Seeking to disrupt the $12-trillion manufacturing industry, HP is bringing 3D printing technology to India about two years after it launched globally.
As per the statement of the top HP official, the India launch of 3D printers will be in the first quarter of 2018.
Sumeer Chandra, MD, HP Inc. India, said in a statement given in the media that the company is launching 3D printing much earlier than anticipated. He said, “There is a lot of talk about Industrial 4.0 which is a new way to describe the manufacturing transformation that’s going to happen and it will be enabled by internet of things, cognitive computing, and cloud. One of the key pillars of it will be 3D printing.”
He added that the additive manufacturing, 3D printing assembles objects layer by layer, and can be done using materials such as plastic, resin, or metal. The Multijet Fusion 3D, the HP range of printers to be launched in India, will print plastic parts — body implants, car panels, and manufacturing prototypes.
Chandra further said, “Globally, we are working with companies like Johnson & Johnson to print 3D parts that can be inserted in the human body—like an artificial hip or a dental implant. Initially, HP will offer 3D plastic printers and we will introduce metal 3D printing whenever it is available.”
The printers to be launched in India are already being sold in Australia, China and Japan. The starting price for such devices is $100,000 (approx. Rs 65 lakh), although HP declined to discuss any India-specific pricing at present.
