ADDMAN Purchases Two Velo3D Sapphire XC Printers

Velo3D, Inc. reports that ADDMAN, an additive-focused contract manufacturer and engineering firm, has purchased two Sapphire XC printers. The printers will be installed in ADDMAN’s Castheon facility, expanding its existing fleet of Sapphire printers and helping the company meet the demands of its customers in space, aviation, energy, and defense.

The printers will also enable ADDMAN to expand its addressable use-cases by lowering production costs of 3D printed parts and providing the capabilities to 3D print parts that are larger in volume compared to the original Sapphire printer.

ADDMAN is a contract manufacturer that specializes in additive manufacturing. The company provides its customers with finished, ready-to-use parts in metal and polymers. It also offers services such as injection, coordinate measurement machine and laser scanning, and metallurgy and print parameter development.

“Velo3D’s additive manufacturing technology allows our customers to produce their most complex, highest-performing designs in the highest-quality prints,” says Mark Saberton, chief technical officer at ADDMAN Engineering. “With these new Sapphire XC printers, we’ll be able to provide our customers with scalable, high-volume production capabilities and larger prints. This will help us keep our competitive advantage and ensure our customers have access to the latest additive manufacturing technology.”

ADDMAN’s new Sapphire XC printers are calibrated to print in GRCop-42 and Inconel 718 alloys. GRCop-42 is a copper-based alloy that was developed by NASA for use in regeneratively cooled rocket engines and other applications that require rapid heat transfer. ADDMAN’s new GRCop-42 Sapphire XC printer is its first in this alloy.

The company currently operates original Sapphire printers that use Inconel 718, a high-strength nickel-based superalloy that provides oxidation and corrosion resistance at high temperatures. By adding a Sapphire XC in the same alloy, the contract manufacturer can easily help its customers scale up production of parts without requalification or updated designs.

“ADDMAN is one of our top contract manufacturers for aerospace applications and its purchase of these two Sapphire XC printers will help it service its customers in new ways that empower their businesses,” says Dr. Zach Murphree, Velo3D vice president of Global Sales and Business Development. “The great thing about the Sapphire XC is it uses the same technology as the original Sapphire so customers can count on the same repeatable, predictable outcomes they’re used to. For the companies that have received our first Sapphire XCs, it has been transformational to their businesses and we expect to hear the same from ADDMAN and its OEM customers.”

The Sapphire XC is designed for volume production to help customers scale their businesses. The printer made its public debut at the beginning of 2021 and has become as successful as its predecessor, the original Sapphire printer. 

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.