SEPTEMBER 2018 Additive Manufacturing
FEATURE
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Metal Additive Manufacturing
24
By Peter Zelinski
HP Enters Metal AM
A binder jetting machine for scale production of steel
parts is the next extension of HP's 3D printing
offerings, but also the logical extension of technology
the company has been developing for decades.
What is the case for making production parts using additive
manufacturing?
Is the value to be found in the design freedom? That is, the
freedom that allows for consolidating assemblies or optimizing
geometry for weight savings? Or, is the value of additive to be
found in the chance to explore new material possibilities?
Yes and yes, says HP's Stephen Nigro. Yes to all this. Howev-
er, there is one straightforward obstacle standing in the way.
"You have to get the economics right," he says. "Once 3D
printing becomes the economical choice for production, com-
panies will use it, and then they will go on to realize all those
other advantages from additive."
Nigro is president of HP's 3D Printing business. Two years
ago, the company launched a 3D printing platform for produc-
tion of plastic parts. Now, with an announcement expected by
the time you read this, the company is expanding its offerings
to include a metal 3D printer. The target market for this new
machine is not components representative of where metal AM
is already succeeding—that is, not high-end components such
as aircraft parts, not components made of exotic alloys—but
instead automotive parts and other applications comprising
the lion's share of industrial production. The target materials
are iron and steel, starting with stainless.
I recently had the chance to visit HP's engineering and
manufacturing campus in Corvallis, Oregon, to learn about the
metal 3D printer in advance of its introduction and about the
company's plans for 3D printing through conversations with
Nigro along with Timothy Weber, the company's global head
of 3D metals. "3D printing is the biggest long-term bet HP is
making," Nigro told me, and I saw this. In various departments
