HP Innovation Journal Issue 13: Winter 2019 | Page 20

On any given day, a number of projects are underway with
teams working in the realms of machine simulation, mate-
rials design, software solutions, and more, with the goal
of improving additive manufacturing. Experts in systems
engineering, data intelligence, software, materials science,
design, and 3D printing systems are working to transform
all kinds of industries, including creating consumer goods
such as footwear on its 3D plastic printers, as well as Multi
Jet Fusion and Metal Jet printers.
Blasco’s typical day starts at 9:30a.m. and can stretch till
as late as 8:00p.m., occupied with a string of meetings to
keep the Metal Jet project on track. “Some can be related
to technical issues and development, some are manage-
ment priorities, others are logistical and operational
meetings,” she explains.
Born outside of Valencia, Blasco graduated with an engi-
neering degree from Lyon’s prestigious National Institute
of Applied Sciences (INSA). She began her career at HP
in 2012, working as a research and development engineer
with 2D industrial printers on the Barcelona campus.
In 2015, she moved over to the company’s first plastics
division. “It was a small team of us, just 15 people, and was
very stressful but also very rewarding,” says Blasco. “The
first thing I worked on was the calibration of the 3D plas-
tic printer so it could work with different temperatures.”
Her extensive knowledge of 3D plastic printers made her
a natural fit when HP began developing its first 3D metal
printers. She joined the Metals staff in 2018 as a program
manager, working with a team of around 60 people and
helping to define the manufacturing process. “As a pro-
gram manager, my role is to ensure the Metal Jet project’s
various teams—R&D, marketing, operations, customer
assurance, and finance—are all aligned,” she explains. “We
really work in a startup mode because we are developing
the product while we already have customers in the field.”
The printers are already executing the first phase of
metal parts production for the automotive and medical
industries, allowing thousands of smaller pieces, such as
Program manager
Carmen Blasco works
with teams running tests
on HP’s cutting-edge
3D Metal Jet printers.
0 8 : 0 0
18
0 9 : 0 0
HP Innovation Journal Issue 13
1 0 : 0 0
1 1 : 0 0
1 2 : 0 0
1 3 : 0 0
1 4 : 0 0