MJF: MJF (Multi Jet Fusion) is HP's powder bed 3D printing process, which jets a fusing agent onto each layer of nylon powder and fuses it with infrared heat.
In an MJF printer a carriage spreads a layer of powder, then an inkjet head prints a fusing agent where the part should be and a detailing agent along its edges. An infrared lamp passes over, and the powder carrying fusing agent melts and fuses. Every layer is processed in the same passes whatever it contains, so layer time is close to constant.
What it means for the price
As with SLS, parts are nested in three dimensions inside a build unit, and each part pays its build share of the run. Time depends mainly on build height, so a well packed build is far cheaper per part than a sparse one of the same height. Powder refresh, cooling (which can take as long as the print) and bead blasting or dyeing complete the cost. Parts come out grey and are often dyed black.
Example: two builds of the same height take about the same time. If one holds 80 parts and the other 20, the machine cost per part differs by about four times. The figures are an example.
Common confusions
MJF is HP’s name for its process, and it prints polymers, not metal. Quotometry prices MJF today by build share. Compare the two processes in MJF vs SLS, or see the MJF process page.
Go deeper: MJF vs SLS: cost, quality, materials and when to choose each