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HP to outline 3D printing plan

By Reuters
San Francisco, 26 Mar 2014

Hewlett-Packard plans to outline its entry into the 3D-printing business by October, as the computing company seeks to extend its dominance of traditional printers into a fledgling but fast-growing market.

CEO Meg Whitman said last week HP would make an announcement in June, now that the company has solved a number of technical problems that have hindered broader adoption of the hi-tech manufacturing process.

But in a blog post updated over the weekend, HP said she had "inadvertently" mis-spoken and that the company was planning instead on making its 3D printing announcement by the end of the fiscal year, which ends in October.

Whenever it happens, HP's foray could give added momentum to a nascent industry dominated by smaller players like Stratasys unit Makerbot, and help counter criticism that the sci-fi-like technology is over-hyped and still too immature for widespread consumer adoption.

Whitman said last week HP will focus on 3D printing for enterprises, rather than the consumer market.

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