Volkmann and HP Partner to Bring Contained Metal Powder Handling to Metal Jet S100

Volkmann GmbH has announced a collaboration with HP Additive Manufacturing Solutions to offer the vPort, a contained metal powder handling system built specifically for the HP Metal Jet S100 binder-jetting platform. The Soest, Germany-based powder conveying specialist published the announcement on March 12, 2026, through its U.S. subsidiary in Bristol, PA.

The vPort is positioned as a semi-automated, entry-level complement to the fully automated powder management solutions already available for HP's metal additive manufacturing line. If you're running a Metal Jet S100 and aren't ready to commit to a full closed-loop automation setup, this is the gap it's designed to fill. It handles the core post-build powder workflow: depowdering and parts cleaning, powder recovery and sieving, and refilling for the next build cycle.

Under the hood, the system integrates Volkmann's PowTReX basic, a platform the company has been refining since the original PowTReX launched in 2018, with a pneumatic vacuum conveyor, a glove box, and a locking dock. That last piece is what makes the containment story credible: the locking dock physically seals the interface between the HP S100 build unit and the powder handling system, while the glove box maintains that sealed environment during manual intervention steps. Powder moves between workflow stages via vacuum conveyor, keeping reactive metal powders contained rather than exposed to operators or ambient air.

Alexandre Tartas, Global Head of Sales and Go-to-Market Metals at HP Additive Manufacturing Solutions, framed the collaboration in direct operational terms. "We're excited to collaborate with Volkmann on the vPort system, a solution for powder handling for the HP Metal Jet S100 Printer," Tartas said. "This system combines safety for operations and operators with efficient workflow and processes. Easy to use and installed in a couple of days, customers can start production of high-quality end-use parts to secure or restore their supply chain."

That installation claim is significant. Metal powder handling infrastructure typically requires substantial setup time and facility integration work, so a system that can be commissioned in days has real appeal for shops trying to get production-ready quickly or recover capacity after a disruption.

Volkmann had already shown the vPort publicly before the formal announcement. At FORMNEXT 2025 in Frankfurt last November, the company displayed it alongside the PowTReX, vLoader 250, vHub 250, and the vLauncher prototype, describing vPort at the time as "a powder handling solution that offers specific functions for the HP S100 Metal Jet Build Unit." The January 22, 2026 introduction of the next-generation PowTReX, which automates powder transfer to and from multiple printers, sieves used powder after builds, and returns reclaimed material to the printing process, provides the technical foundation that the vPort's PowTReX basic integration draws from.

Pricing, throughput specifications, and sales channel details were not disclosed in the announcement materials.