HP 3D Printing
In 2016 HP shipped the first generation 3D Printers powered by Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) technology. The 3D Build Manager makes it fast, easy and transparent to prepare and submit 3D models for print.
HP SmartStream 3D Build Manager, first public release.
HP MJF 4200 production floor.
Preparing jobs
3D printing processes are complex and lengthy, and even the smallest mistakes in the process can ruin an entire build. As part of the overall 3D printing ecosystem, we designed a desktop application that makes it easy and intuitive to create builds optimised for the MJF printers.
HP is partnering with Materialise and Autodesk who offers official plugins for Magics and Netfabb. However, being both costly and advanced to use, our goal was to design a much simpler build preparation tool, making the MJF technology more accessible to less technical users.
Add parts, fix errors, auto pack, print
Introducing color
For the second version of the 3D Build Manager we introduced color to support the Jet Fusion 500/300 series 3D printers. One of the biggest challenges was to match creators color expectations with the color capabilities of the printer, rendering a realistic preview of the final physical outcome.
The Design Process
The 3D Build Manager is part of a bigger eco-system offering an end-to-end 3D printing solution. In order to understand the our customers needs, we worked closely with inhouse industrial design teams and 3D print-shop operators.
Key activities conducted during the design process:
- Customer interviews
- Personas
- Scenario videos
- End-to-end journey maps
- Low to high fidelity prototyping
- Recurrent on-site customer visits
