Case Studies
HP, Europe
Interaction / UX Designer
This project involved the HP’s lastest 3D printing system which was its answer to 3D printing demands at an industrial scale.
A joint venture between HP & Autodesk: merging of HP’s dedication to research for 2D/3D inkjet technologies with Autodesk’s expertise in 3D modeling apps such as Maya & Fusion360. Both companies share a common goal to unlock 3D printing’s full promise in higher speeds, higher quality, and improved User experience.
Our team was responsible for the software which enables technicians in managing high-volume production from the workstation. The goal was to provide improvements in:
Claiming print speeds of up to 10-times faster than existing technology, with strong tensile materials, HP delivers production-ready functional parts, in volume for less cost than injection mold. The machine could print 5,000 units a day or 30,000 in a week. Giants in engineering/design such as BMW & Nike were the first partners to use them for their prototyping & production process.
A core concept behind the printer is the voxel-based (3D pixel) approach that HP has taken. The entire build space is broken down into trillions of 3D printed points, which are addressed by the tens of thousands of print heads which print the agents onto the powder. All of this is managed by the software.
As a key step in pre-processing & preparation of the model, the printers come with their own suite of software tools to ease the workflow for the end-user, the technician. It was essential to understand the key concerns & frustrations which Users have in the key phases in their workflow & tasks to complete: