Want to Print Out 3D Objects? HP Has a Printer For You!

Printing out objects in 3D might seem like a task only possible in a movie, but that’s not the case at all. In fact, 3D printers are not even new, and have been used for mocking up objects and prototypes for a while. But thanks to HP, that capability is going to be made available to many more businesses, and for the most part, its $17,500 US price tag actually seems fairly reasonable.

You might wonder just what kind of use a 3D printer would have, but if you’re in the business of designing parts for pretty much anything, it’s much easier to print out an actual prototype straight from the 3D modeling application you’re using. The best part is that the end result is a hard object, not super brittle, and there’s no real mess left over.

HP will offer both ivory and color versions of the printer (the color model costs around $22,000 US), with the substance itself being a reusable ABS plastic. Whether or not HP will sell this material on its own or not, the product page doesn’t make clear. If not, the material is widely available elsewhere, though it in itself isn’t too inexpensive (~$10/lbs for ivory), but as a whole it will still cost far less than building a real prototype.

If you’re curious about what can be done with a 3D printer, HP has a small but interesting example’s page of models both in ivory and in color. Even without the need to create something for serious purposes, this printer looks like it could be a LOT of fun to use. Break a coffee cup? Just make a new one! Ahh, the possibilities are endless.

With HP 3D printers, officeability is more than just a claim. Trust the company that really knows office printing—our shared desktop 3D printing solutions are clean; office-friendly; and so easy to operate, just about anyone can do it. Models produced with the HP Designjet 3D Printer are durable and precise. They meet your expectations in terms of form, fit, and function. And you can count on printed output that’s always true to your original design.