Sapphire XC 1MZ

Velo3D, Inc. (NYSE: VLD), a leading metal additive manufacturing technology company for mission-critical parts, today announced a new addition to its Sapphire family of printers with the Sapphire XC 1MZ. The new printer allows customers to print parts one meter in height—with a total build volume that is twice that of the Sapphire XC and nine times larger than the original Sapphire—increasing the addressable use-cases of Velo3D’s end-to-end metal additive manufacturing solution.

Sapphire XC 1MZ continues Velo3D’s legacy of delivering leading-edge performance for metal additive manufacturing technology and has the largest laser powder bed fusion print volume from a leading manufacturer. The Sapphire XC 1 MZ system combines Velo3D’s innovative geometric capabilities with the repeatable, standardized processes and validated material properties necessary to achieve distributed manufacturing in a larger format. The Sapphire XC 1MZ was designed based on feedback from customers in the aerospace, energy, and defense industries, with the first systems expected to be delivered to several aerospace companies in late Q3 2022.

“Without advanced metal additive manufacturing it would be difficult to impossible to build many of the technologies that are shaping the future of our world,” said Benny Buller, Velo3D CEO and Founder. “Our innovative customers have a clear understanding of how the technology can unlock new capabilities for their businesses and transform their product offerings. New systems, like the Sapphire XC and Sapphire XC 1MZ, support that transformation by significantly increasing throughput up to 400% and lowering costs by up to 75% compared to the original Sapphire.”

Features of the Sapphire XC 1MZ include:

• The largest build volume of any laser powder bed fusion printer in its class—600 mm x 1,000 mm—nine times larger than the original Sapphire and 30% larger than printers from other leading manufacturers
• Eight 1-kilowatt lasers
• An integrated, end-to-end manufacturing solution including Flow print preparation software and Assure quality assurance software
• The Intelligent Fusion manufacturing process that has been proven in production on Sapphire and Sapphire XC for consistent, repeatable results across different printers
• Faster non-contact recoater to decrease the time required between build layers
• Increased throughput of up to 400% over the original Sapphire and Sapphire 1MZ printers

The Sapphire XC 1MZ will be available in all the materials currently offered by Velo3D, including Aluminum F357, Amperprint^® 0233 Haynes^® 282, GRCop-42, Hastelloy C22, Hastelloy X, Inconel^® 625, Inconel^® 718, Scalmalloy, and Titanium 6AI-4V Grade 5.

The Sapphire family of printers is comprised of four unique system variations that are fully compatible with one another, running the same processes across all printers in a way that delivers consistent results on any machine. This means that as customers validate one printer for production use, it is simple to add additional printers to increase productivity. The original Sapphire printer is capable of printing parts that are 315 mm in diameter and 400 mm in height. The Sapphire 1MZ prints at 315 mm in diameter and 1 meter in height. The Sapphire XC, which began shipping in Q4 2021, has a build volume of 600 mm in diameter by 550 in height.

The Sapphire XC 1MZ combines the large diameter of the Sapphire XC with the 1-meter build height of the Sapphire 1MZ to achieve the largest print volume of any laser powder bed fusion printer from a leading manufacturer.