The printer’s exterior consists of a rugged body on three wheels. It runs on two rechargeable batteries, each of which offers up to four hours of printing time. On top are a couple of basic buttons (one of which is likely an emergency stop, given that it’s red) as well as a Topcon layout navigator for visibility and obstacle avoidance.
Inside sits the actual printer, which is designed to work with a “portfolio of inks for different surfaces, environmental conditions, and durability requirements.” The inks range in longevity, with some lasting a few days for quicker jobs and others fading after several months for more complex ones. SitePrint can print layouts onto a variety of porous and non-porous surfaces, including plywood, vinyl, tarmac, and concrete—even when those surfaces contain roughness or obstacles up to two centimeters thick. Aside from the lines dividing, say, a kitchen from a bedroom, the robot can print text, arcs, and site control points, which are all essential to avoiding confusion (and having to conduct time-consuming reworks).
SitePrint is said to work 10 times faster than a human specialist. Like any other technology designed to supplement or replace human labor, HP’s robo-printer—whether the brand likes it or not—comes with obvious employment implications. But HP says SitePrint can work side-by-side with humans.
“Layout experts are a scarce resource who add a lot of value in terms of planning and strategy, but often end up dedicating most of their time to manual execution,” the company said. “HP SitePrint lets us do more with less, helping reduce schedules thanks to a much faster layout process, and allowing senior operators to focus on other critical activities like quality control.”
Someone has to operate SitePrint. Despite the robot’s ability to print autonomously, it still has to be told what to do through its accompanying touch screen tablet, which can be used for both configuration and remote control. HP plans to launch the robot this month through an early access program, at which point its real-life impact might be a little clearer.
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