HP Multi Jet Fusion and Metal Jet Technology Integrate into Materialise CO-AM Software Platform to Enable Industry-Ready Additive Manufacturing

Frankfurt a. M. (Germany), November 07, 2023 — Materialise, a global leader in 3D printing software and service solutions, and HP Inc., a global technology leader and creator of solutions for personal computing, printing, 3D printing and more, announced a strategic partnership to integrate HP’s Multi Jet Fusion and Metal Jet additive manufacturing (AM) technology into the Materialise CO-AM software platform. This collaboration will enable manufacturing companies to raise the efficiency and quality of their 3D printing to match industrial requirements and use it for volume production of end parts.

“To scale additive manufacturing, the industry is in need of printers that are designed for high productivity coupled with an integrated end-to-end workflow solution – the partnership between HP and Materialise delivers this solution”, said Arvind Rangarajan, Global Head of Software and Data, HP Personalization and 3D Printing.

Manufacturers recognize the unique benefits of AM, but face challenges as they onboard the technology. The speed of their 3D printing process doesn’t hold up to volume production and they often have difficulties integrating the process with existing manufacturing technologies. To support these companies, HP delivers industrial 3D printing solutions that are manufacturing ready. In combination with the Materialise CO-AM Software Platform, manufacturers can link HP’s Multi Jet Fusion and Metal Jet technology to their existing production systems and optimize the AM workflow from order entry to delivery.

As a HP preferred partner, Materialise, will provide the industry with an end to end manufacturing solution that is integrated with an additive technology that is designed for productivity and scale – MJF and Metal Jet systems. As part of this partnership, HP will help customers identify meaningful use cases for the software platform, as well as showcase the solution at HP demo facilities and public events.  

“Manufacturers are increasingly using 3D printing for end-use parts instead of solely in the prototyping and design phase,” said Bart Van der Schueren, CTO of Materialise. “This partnership will help drive this shift by supporting more efficient, repeatable volume production.”

The seamless connectivity between HP AM technology and Materialise CO-AM enables users to create workflows that improve traceability, quality control, and machine utilization. Optimized 3D print job management allows production leads to track planned and actual printer activities and optimize machine time. To ensure continuous production, real-time machine monitoring provides operators and engineers with critical process data, including build status, material usage, and machine sensor data. This data can be collected and stored in log files of 3D printed jobs to enhance traceability and quality control. In addition to their 3D printers, Metal Jet users can connect process-relevant HP machinery to the CO-AM platform, such as Powder Management Station, Curing Station, and Powder Removal Station. This integration allows Metal Jet users to streamline post-processing of metal parts within the manufacturing process.

CO-AM includes Materialise’s leading data and build preparation capability from Magics, which connects to HP 3D printers via the HP Build Processor. Users benefit from a proven toolset to prepare their 3D printing jobs for all major AM technologies. They can add workflow automation for repetitive tasks and use nesting to maximize the number of parts per job to increase machine utilization.

Additionally, CO-AM provides access to complementary solutions from Materialise and third parties, including CO-AM partner solutions for design automation, mass customization, automated labeling, and various post-processing technologies. CO-AM enables AM users to connect and manage technologies from different machine builders over one platform.

Materialise published a case study of Extol’s Digital Development Center earlier this year. Extol powers their HP Multi Jet Fusion printers with CO-AM to produce custom 3D-printed knee braces for Baretta Medical Institute patients.

HP will showcase the CO-AM workflow with Multi Jet Fusion and Metal Jet at Formnext in hall 12.1, booth D41, and Materialise will showcase its CO-AM and Magics technologies in hall 12.1, booth C139 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany on November 7 to 10.

Visuals are available here.

About Materialise

Materialise incorporates three decades of 3D printing experience into a range of software solutions and 3D printing services, which together form the backbone of the 3D printing industry. Materialise’s open and flexible solutions enable players in a wide variety of industries, including healthcare, automotive, aerospace, art and design, and consumer goods, to build innovative 3D printing applications that aim to make the world a better and healthier place. Headquartered in Belgium, with branches worldwide, Materialise combines the largest group of software developers in the industry with one of the largest 3D printing facilities in the world. For additional information, please visit www.materialise.com.

About HP

HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) is a global technology leader and creator of solutions that enable people to bring their ideas to life and connect to the things that matter most. Operating in more than 170 countries, HP delivers a wide range of innovative and sustainable devices, services and subscriptions for personal computing, printing, 3D printing, hybrid work, gaming, and more. For more information, please visit: http://www.hp.com.