HP Inc. has introduced a new additive manufacturing printer for the high volume manufacturing of production-grade metal parts.

The HP Metal Jet provides up to 50 times more productivity at a significantly lower cost than other 3D printing methods, HP said. The metal 3D printer is being deployed by GKN Powder Metallurgy and Parmatech for factory production of final parts.

The printer is a voxel-level binder jetting technology with a bed size of 430 x 320 x 200mm, four times the nozzle redundancy and two times the printbars, HP said.

A row of HP Metal Jet printers for high volume manufacturing. Source: HPGKN Powder Metallurgy will deploy the HP Metal Jet in its factories to produce functional metal parts for automotive and industrial vendors Volkswagen and Wilo. Volkswagen is also using the HP Metal Jet for its long-term design and production roadmap.

The collaboration with GKN will allow Volkswagen to manufacture mass-customizable parts such as individualized key rings and exterior-mounted nameplates. Volkswagen’s multi-year plan includes the production of functional parts with significant structural requirements such as gearshift knobs and mirror mounts. It will also use the 3D printer for the future of electric vehicles entering mass production.

For Wilo, GKN will use the HP Metal Jet technology to produce industrial parts with higher hydraulic efficiency. Wilo, a pump and pump system provider, will use the additive manufacturing technology to manufacture impellers, diffusers and pump housing with variable dimensions that must withstand intense suction, pressure and temperature fluctuations.

Beginning in the first half of 2019, customers will be able to upload 3D design files and receive industrial-grade parts in large quantities from HP’s Metal Jet Production servers produced by either GKN Powder Metallurgy or Parmatech.

Commercial HP Meta Jet solutions will be offered at under $399,000 and begin shipping in 2020 to early customers with more broad availability in 2021.