Despite the flexibility of 3-D printing, it still cannot compete with conventional injection molding for making large volumes of high-strength plastic parts. Hewlett-Packard says its new printing technology will change that.
Today HP will begin taking orders for systems that print parts in a process it calls Jet Fusion. The company will start shipping the printers, which start at $130,000, in October. It also announced several industrial partners, including BMW and Nike.
Jet Fusion is best compared to laser sintering, in which a laser is used to heat granules of polymer powder and fuse them to build objects layer by layer. Laser sintering can make very strong parts, but it is relatively slow because it relies on a point laser. Aside from prototyping, it is useful mainly for manufacturing small volumes of complicated and often customized parts.
To read more, click here.