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    Velo3D
    Velo3D-printer
    1. Research and Development

    VELO3D Launches Large Format, 1 Meter Tall, Industrial 3D Metal Printer

    April 15, 2020
    The next-generation Sapphire machine will print up to 1 meter in height, making it the world’s tallest laser-powder additive manufacturing system.

    Digital manufacturing innovator VELO3D announced today its plans to launch a next-generation Sapphire industrial 3D metal printer with a vertical axis of 1 meter. The system will ship in Q4 2020, with precision-tool and component manufacturer Knust-Godwin securing the first order to produce parts for an oil and gas application.

    “Our vision at VELO3D is to enable end-users to build whatever they want without the constraints of yesterday’s standards,” states Benny Buller, Founder, and CEO of VELO3D. “One of those constraints is the build envelope. A meter-tall system enables industrial applications that couldn’t be built before, especially for oilfield service tools and flight hardware. Best of all, it will still utilize our highly patented SupportFree process, in-situ calibration, and process control for quality assurance.”

    The immediate part opportunity that Knust-Godwin will address with the meter-tall Sapphire printer is a part for oilfield drilling that is currently manufactured by more than five subtractive processes. Additive manufacturing enables the consolidation of such traditional processes, improving part quality and part performance. 

    “There tends to be a trade-off between large-format additive machines and part quality; VELO3D is attractive to us because of their semiconductor heritage and engineering disciplines around process control and metrology,” states Mike Corliss, VP of Technology at Knust-Godwin. “We have confidence that we’ll be able to build mission-critical industrial parts without compromises made to part quality.”

    The technical features of the meter-tall Sapphire printer include a 315 mm-diameter build plate, dual 1kW lasers, in-situ optical calibration, and many of the same characteristics of the existing Sapphire machine. It will be the world’s tallest production metal-powder laser additive manufacturing system, exceeding the build height of both the SLM 800 and the GE Additive X Line 2000R.

    The system will be commercially available starting in late 2020 and compatible with nickel-based alloys.

    About the Author

    Velo3D

    Velo3D addresses the most difficult additive manufacturing challenges by delivering a comprehensive, end-to-end solution that takes additive manufacturing capabilities far beyond today’s standard.

    In the quest to enable tomorrow’s innovations, Velo3D envisions a future in which products are designed without constraints, are optimized for best performance, and are more affordable and environmentally sound. In developing our Intelligent Fusion technology and our comprehensive metal additive manufacturing suite, comprised of our Flow Pre-Print Software and our revolutionary new Sapphire System, that future is here.

    Founded in 2014, Velo3D employs over 100 engineers with a unique combination of disciplines: Process Development, Materials Science, Experimentation & Simulation, Control, Computational Geometry, Capital Equipment Design and Integration. Velo3D’s approach to problem solving is one-of-a-kind in the industry, based on deep fundamental insights into physics enabled by a disciplined approach of research and characterization, understanding of mechanism, intelligent process control, software simulation and in-situ metrology.