lower the entry barrier for Multi Jet Fusion technology adoption, catering to new customers looking to assess production volume as well as R&D organizations, and small industrial or healthcare businesses currently outsourcing final part production.
• New partnership with Materialise to drive volume 3D printing to integrate HP’s Multi Jet Fusion and Metal Jet technology into the Materialise CO-AM software platform. This integration offers optimized 3D print job management, real-time machine monitoring, and data preparation, allowing manufacturers to create workflows that improve traceability, quality control, and machine utilization.
• Collaboration with Autodesk to bundle Autodesk Fusion with HP Multi Jet Fusion and Metal Jet printers to provide integrated design and manufacturing solutions.
• Demos of HP’s automation proof-of-concept with Siemens are now available for companies looking to streamline production, increase efficiency, and minimize downtime. Demos are being booked in the Barcelona-based DFactory which is a hub for HP collaboration with partners and customers on R&D, application development, and production use cases. See video above.
• HP continues its industry-leading momentum in 3D metals announcing new partnerships with INDO-MIM, Sandvik, and Elnik, and additional metals materials with long standing partner GKN Additive.