Los Angeles, Feb 6 (IANS): Expanding its 3D printing portfolio, HP Inc has introduced the industry's first 3D printing technology to enable manufacturers to produce engineering-grade, functional parts in full colour, black or white.

The expansion brings "voxel-level" innovation with low-cost HP Jet Fusion 300/500 Series -- available from $50,000 -- that will enable small-to-medium-sized product development teams and design businesses, entrepreneurs and universities and research institutions.

A voxel is a 3D pixel; and HP's Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) printers can determine colour for each of the 3D voxel cubes.

"No matter your industry, no matter your design complexity, no matter what colours fit your business needs, the new HP Jet Fusion 300/500 series gives you the freedom to create brilliant new parts liberated from the constraints of traditional production methods," said Stephen Nigro, President of 3D Printing, HP Inc.

Nigro was speaking during the annual "SOLIDWORKS World 2018" conference by Dassault Systemes that began here on Monday.

The HP will begin shipping Jet Fusion 300/500 series of 3D printers in the second half of 2018.

With this portfolio expansion, HP is providing users of its Multi Jet Fusion solutions the ability to prototype and produce new designs and applications on the same platform.

HP is already engaging in the co-development of new colour applications with universities and businesses around the world, including Phoenix Children's Hospital, Yazaki Corp., and Youngstown State University, among others.

In addition to providing voxel-level control, the new Jet Fusion 300/500 series of 3D printers has a compact design, enhanced workflow solution, and the world's first integrated and automated materials delivery system.

The series also supports the three leading colour file formats (OBJ, VRML and 3MF), enabling designers to reliably and easily produce the parts they want without the inconvenience of file conversion or data corruption.