Earlier this week, the tech giant HP generated a ton of buzz with the announcement of HP Metal Jet, the company’s new and potentially groundbreaking metal additive manufacturing system that is capable of mass production. HP also revealed that a handful of renowned manufacturers, such as Volkswagen and Wilo, have already started utilizing this exciting new technology on their own production floors.

Now, Volkswagen has made its own announcement about the integration of HP’s new system, which it hopes will bring mass production via 3D printing to the automotive industry. The German car maker claims that it will become the first automotive manufacturer to use the HP Metal Jet process.

Similar to HP’s Multi Jet Fusion technology, the HP Metal Jet process involves using a metallic powder and binder material to produce objects layer-by-layer. The resulting print is then “baked” into a metallic component in a sintering process. This process is different from other metal 3D printing techniques in that it doesn’t use a laser.

The HP Metal Jet process is engineered to simplify and speed up metal additive manufacturing. In fact, HP alleges that its system improves productivity up to fifty times when compared to other 3D printing methods.

Volkswagen has partnered with HP and GKN Powder Metallurgy to develop a metal 3D printing workflow that will be advantageous for use in mass production.

Dr Martin Goede, Head of Technology Planning and Development, Volkswagen, said: “Automotive production is facing major challenges: our customers are increasingly expecting more personalization options. At the same time, complexity is increasing with the number of new models. That’s why we are relying on state-of-the-art technologies to ensure a smooth and fast production. 3D printing plays a particularly important role in manufacturing of individual parts.”