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Fuse X1: The HP MJF Killer

Nov 3, 2026 · 7 min read

Last updated: Nov 3, 2026

Formlabs Fuse X1 · HP MJF · Comparison · TCO

Lowest entry cost, highest throughput at real packing densities, the cleanest workflow in large-format powder bed fusion, and five years of all-in service. Here's why the Formlabs Fuse X1 changes the MJF buying decision.

For years, Multi Jet Fusion was the default answer for production-scale polymer parts. If you wanted thousands of nylon parts a week, you signed for an HP Jet Fusion, built the room around it and accepted the service contract that came with it.

The Fuse X1 changes that. It's a large-format industrial SLS printer with a bigger build chamber than an HP 5600, at a fraction of the price. It packs parts roughly three times as densely and runs from a standard power socket. In this article we compare the two on the four things a production buyer actually signs off on: upfront cost, throughput, workflow and return on investment. Then we look at the part most comparisons skip: what happens over the next five years.

A note on sources. Most of the head-to-head figures below are published by Formlabs on its Fuse X1 vs HP Jet Fusion 5600 comparison page. We say so wherever a number is Formlabs' own. HP pricing varies by region and contract, so use these figures as a starting point for your own quote.

The headline numbers

Source: Formlabs' Fuse X1 and Fuse X1 vs HP Jet Fusion 5600 pages, November 2026. HP figures are as published by Formlabs.

1. Lowest upfront investment in its class

In large-format industrial powder bed fusion (build chambers of 40 L and up), nothing gets you in the door for less. The Fuse X1 printer starts at €72,499 in the EU. Formlabs puts the full ecosystem (printer, Fuse Sift X1, Fuse Blast and build chambers) at less than a third of the cost of an HP 5600 ecosystem.

Comparable P3-class SLS machines such as the EOS P 396 or TPM3D P360 typically sell for €200,000–450,000. On the HP side, the printer alone starts around $400,000, and a complete installation with post-processing passes $600,000. Then come the costs that don't appear on the quote:

• Facility work. The HP 5600 needs 3-phase 80 A industrial power and 2.8 m² of floor for the printer alone. The X1 runs on single-phase power, fits through a standard door and takes 1.3 m², less than half the floor space of an HP 5600 (2.8 m²) or an EOS P3 NEXT (2.7 m²).
• Adding a second material. On MJF, a second material typically means a dedicated build unit, cooling unit and post-processing station, which Formlabs puts at over $100,000. On the X1, a material change takes a few hours, and a second printer costs less than HP's extra build-unit kit.
• Moving the machine. Formlabs reports that relocating an HP 5600 within your own facility costs $15,000.

For most shops this decides the purchase. An X1 fits in a department budget. An HP 5600 needs board sign-off and a facilities project.

2. Highest throughput in its class

MJF's reputation for speed comes from its raw layer rate: the IR lamps fuse a whole layer in one pass. But raw layer rate isn't what you sell. You sell parts, and the number of parts per build is set by how tightly you can pack the chamber.

This is where MJF runs into its own physics. HP's recommended maximum packing density is about 8–10% by volume; above that, heat builds up between parts and causes defects. The Fuse X1 packs at 30% and more, three times as dense, in a chamber that is 50% larger. Against other large-format industrial SLS machines, Formlabs claims about three times the throughput, and the most parts per build of any competing industrial SLS or MJF system.

Formlabs tested it on the same job: about 3,230 identical parts.

Source: Formlabs.

On a real production nest, the X1 delivers about three times the output. Packing density pays off twice more. Less unsintered powder is heated per part, so less is wasted. And there are no fusing or detailing agents, which on MJF are used up on every build however full the chamber is.

Two honest caveats. Packing density depends on part geometry, so run the comparison on your own parts. And for very large single parts that can't be nested, the advantage shrinks.

3. Cleanest workflow in its class

The X1 workflow is five steps, and every one is contained:

1. Prepare in PreForm, which is free and auto-packs the build.
2. Print. Quick-connect build chamber, automated powder loading, no optics cleaning between prints.
3. Unpack in the Fuse Sift X1, with an integrated glovebox and compressed air. Semi-automated, about 15–20 minutes.
4. Clean and polish in the Fuse Blast: automatic, about 20 minutes, and parts come out an even dark grey, ready for end use.
5. Refresh and load powder with the vacuum transport system.

From print to finished part takes as little as 35–40 minutes, with about 20–25 minutes of hands-on labour. Turnaround between prints is about 5 minutes.

MJF has more steps, done by more specialised people:

• Unpacking is manual or semi-manual, and HP doesn't offer an integrated media blaster, so you buy third-party equipment.
• Parts come out light grey and often blotchy, so they usually need dyeing. Customer-facing parts often need vapour smoothing as well, which means more equipment and chemical handling.
• Maintenance between prints takes 30+ minutes, according to Formlabs.
• Operators need a ~9.5-hour certification, so most companies limit the machine to a few trained technicians. On the X1, training takes about an hour.
• Packing builds usually means Materialise Magics, at around $20,000 a year in software.

Fewer steps mean fewer places for powder to escape, fewer specialist hours and fewer ways for a build to go wrong. Print Intelligence adds to that: the X1 uses computer vision and 13 independent thermal zones to detect an anomaly mid-build and mask the affected area, saving the rest of the job.

4. Highest ROI in its class

Return on investment means what you spend against what you produce. The X1 wins on both.

What you spend. Based on Formlabs' published figures, five years of ownership compare like this:

Materials don't close the gap. HP powder runs $32–64/kg depending on the model, plus $20–30/kg in agents and printheads. Formlabs Nylon 12 is $99/kg at list, with no agents or printheads to pay for. Formlabs advertises bulk prices down to $45/kg, but in our experience that takes around 10 tonnes a year. At that volume, IM3D PA12 Balance Black costs about €36/kg, and it runs on the X1 through Open Material Mode.

What you produce. Roughly three times the parts per hour (section 2) on about a quarter of the five-year cost. That's where the ROI comes from. Autotiv, a US service bureau, says its X1 "returned on investment about five times faster than comparable SLS systems" (Formlabs case study). Tesla's Giga Nevada lab uses X1s to print around 20,000 parts a month that would otherwise have gone to injection moulding.

Your ROI depends on how full you keep the machine. The math is simple, though: lower capital, lower running costs and more parts per build all point the same way.

5. Future-proofing: five years, no surprises

This is where the X1 pulls furthest ahead, and where most comparisons stop looking.

Every Fuse X1 comes with Formlabs' Production Service Plan. You can buy it for one, three or five years. Buy five years upfront and two of them are free: $12,300 a year, or $61,500 (US) / €52,500 (EU) for five years of cover. Here's what that covers:

• Accidental damage: a dropped build chamber or an operator mistake is covered.
• The whole ecosystem, not just the printer: Sift, Blast and build chambers.
• Wear parts and consumables such as quartz tubes, filters and gaskets, the parts that usually turn a "warranty" into a recurring invoice.
• On-site repairs within 2 business days, by Formlabs or a certified local SLS expert, at no extra charge. Replacement parts ship free.
• Preventive maintenance twice a year, plus on-site calibration with a report.
• An uptime spare-parts kit on site.
• Direct phone and email support and customised remote training.

In other words, for a fixed amount you know on day one, any service visit you need is covered for five years. You can budget the machine as a fixed cost per year and nothing more.

Compare HP. The 5600's compulsory service plan costs about $50,000 a year, or $250,000 over five years, and Formlabs reports it doesn't cover everything. Moving the printer within your own building, for example, is billed separately at $15,000.

The X1 is also future-proof in two other ways:

• Materials. Open Material Mode lets the X1 run any 1064 nm powder. HP's ecosystem accepts HP-certified materials only. When a new grade appears, or when you want a second supplier, the X1 can take it.
• Software. PreForm, Dashboard fleet management and Print Intelligence are free and updated regularly. There's no annual licence fee to keep paying.

Plan details from Formlabs' SLS service plans page, November 2026. Terms and conditions apply; see Formlabs' Hardware Service Terms.

Where MJF still has the edge

"Killer" is a headline, so here's the fine print. There are still good reasons to buy an HP:

• Material library today. HP ships six materials for the 5600 now, including flame-retardant and white PA12. The X1's OEM line-up is Nylon 12 today, Nylon 11 in Q1 2027, and Glass Filled and TPU 90A by June 2027. With Open Material Mode, IM3D can already supply PA11-class, glass-filled and TPU powders for the X1 today.
• Track record. MJF has years of production data and qualified parts behind it. The X1 is new.
• Existing fleets. If you already run MJF with qualified parts and trained staff, adding another HP may be simpler than adding a second ecosystem.

For almost every shop buying its first large-format production machine, or adding capacity without a facilities project, the X1 is the stronger case.

The powder question

The X1's lower running costs drop further when you take control of your powder. Formlabs Nylon 12 is $99/kg at list. With Open Material Mode, IM3D PA12 Balance Black runs on the X1's 1064 nm laser at €45/kg in 10 kg boxes from EU stock (about €36/kg at 10-tonne annual volumes), and we'll work with you on the X1 print profile. For the materials Formlabs hasn't shipped yet, PA12 Performance Black, PA12 Glass Filled Black and TPU 88A Black cover the PA11, GF and TPU use cases today.

The bottom line

The HP Jet Fusion 5600 is a capable machine, built around assumptions that no longer hold: that production SLS needs a dedicated room, industrial power, a specialist technician and a $50,000-a-year service contract. The Fuse X1 does the same job for a fraction of the entry cost and about a quarter of the five-year cost. It packs three times as densely, finishes parts in under an hour, and covers you for five years, accidental damage included, for $61,500 in the US or €52,500 in the EU.

That's why we call it the MJF killer.

Request a sample part printed on the X1 (Formlabs Nylon 12) · Talk to us about an X1 print profile · See Fuse X1 powders · Read the Fuse X1 vs HP MJF 5210 Pro comparison

Inframotion 3D B.V. is fully independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Formlabs or HP. Fuse X1, Fuse Sift X1, Fuse Blast, PreForm, Print Intelligence, Open Material Mode and Nylon 12 are trademarks of Formlabs. HP, Jet Fusion and Multi Jet Fusion are trademarks of HP Inc. Comparison figures are taken from Formlabs' published materials as of November 2026 and have not been independently verified by IM3D. HP pricing, service terms and performance vary by region, configuration and contract. Verify current figures before relying on them.

Before publishing (for Lucas, not part of the article)

• EU service plan price. €52,500 for 5 years, now in section 5 and the bottom line.
• The plan is required: source. Go to Formlabs' SLS Service Plans page, scroll to the comparison table and pick "Fuse 1 Series and Fuse X1 Production Service Plan" in the right-hand column. Its Eligibility row reads "3+ Fuse 1 Series Printer Fleet / Required for Fuse X1". The X1 vs HP MJF 5210 Pro article says the X1's "service plan is optional", so fix it before publishing this one.
• Throughput contradicts the 5210 Pro article. This article says the X1 has ~3× MJF's throughput (Formlabs' 5600 test). The older article says MJF is faster on raw build rate. They're compatible (raw rate vs packed output), but align the wording so readers don't see two answers.
• "In its class" claims. Title and superlatives signed off by marketing. The class is large-format industrial powder bed fusion (40 L and up). Keep the quotes behind the €200,000–450,000 EOS/TPM3D range on file.
• Sample + profile CTA. Confirmed: X1 sample parts can be requested, printed in Formlabs Nylon 12, and IM3D works with customers on the X1 profile. The article and CTAs now say exactly that.