The research center brings together experts from various disciplines, including system technology, data intelligence, software, materials science, design and applications. The center was conceived as an environment for collaboration between mechanical engineers, researchers and developers. In addition to HP’s own experts, customers and partners of the company will be working on research projects, according to the company’s press release .

Additive manufacturing, in which 3D printing plays a crucial role, is a significant development in the “fourth industrial revolution”. Many industrial managers are hoping to make small series of products, even down to a batch size of 1, more cost-effectively in future than has ever been possible before in industrial mass production.