As we reported earlier, HP Inc. (NYSE:HPQ) has reported their first revenue from 3D printing. On a call with analysts and investors HP gave further insight into how their Multi Jet Fusion technology is progressing.
During the call Dion Weisler, HP’s President and Chief Executive Officer, and Cathie Lesjak, HP’s Chief Financial Officer, took questions from investors and provided further details on what the company describe as, “a milestone quarter.”
Disrupting a $12 trillion market
Weisler gave details of the first customers to receive Multi Jet Fusion 3D printers, including Jabil, Materialise, and Shapeways. These enterprises have now installed the first units and HP are working with this group as part of a longer term strategy to, “disrupt the $12 trillion traditional manufacturing market.”
Global manufacturing company Jabil have told HP that, “Multi Jet Fusion is one of the few technologies capable of delivering production-grade parts with cost-effective efficiency.” Weisler continued to explain that in conversations between Jabil and their customers a recurring theme is that, “some of their own end customers have said they couldn’t believe 3D Printing could produce that kind of quality.”
Key to the success in 3D printing is materials science, and HP are working with Arkema, BASF, Evonik Industries and Lehmann and Voss to advance the initial offering of nylon type materials to include flame retardant Polyamides, Elastomers and color materials.
Strong innovation portfolio and looking 30 years into the future
While 3D printing does not yet comprise a significant percentage of HP revenue, it does fall into the company’s substantial IP portfolio. Speaking on this topic Weisler says,
The innovation portfolio is as strong as it’s ever been, more than 23 awards that we won at CES. We were leaning into that innovation, from a customer’s perspective, a lot of demand for our products.
According to HP CFO Lesjak, Multi Jet Fusion is part of the long term strategy for HP. This is a point company CTO Shane Wall has made clear and in a conversation with 3D Printing Industry, Wall sets out his vision of the future of manufacturing and HP’s strategy for this market.
As Wall says, “The way we look at the world at HP Labs is maybe a little different than some do, purposefully 30 years in the future.” HP are certainly playing the long-game here and during yesterdays call Weisler explained,
We’ve only just begun on 3D Printing where we placed those first units and revenue recced them, which is even more exciting. And the fact that our customers are telling us that the printers are performing as per our promise on speed, quality, and cost is really important. And that strategy is anchored in time horizons. The core is the here and now. Growth is the next two to three years, and future is the 3 to 10-year timeframe, and that’s how we think about this business.
3D Printing Industry will have more insight into developments and applications of Multi Jet Fusion soon, so sign up to our newsletter and follow us on social media to be the first with all the latest news about 3D printing.
