HP and Intel Join Forces for Multi Jet Fusion 3D Printing

At CES today, Intel CEO, Brian Krzanich, was joined by Dion Weisler, executive vice president of Printing & Personal Systems (PPS) at HP to break the news that the two would be partnering on HP’s Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing technology.  The announcement further establishes 2015 as the year that the truly large corporations decided to conquer the 3D printing industry.

As covered on 3DPI at the end of last year, HP Multi Jet Fusion relies on the company’s proprietary HP Thermal Light technology to 3D print full color objects at 10x the speed of other 3D printers with even greater strength and durability (the economics of this have been examined by Econolyst here).  The new partnership between these two industry leaders will see HP’s MJF powered by the Intel® Core i7 family of processors, during the initial product testing phase initial of the printing system through HP’s Open Customer Collaboration Program this year and as the system ships to even greater customers in 2016.

Weisler said of the partnership, “HP Multi Jet Fusion is uniquely designed to resolve fundamental limitations in today’s 3D printing technologies with the potential to revolutionize manufacturing. In order for 3D printing to reach its full potential, we not only need the most powerful processors, but a technology partner with a shared vision for the industry.” Krzanich added, “Our companies share a long history of innovation and a vision to deliver innovative 3D computing experiences that transform the way people interact with and use technology for work and play. The combination of Intel architecture with HP’s Multi jet Fusion technology will help to accelerate not only the speed of 3D printing but the availability of the technology to consumers and enterprises alike.”

HP’s Multi Jet Fusion stands at the production end of the former 2D printer manufacturer’s Blended Reality ecosystem. Like Autodesk’s Reality Computing concept (or mixed reality), Blended Reality is meant to tie the digital world of 3D design with the physical world of 3D printing. Standing at the computing end of this ecosystem is their Sprout by HP computer. The Sprout, too, features Intel technology in the way of the Intel RealSense 3D Camera, previously discussed on 3DPI. By incorporating a scanner, hi-resolution camera, and projector into Sprout, the system allows users to transform real world objects into digital data, where they can be modified and brought back into the physical world through MJF. You can learn more about Blended Reality in the appealing promo below:

There is little doubt that Sprout is awesome. And, as a reality enthusiast, HP’s Blended Reality, brought about by Multi Jet Fusion, is something to be excited and terrified about.  Powered by Intel, all of the above, will prove that the 3D printing industry of 2015 will be a whole new ball game.