Though HP attempted to jump onto the 3D printing bandwagon early on, initially offering a $17k 3D printer manufactured by Stratasys under the HP brand, they also lacked the wherewithal to go through with it, with the deal eventually falling through. HP again stepped into the 3D printing market, with CEO Meg Whitman hinting that the company might get involved with 3D printing sometime in 2014. As a further marketing tease, HP gave Wired writer Robert McMillan a tour of their HP Labs. McMillan reports that the 3D printer that HP’s got is a “monster”.
The writer wasn’t allowed to photograph the machine, but reports that it is a “five-foot tall giant of a machine cobbled together from existing jumbo-scale metal printing parts and some new custom-built equipment that HP isn’t ready to talk about.” The giant is meant for printing out test objects using a polymer concocted by HP. The polymer, they’re hoping, is smooth and resilient, to take advantage of the need for 3D printing materials in the market.
Martin Fink, in charge of HP Labs and leader of McMillan’s tour, suggests that consumers will rely more heavily on 3D printing service providers, like Shapeways, because desktop fabricators are too slow and their prints are too unpolished. He also seemed to imply that HP would get into the service bureau business, saying, “That, we think, is actually a very, very viable market. Now how big do we need to make this [3D printer] for this type of market, that’s still to be determined.”
The company is currently working with its Barcelona and San Diego teams to get something ready for mid-2014. What it is that will be ready next year is still unclear, exactly. A giant HP 3D printer with proprietary materials to run a cloud-based printing service? I’m biting my tongue about what will become of HP’s endeavours after seeing the CEO’s track record, and, as my Editor says, ‘in this industry, you can never say never’!
Source: Wired
Interesting revelations, but I’m not sure what it means. After all HP’s plotter range are “huge printers” yet start at £1000, are cheap to run and work well (I know, becuase I’ve got one).
I also think the past history with the U Print rebrand is not quite true. HP certainly had the wherewithall to push this but they were hand tied by Stratasys. In Europe, where the HP printer was sold, HP opened the reseller channel to 3D printing, introduced a 3 to 5 year support warranty package (purchased at time of purchase), and allowed dealers to do what they wanted with materials (in terms of packaging).
When the partnership broke up (and there are lots of reasons I’ve heard for that), the first thing Stratasys did was push the prices back up, drop the support package and return the responsibility for support from them to the dealers.
You see, what HP do wellk in the professional products market is support. As a buyer you know where you are and what you get, and the service, when things go wrong, is good.
So whilst I hope for a new technology, cheap printer etc, I’ll be just as happy with them back in the market. Whatever they do at the higher end will filter down sooner rather than later.
3d printing isn’t a precision stepper motor business controlling the dispensing/additive head. 3d printing is a materials business… that’s what takes invention: how do you get materials customers & large markets want, how do you precisely extrude/add material so that it stays where you want it with strength & reliability.
Precision location can be bought, material science needs to be developed for robust horizontal & vertical markets.
Yes 3D printing is a materials business…depending on the process. I don’t know what HP have planned, but many of the latest advances ( as in genuine advances) in 3D Printing are hardware and process related, aimed specifically at minimising material cost and requirement for specialist chemistry.
Yes precision location can be bought, but it is not easy to develop. HP have a pedigree in precision location and material delivery ( robotics, plotters, commercial printers etc). They also have the financial clout and infrastructure others lack. I’m not betting against them.
Price of the equipment is also a major factor. http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/rapide-one-affordable-professional-desktop-3d-printer-by-rapide-3d seems to be comparatively cheaper for basic usage.
HP will get into the 3d printing business as soon as it figures out WHAT NOT TO BUY in their “core” business. HP is consumed with trying to figure out an identity… because it has non.
If it says it’s in 3d printing because it’s too big to ignore… well, wow, what business acumen, what strategic thinking.
Maybe she should by Skype back from Microsoft? Just sayin’