HP to set up its world centre for 3D printing in its Greater Barcelona offices

Barcelona (ACN).- Hewlett-Packard has announced that it will locate its world centre to develop 3D printing business in its facilities at Sant Cugat del Vallès, in Greater Barcelona, where it has already developed part of this technology. In fact, HP's Catalan offices are one of the multinational's main R&D centres at world level. HP also develops the technology for large-format printing in Greater Barcelona, employing some 350 engineers. In addition, from Catalonia it also runs its marketing services for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, among other business and innovation activities. Now, HP has decided to foster its 3D printing business and innovation. This is a technology that experts believe can totally revolutionise not only manufacturing but also people's daily lives. 3D printing might enable people to create their own parts from raw materials to build all sorts of objects.

HP announced on Thursday, from its Madrid commercial offices, that Barcelona "will play a significant role" in 3D printing, being the group's flagship for the research and development of this technology. In fact, HP's current 3D technology has been developed at the multinational's headquarters in Palo Alto (California) and its facilities in Catalonia. HP explained that the main challenges engineers will have to face from now on are the slow speed and the low quality of the current 3D printing devices.

In 1985, HP opened a centre in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Greater Barcelona. In the last three decades, the centre has been expanded and has attracted further R&D and business activities, initially for southern Europe and after a while for the entire continent and the Middle East. In addition, the American multinational decided to set up its main innovation centre for large-scale printing at the Barcelona centre. Now, the strategic expansion of the centre continues, being the company's most important headquarters for 3D printing, which might revolutionise manufacturing processes.