While 3D printer manufacturers like 3D Systems (DDD) and Stratasys (SSYS) will face tougher competition when HP (HP) finally enters the 3D printer market later this year, some other companies in the supply chain will benefit to some degree. Both Proto Labs (PRLB) and Materialise (MTLS) are partners to the new printers being offered by HP. Proto Labs will provide a product testing site for the HP printers and Materialise has 3D printing software that will be compatible. The companies had the following to say about the partnership: “For manufacturers to get the most benefit out of 3D printing, they need tight integration between 3D printing hardware and workflow,” Fried Vancraen, Materialise CEO. “Materialise is helping customers incorporate 3D printing into their existing processes by working with HP to enable optimal integration between Materialise Magics 3D Print Suite and HP’s Multi Jet Fusion technology.” “The new technology looks like a truly exciting leap ahead in industrial-grade 3D printing, said Rob Connelly, vice president of Additive Manufacturing, Proto Labs. “We at Proto Labs look forward to collaborating with HP to advance this new platform that could result in significantly higher productivity, improved part quality and lower cost.” Both companies are relatively small so any partnership with HP could pay off big time. Materialize is naturally the smallest company with annual revenue barely topping $120 million, but customers are more likely to immediately try out the printers at a Proto Labs facility to test the speed and costs for rapid prototyping or even a small production run. The only problem is that the printers aren't being delivered to where these companies will see any benefits until early 2017. Until then, earnings calls and presentations with management might provide some clues on whether this partnership will pay off. Disclosure: No position