Vertex Manufacturing Orders Two Additional Sapphire XC 3D Printers, Including the First Large-format GRCop-42 System in Velo3D’s Contract Manufacturer Network

Rhea-AI Summary

Velo3D, a leader in metal additive manufacturing, announced the acquisition of two new Sapphire XC printers by Vertex Manufacturing. These printers enhance capabilities to produce complex aerospace parts, including those made from Inconel 718 and GRCop-42, a high-performance alloy. Vertex serves various industries like aerospace and medical devices, offering advanced manufacturing solutions. The investment signifies a commitment to meet growing customer demands and improve production efficiency in mission-critical parts.

Positive

• Acquisition of two Sapphire XC printers enhances Vertex Manufacturing's production capabilities.
• Printers are calibrated for advanced materials like Inconel 718 and GRCop-42 for aerospace applications.
• Vertex's expertise in additive manufacturing and extensive industry experience strengthens market position.

Negative

• None.

The New Printers Allow the Company to Expand its Ability to Help Customers Build Their Most Complex Parts Without Compromising the Designs, Including Some of the Largest GRCop-42 Aerospace Parts in the World

CINCINNATI, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Velo3D, Inc. (NYSE: VLD), a leading metal additive manufacturing technology company for mission-critical parts, today announced Vertex Manufacturing (a subsidiary of PrinterPrezz) has ordered two new Sapphire XC printers to complement its existing fleet and meet the demands of its customers. The large-format Sapphire printers will help Vertex offer production capabilities at scale, are calibrated for Inconel 718 and GRCop-42, and will be capable of printing parts 600 mm in diameter and 550 mm in height.

As a leader in additive manufacturing (AM) and secondary processes, Vertex specializes in providing effective solutions to demanding customer engineering challenges. Capabilities include a wide range of post-processing services such as full 5-axis machining and finished-product surface treatments. Vertex currently operates a fleet of Sapphire printers calibrated to print in Inconel 718, a nickel-based superalloy that provides high strength and oxidation resistance even at near-melting point temperatures. Available at scale, Vertex also offers manufacturing using GRCop-42, a copper, chromium and niobium alloy that was developed by NASA for use in regeneratively-cooled rocket engines. With these technologies, customers spanning multiple critical industries including aerospace, space, medical devices, and semiconductor, can rely on Vertex for all challenging scenarios.

“As the AM landscape continues to mature, the technology has become invaluable, enabling faster product development times and significantly reduced manufacturing cycles,” stated Tim Warden, VP of Sales and Manufacturing at Vertex Manufacturing. “Velo3D’s fully integrated solution allows our customers to print difficult geometries with limited support structures, so they can focus on optimizing their parts rather than having to adjust and compromise designs. We’re thrilled to add these printers to our manufacturing floor, especially our new GRCop-42 printer, empowering our customers to solve their evolving demands”

With Vertex focused on advanced industries like aerospace, defense, and medical devices, customers at scale rely on Vertex to stay competitive. Vertex’s comprehensive and agile manufacturing pipeline pairs advanced tools such as Makino a61nx CNC machining and FANUC Robodrill tools to deliver finished, ready-to-use parts to its customers.

“The traction additive manufacturing continues to see in the aerospace industry is largely driven by the significant advancements that have been made and the ability for contract manufacturers like Vertex to execute successfully on its goal of delivering high-quality, finished parts, allowing engineers to focus on designing—rather than manufacturing,” said Dr. Zach Murphree, Velo3D VP of Global Sales and Business Development. “The feedback we’ve heard from Vertex’s customers has been very positive and it’s largely due to Vertex’s ability to deliver exactly what customers need.”

Vertex’s leadership team has extensive experience in AM. Greg Morris, Vertex’s co-founder, was a pioneer in the metal AM industry. In 1994, Morris founded Morris Technologies (MTI), the first company in North America to deliver a metal sintering 3D printer to market. MTI was acquired by GE Aviation in 2012.

To learn more about Velo3D and Vertex’s partnership, stop by the Velo3D booth (#2.0-D01) at Formnext in Frankfurt, Germany November 15-18.

About Velo3D:

Velo3D is a metal 3D printing technology company. 3D printing—also known as additive manufacturing (AM)—has a unique ability to improve the way high-value metal parts are built. However, legacy metal AM has been greatly limited in its capabilities since its invention almost 30 years ago. This has prevented the technology from being used to create the most valuable and impactful parts, restricting its use to specific niches where the limitations were acceptable.

Velo3D has overcome these limitations so engineers can design and print the parts they want. The company’s solution unlocks a wide breadth of design freedom and enables customers in space exploration, aviation, power generation, energy and semiconductor to innovate the future in their respective industries. Using Velo3D, these customers can now build mission-critical metal parts that were previously impossible to manufacture. The end-to-end solution includes the Flow print preparation software, the Sapphire family of printers, and the Assure quality control system—all of which are powered by Velo3D’s Intelligent Fusion manufacturing process. The company delivered its first Sapphire system in 2018 and has been a strategic partner to innovators such as SpaceX, Honeywell, Honda, Chromalloy, and Lam Research. Velo3D has been named to San Francisco Chronicle’s prestigious annual list of Top Workplaces in the Bay Area 2022. For more information, please visit Velo3D.com, or follow the company on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1996. The Company’s actual results may differ from its expectations, estimates and projections and consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as “expect”, “estimate”, “project”, “budget”, “forecast”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “plan”, “may”, “will”, “could”, “should”, “believes”, “predicts”, “potential”, “continue”, and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the Company’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies for the future. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described in the documents filed by the Company from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Most of these factors are outside the Company’s control and are difficult to predict. The Company cautions not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, including projections, which speak only as of the date made. The Company does not undertake or accept any obligation to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

VELO, VELO3D, SAPPHIRE, and INTELLIGENT FUSION, are registered trademarks of Velo3D, Inc.; and WITHOUT COMPROMISE, FLOW and ASSURE are trademarks of Velo3D, Inc. All Rights Reserved © Velo3D, Inc.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221115005354/en/

Media Contact:

Dan Sorensen, Senior Director of Public Relations

press@velo3d.com

Investor Relations:

Bob Okunski, VP Investor Relations

investors@velo3d.com

Source: Velo3D

FAQ

What recent announcement did Velo3D make regarding Vertex Manufacturing?

Velo3D announced that Vertex Manufacturing ordered two new Sapphire XC printers to enhance its production capabilities.

How do the new printers impact Velo3D's business?

The new printers enable Vertex to produce complex aerospace parts more efficiently, potentially boosting Velo3D's market presence.

What materials can the new Sapphire XC printers print?

The new printers can print parts using Inconel 718 and GRCop-42, advanced materials used in aerospace applications.

Which industries will benefit from Vertex's new printers?

Industries such as aerospace, defense, and medical devices will benefit from the enhanced manufacturing capabilities.

When was the announcement about the new printers made?

The announcement was made on November 15, 2022.