Velo3D, Inc. has 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. 

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, vice president 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 their goal of delivering high-quality, finished parts, allowing engineers to focus on designing—rather than manufacturing,” said Dr. Zach Murphree, Velo3D vice president 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.