HP unveils Multi Jet Fusion 1200 and 600 HT for aerospace serial production at RAPID + TCT 2026

HP introduced the Multi Jet Fusion 1200, a compact 12-liter build volume system for design studios, alongside the industrial 600 HT printer capable of processing high-temperature polymers for aerospace applications, at RAPID + TCT 2026 in London. The company also announced a 20% productivity improvement for its 5600-series software and a new Ni718 nickel-based superalloy powder for its Metal Jet S100 platform. These launches target bridging the gap between prototyping and mass production in aerospace and defense, with the 600 HT already available in the US and Canada.

This move places HP directly into the aerospace qualification grind, where polymer AM adoption has been limited by the narrow range of certified high-temperature materials. The 600 HT's ability to process specialty polymers addresses a critical gap that competitors like EOS and Stratasys have long served with PEEK and PEKK systems, but HP brings its established Multi Jet Fusion ecosystem — including software workflow integration and distributed manufacturing network — to bear on serial production rather than prototyping. The Ni718 powder for the S100 platform also signals HP's intent to compete in the metal AM binder jetting space, where Desktop Metal and ExOne have historically led but where HP's powder-and-software bundling strategy could lower the total cost of qualification for defense primes.

For aerospace buyers, the practical question is whether HP can deliver the material qualification data packages and process repeatability that programs require, not whether the hardware prints faster. The 600 HT's availability in North America first is a deliberate signal that HP is targeting the US defense supply chain, where NDAA §849 restrictions on foreign-made AM equipment create a protected market for domestically qualified systems. HP must now demonstrate that its polymer MJF process can hold the same certification pedigree as laser-based PBF systems for flight-critical parts, or this remains a tooling-and-jigs play.