Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman dropped a small bomb on the 3D printer market and said that the company in June will outline enterprise systems that will create models and parts faster and with higher quality.
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Whitman was asked about HP's no show in 3D printing so far at the company's annual shareholder meeting Wednesday. She said HP was "hot on the case of 3D printing." Whitman said there has been a lot of hype in the market and that watching 3D print projects complete was "like watching ice melt" and the quality "isn't where it should be."
"We think we've solved both of those problems," said Whitman.
Gallery: Stratasys 3D printer
HP plans to outline its 3D printing plans in June with a tech announcement. Shares of Stratasys, ExOne and 3-D Systems took a hit on the news.
The move is expected and 3D printer players have been bulking up in anticipation of HP's move. Whitman said that HP will initially focus on the enterprise market, which will be much bigger than the consumer 3D printer opportunity.
"We're going to focus on the business side of 3D printing first. The bigger market will be the enterprise space for parts and prototypes," said Whitman.
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