3D Systems was very quick to go on the record on Wednesday with a formal response to the press launch of HP Inc’s new Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) 3D printer, slated for commercial release in 2016.
Stratasys has now also responded and given me a direct, on the record response, copied here for your perusal and consideration.
It is attributed directly to David Reis and, on this occasion, it’s a tad vague, to say the least. However, if I’ve learnt anything about Stratasys over the years, they keep their cards very close to their chest, until they’ve got something to shout about and then they tend to do it in style.
I also know that when it comes to inkjet technology (2D and 3D) Stratasys, courtesy of Objet’s PolyJet technology and historic partnerships, has bucket loads of R&D (and patents) going on in this area, it’s been on going for years, so don’t be surprised if, come 2016, there’s a toe to toe battle going on.
On a less competitive note, I also came across this, a formal response from the iMaterialise team on their blog:
“All of us at Materialise would like to congratulate HP on their newly-revealed 3D printer! We look forward to collaborating with them to bring meaningful applications to users.”
And a well-timed plug from CEO, Fried Vancraen:
“The new HP technology will be an ideal match with the many functionalities and features that the Magics platform has to offer. We all like to imagine a world where color, textures, internal structures are being combined into customized products that we can’t even yet dare dream of. However, this comes at the expense of huge requirements for data size and handling. The Magics platform is capable of handling those challenges. The huge productivity of the announced machine will also require efficient data and process management, and again, our Streamics software is up to the job.”
You gotta love the 3D printing industry.
