Transfer of inkjet printing technology to 3D printing has shown great potential as HP Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) system offers 10 times higher speeds of 3D printing compared to traditional melt deposition (FDM) technology by spraying 340 million drops of photo-sensitive resin per second. Single layer thickness is regulated to 20 microns, and surface roughness (Ra value) is reduced from 12.5μm in FDM to 1.6μm. MIT Scientists in 2023 created “High-Speed Sintering” technology, using the on-demand drop (DOD) nozzle of an inkjet printer that improves the efficiency of laser sintering in nylon powders to 2.8 kg/hour. The usage of the material increased from 65% to 92% in the original SLS process, and it reduced the per-piece production cost by 37%. From a multi-material compatibility perspective, the Stratasys J750 platform includes a 6-channel inkjet printhead which simultaneously dispenses up to six Shore A50-to-D85 range photopolymers in order to make one part with 300% contrast in the elastic modulus.
Cost-wise, inkjet printer-based 3D printing technology is upending the economics of the supply chain. Carbon’s digital Light synthesis (DLS) technology features an inkjet resin tank renewal solution to reduce print time for big parts, such as automotive console, from 72 hours to 6.5 hours, reducing device energy consumption to 3.2 kilowatts per hour, or 58% less than traditional light curing (SLA) machines. The penetration rate of inkjet 3D printing in the dental market has increased to 19%, according to McKinsey’s 2024 report. The cost of producing a single invisible tooth retainer is lowered from $85 to $23 via CNC processing, and the error margin of precision is regulated within ±25 microns. But technical challenges remain: Xaar’s piezo nozzle needs to survive operating temperatures of 120 ° C when used to print high-temperature metal slurps, such as 316L stainless steel, reducing nozzle life from 12,000 hours in standard applications to 2,500 hours, and increasing maintenance costs to 34% of the total equipment cost of ownership.
The materials science advance is compelling the convergence of technologies. In 2025, the Fraunhofer Institute’s nano-silver conductive ink was deposited by the inkjet printer into electrical lines of 10μm in width and of a resistivity of as low as 3.2×10⁻⁸ Ω·m, enhancing the functional integration of electronic devices printed with 3D by sixfold. In the biomedical field, Organovo’s ExVive Human Liver Tissues used advanced inkjet technology to precisely dispense liver cells at 200 cells per second. Survival rate of constructed organoids increased from 62% in hand-cultured to 91%, and the drug testing cycle was reduced by 40%. Market statistics show that the global inkjet 3D printing market size in 2023 was 2.7 billion US dollars with an annual growth rate of 31%, and it only accounted for 12% of the entire additive manufacturing market, and its limiting factor in commercialization is cost of material research and development (cost of one single special resin development of approximately 2 million US dollars) and equipment initial investment (average price of industrial level system of 480,000 US dollars).
The technological revolution still has to break through physical limits: While the current industry-leading lamination speed in inkjet 3D printing is limited to 5 layers per second (50μm per layer), the “Single Pass Jetting” technology of Desktop Metal and Boston Dynamics can print a metal part at a 1.2 kg per hour speed by simultaneously spraying 2,560 nozzles. However, powder utilization rate is below 85%. According to Gartner, through inkjet printer-based 3D printing technology, by 2028, 35% of the consumer electronics prototype production market will be attained and the key driver will be the ability to duplicate 0.02 mm detail and flowless integration of 8-color gradient materials. The success or failure of this technology integration will depend on breakthrough speed and cost control ability of inkjet systems in the processing of difficult-to-process materials such as superalloys and ceramics.