HP Inc., maker of a range of additive manufacturing (AM) solutions including the Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) ecosystem, has announced a partnership with Firestorm Labs, a developer of containerized, deployable manufacturing cells.The partnership gives Firestorm Labs exclusive distribution rights to HP’s mobile MJF technologies, with Firestorm planning to integrate MJF 3D printers into its flagship xCell system.The xCell system is housed in two twenty-foot shipping containers, which contain a 3D printer, post-processing and power-generation equipment.
Firestorm Labs has made a big splash via its work with the Department of Defense (DoD) to optimize the xCell for frontline drone production, work that has enabled Firestorm to secure deals, including the $100 million U.S.Air Force contract announced back in January.Firestorm participates in Northern Strike 24-2, one of the DoD’s largest reserve component readiness exercises.
Image courtesy of Firestorm.Among other reasons, Firestorm’s partnership with HP is notable because the two companies aren’t focusing exclusively on military applications in the rollout (despite the extensive success that drone manufacturers have had with the MJF ecosystem).In the press release announcing the collaboration, HP and Firestorm primarily emphasized the potential for selling the MJF-powered xCell to customers seeking solutions for both commercial and humanitarian applications, suggesting that demand for expeditionary AM platforms is expanding beyond the defense sector.
In the announcement about HP and Firestorm’s strategic partnership, Ian Muceus, the co-founder and CTO of Firestorm, said, “For nearly a decade, we’ve trusted HP’s technology to meet high-volume, high-quality demands of polymer [AM].Now, we’re able to take that capability directly to the edge — military bases, disaster zones, and remote medical outposts — where time and logistics matter most.HP has built an incredibly mature ecosystem of equipment that supports the print process, and this collaboration is going to take everything to the next level.” François Minec, VP & Global Head of Sales and Business Development at HP Additive Manufacturing Solutions, said, “This isn’t just about best-in-class 3D printers.
It’s about empowering first responders, aid organizations, and military units with the ability to manufacture solutions wherever they are.We’re excited to help build a future where distributed, on-demand production becomes the norm and makes a difference in people’s lives.Our vision is to empower businesses and communities with scalable, localized production that enhances efficiency, reduces waste, and provides critical solutions when and where they’re needed most.” Mobile multi-jet fusion additive manufacturing.
Image courtesy of HP and Firestorm Labs.In my recent interview with Spencer Koroly from NAVWAR, the engineer continuously reiterated the extent to which distributed manufacturing isn’t simply one feature of AM that the military is aiming to cultivate; rather, distributed manufacturing represents a comprehensive, historical shift in the military’s approach to logistics.Koroly also pointed out that this shift is just as important from a dual-use standpoint as it is in terms of its relevance to defense supply chains.
Similarly, in a post published back in April about X-Hab’s work with DoD on a deployable construction printer, I wrote, “…on a planet facing a proliferation of major infrastructure risks of all kinds — not just those embodied by active military threats — it makes sense to expand as greatly as possible our notion of what constitutes a “contested” logistics environment.That is, even outside active combat zones, there are countless obstacles standing in the way of rebuilding critical infrastructure, from labor shortages to NIMBY mentality to now tariffs.Along those lines, everyone whose business it is to complete infrastructure projects would do well to adopt the same kind of mentality that gives life to initiatives like the Expeditionary Concrete 3D Printer.” This is the lens through which one should view the partnership between HP and Firestorm Labs.
In the near term, military customers should continue to be the primary targets for products like the xCell, but in the long run, civilian users may well be the greatest beneficiaries of military optimization of ruggedized manufacturing equipment.The world has gotten far too crowded to support a perpetually expanding manufacturing sector built on a model of a network of giant, centralized factory complexes.For the manufacturing sector’s output to continue growing well into the future, the footprint of manufacturing infrastructure needs to be reduced and dispersed.
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