Velo3D - Removing the Barriers of Metal Additive Manufacturing

The best engineers thrive when tasked with creating something complex and new. It's truly incredible to see what can be created seemingly from scratch with enough time. But, in today's fast-paced world, timelines are getting shorter. That's why providing engineers with modern tools complements their creativity and keeps projects on schedule and under budget.

While most standard parts can be designed, modified, or repurposed quickly, there is often a need for incredibly complex parts that are difficult to manufacture, especially for industries like aerospace and defense. These parts can throw a project out of sync and often end up with longer-than-expected lead times and higher costs than anticipated.

The adoption of Additive Manufacturing (aka “3D printing”) in manufacturing has increased dramatically in the last ten years. This technology, in conjunction with other traditional manufacturing methods, has proven itself invaluable for everything from prototypes to production. Of course, like any technology, additive manufacturing has limitations, but the world's top 3D printing companies are working to address these opportunities.

That's why Velo3D was formed. Built by a team of engineers, Velo3D set out to create a metal additive manufacturing solution that broke the barriers of what was previously considered impossible, allowing engineers to make the parts they need.

What makes Velo3D so unique is how the company started. The company was built by a team of people developing next-generation metal additive manufacturing technology with minimal direct experience in additive manufacturing. While this may sound negative, it's actually a huge positive because they weren't bound by the status quo of what was considered "possible or impossible" with Additive. Instead, the focus was, and always will be, providing engineers with the parts they need and working backward to develop the technology necessary to accomplish that goal.

When we first started looking at metal, we wanted to make sure that it was a complement to our current offerings and that the culture between the two companies would be a good fit. With Velo3D, having an amazing team with a product that stands out above the rest, it was an easy decision for GoEngineer to partner with them. ~ Mark Wolfley | EVP Digital Manufacturing | GoEngineer

Geometries Engineers Depend On

Functional, high-performance metal parts can be simple or very complex with features like internal fluid or thermal transfer channels, organic geometries that can't be machined, particular material properties, and other advanced features.

These parts, often mission-critical, need to be able to perform in the harshest of environments while mitigating risks that could be catastrophic. That's where Velo3D shines. The ability to produce parts with functionality first rather than design constraints is why the world's most innovative companies choose Velo3D.

Velo3D can accomplish this because the complete ecosystem is fine-tuned for performance. The Velo3D advantage is evident from loading the first part into the intuitive software until the finished part is installed and functions as expected.

Velo3D’s advanced, fully integrated metal additive manufacturing solution helps engineers build the complex, mission-critical parts they need without compromising design, quality, or performance.

Complex Geometry

With protrusion-tolerant non-contact recoater and underlying Intelligent Fusion processes, the control is so precise, the need to design-in support structures is greatly reduced and often eliminated.

Low Angles, Thin Walls & High Aspect Ratios

Velo3D's solutions enable extremely low print angles down to 0-degree horizontal overhangs, horizontal inner diameter holes from 100mm+ down to 500 microns, high aspect ratios 6000:1 pins, thin walls down to 150 microns, and down to 15 microns Sa surface finish at 3 degrees for increased part performance.

Optimized Performance

Velo3D’s fully integrated solution ensures lighter, balanced, more durable parts with complex angles for new designs or optimization of replacement parts.

The Velo3D Recipe

Flow Software

Velo3D's Flow™ software intelligently analyzes the geometry of your part, assigning the ideal process from a standardized library to quickly reach first-print success. Its intuitive interface simplifies print preparation, eliminating months of highly specialized development work so you can get the part that you need fast.

Sapphire Family of Metal AM Printers

An advanced metal additive manufacturing system designed to unlock your innovations from the limitations of traditional manufacturing.

Assure Software

With push-button calibrations and a network of ~1,000 sensors, Assure provides unprecedented traceability of machine health, part integrity, and build reporting.

Intelligent Fusion

Highly intelligent processes that bind print preparation software, advanced metal printer patented technology, and quality assurance software into a complete end-to-end manufacturing solution by intelligently managing the information flow, sensor data, and the advanced printing technology for precision control of the entire process for multiple mission-critical industries.

From the print software that prepares parts for printing to the printer itself and the continuous monitoring of every single layer, Velo3D's solution checks all the boxes of a manufacturing powerhouse. Companies rely on Velo3D's capabilities to produce components such as tooling inserts, microturbines, high-pressure tanks, turbopumps, heat exchangers, and much more.

Expanding into New Applications & Industries

While the Velo3D ecosystem was developed with industries such as aerospace, automotive, and defense in mind, the functionality can be utilized across many applications and industries. One great example of this is the maintenance and repair divisions of companies.

In challenging economic times like these, the supply chain is significantly impacted. While a company can find ways to thrive in this environment, they are often at the mercy of the equipment on the floor. If a component breaks down and replacements are back-ordered, downtime can bring production to a screeching halt.

These challenges create the need for companies to make difficult decisions to keep things moving. They either need to build an inventory of replacement parts that take up shelf space and ties up capital or scramble to find solutions as needed, often at a premium price and with long lead times

What if, instead, companies had a digital inventory of parts that could either be 3D printed in metal in-house or by a local service provider? The idea of manufacturing on demand with digital distribution enables maintenance and repair to utilize metal additive. This on-demand capability has the potential to keep a company moving while others are at a standstill.

“It’s hard to comprehend how big the maintenance and repair market is for Velo3D technology.” ~ Zach Murphree | VP of Global Sales | Velo3D

Current Materials

Aluminum F357

Ideal for heat transfer in the defense & automotive industries.

Amperprint 0233 – Haynes 282

Ideal for high-temperature applications such as gas turbines & power/process industry parts.

Copper: GRCop 42

Valuable for rocket engine components such as fuel injector faces & combustion chamber linings with regenerative cooling.

Watch Now >> VELO3D Printing Material Spotlight: Copper - GRCop-42

Hastelloy C22

Used in corrosive environments with high chloride & high-temperature conditions, such as flue-gas scrubbers, nuclear fuel reprocessing, sour gas handling, & pesticide production.

Hastelloy X

Used in high-temperature & corrosive atmosphere applications. Commonly used in gas turbines, energy generation applications such as transition ducts, combustor cans, afterburners, & spray bars.

Inconel 625

Ideal for nuclear energy & marine applications.

Inconel 718

Ideal for applications in gas turbine & power/process industry parts in aerospace, defense, & chemical industries.

M300 Tool Steel

Ideal for automotive tooling applications, such as High-Pressure Die Cast (HPDC) inserts, tooling inserts, tire sipes & molds, & other high-strength components.

Watch Now >> Introducing Velo3D's Newest Material: M300 Tool Steel

Scalmalloy

Ideal for highly loaded, safety-critical parts exposed to high mechanical stress & which are required to be lightweight.

Titanium 6AI-4V

Used in jet engines, gas turbines, pressure vessels, & biomechanical components.

Learn more about Velo3D materials here. 

GoEngineer has had its finger on the pulse of metal additive manufacturing for over a decade. We have evaluated several technologies and have seen success and challenges. Our lineup of 3D printing technology offers a solution to nearly any challenge designers & engineers face. From highly detailed and accurate prototypes to functional metal parts used in rocket engines, we are here to help you, so get in touch today.

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