HP Metal Jet S100 Mass Production

HP Inc, recently announced the commercial availability of its Metal Jet S100 Solution at the 2022 International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS). HP’s Metal Jet S100 Solution is transforming industries and helping scale 3D metals to mass production by accelerating innovative designs and products and digitally printing large quantities of quality parts.

Manufacturing has grown dramatically over the last decade and is now estimated to be worth around US$12 trillion. We are in the early stages of a fourth industrial revolution, propelled by the rapid growth of 3D printing and its ability to accelerate design, improve process development, and, for the first time in the industry, realize true economies of scale.

“We are witnessing entire industries, from industrial to consumer, and healthcare to automotive, looking to digitally transform their manufacturing processes and supply chains in a world where volatility is the new normal,” said Didier Deltort, Global Head Personalization & 3D Printing, HP Inc. “As the promise of additive manufacturing takes hold, HP has become a trusted partner to help speed the path to production. The introduction of our new Metal Jet commercial solution, along with innovative collaboration with market leaders like Schneider Electric, is delivering the blueprint for more sustainable, reliable, and efficient manufacturing.”

New HP Metal Jet S100

HP’s new Metal Jet S100 Solution is ushering in a digital reinvention of the global metals manufacturing sector, with a strong emphasis on customer-centric and design-led end-to-end supply chain solutions in both software and hardware.

Customers benefit from an unprecedented level of technical and business advantages with the Metal Jet S100 Solution, which includes industrial production capabilities, integrated workflow, subscriptions, and service offerings, assisting them in achieving their business transformation goals. The modular solution allows build units to travel between four different stations, allowing users to continuously run mass metals production at scale.

“Since announcing the breakthrough Metal Jet technology in 2018, we have been working to develop the industry’s most advanced commercial solution for 3D metals mass production,” said Ramon Pastor, Global Head and General Manager of 3D Metals, HP Inc. “3D printed metal parts are a key driving force behind digital transformation and the new Metal Jet S100 Solution provides a world-class metals offering for our customers, from the first designs right through to production, but more importantly helps them to realize the unlimited potential for digital manufacturing.”

HP’s unrivaled expertise and intellectual property in Thermal Inkjet technology and Latex chemistry provides cost, quality, productivity, and reliability benefits. The Thermal Inkjet printhead from HP significantly improves printing speed, part quality, and repeatability. HP's advanced latex chemistries provide significant benefits to the binder itself, allowing for stronger green parts, eliminating the need for de-binding, and producing industrial production-grade quality.

Key advantages of HP Metal Jet Technology include:

Innovative New Designs: New geometries, density control, and designs to lightweight or consolidate metal parts push the boundaries of what is possible with 3D printing.
Improved Customer Economics: Process steps required to create parts are shortened, while costs due to manual labor or complexity requirements are reduced, resulting in supply chain efficiencies.
Increased Productivity: Binder jetting can increase productivity tenfold by allowing for layer-by-layer processing rather than point processing. Isotropic properties also eliminate the need for post-processing and support removal, and the use of metal powders is also more cost-effective than laser-based 3D printing powder.
Higher Resolution to Drive Part Quality: HP printheads leverage decades of industrial thermal inkjet technology developments, defining geometry and delivering high resolution and system robustness, making mass 3D metal parts a viable commercial manufacturing option.

Innovative Collaboration, Breakthrough Applications

Metal Jet’s advantages, such as improved productivity, low part cost, and exceptional quality, are highlighted by advancements and new production applications.

HP has already established strong momentum with key partners and customers such as GKN, Parmatech, Cobra Golf, Legor Group, and Volkswagen, among others. HP is also working with new partners and customers around the world on mass metals production opportunities, including Domin Digital Motion, an innovative industrial company focused on hydraulic systems and valves, Lumenium, a startup developer of advanced rotational engines, and Schneider Electric.

“We are excited about the new possibilities for our business as a result of this collaboration with HP,” said Michael Lotfy, Senior Vice President Power Products & Systems - North America, Schneider Electric. “We are constantly in pursuit of solutions that will enable more sustainable, agile innovations development. Leveraging HP Metal Jet, our teams have delivered a proven use case showcasing the benefits of digital manufacturing and 3D printing, and we look forward to uncovering many more applications that meet the evolving demands from our customers addressing the challenges around sustainability and Electricity 4.0.

A new filter for Schneider Electric’s NSX breaker was created in collaboration with GKN using HP Metal Jet technology, which could not be achieved with conventional industrial manufacturing capabilities due to shape and material complexity. Not only did HP Metal Jet technology enable the design of new power filter shapes that reduced gas, pressure, and heat impact in a smaller space, but it also resulted in significant productivity gains and environmental benefits.

Image Source: HP Inc