Knust-Godwin boosts capacity with addition of Velo3D’s Sapphire XC
June 29, 2022
Velo3D, Inc., headquartered in Campbell, California, USA, reports that Knust-Godwin, a precision contract manufacturer headquartered in Katy, Texas, USA, has received a Sapphire XC metal Additive Manufacturing machine. The Sapphire XC is expected to help expand Knust-Godwin’s AM offering by unlocking high-volume production and lower costs.
The Sapphire XC uses a Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) process and is capable of producing builds that are 600 mm in diameter and 550 mm in height, using eight 1 KW lasers. Knust-Godwin is the first of Velo3D’s network of contract manufacturers to receive the Sapphire XC.
“Our company has spent over fifty-five years serving our customers in the aerospace, defence, oil & gas, and semi-conductor industries, and we view Additive Manufacturing as a huge complement to our precision manufacturing offering,” stated Mike Corliss, Knust-Godwin VP of Technology. “By adding a Sapphire XC to our manufacturing floor, we can better serve our customers and help them utilise Additive Manufacturing in new ways, as well as differentiate our Additive Manufacturing offering from our competitors.”
With the new Sapphire XC, Knust-Godwin now operates a total of six Sapphire metal Additive Manufacturing machines. Knust-Godwin’s new Sapphire AM machine will be located at its facility in Katy and is calibrated for Inconel 718.
Zach Murphree, Velo3D vice president of Global Sales and Business Development, stated, “The interest we’ve seen in Sapphire XC is remarkable and we expect to soon be sold out for deliveries through the end of 2022. The Sapphire XC will help Knust-Godwin’s customers unlock new use-cases for AM by enabling the printing of larger parts, and significantly lowering manufacturing costs for customers printing parts in larger volumes.”
