Mears orders sixth Velo3D Sapphire XC to add copper-nickel Additive Manufacturing
Mears Machine Corporation, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, has ordered a sixth Sapphire XC Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) machine from Velo3D, Fremont, California. The new machine is expected to be dedicated to copper-nickel (CuNi) Additive Manufacturing, expanding the company’s in-house production capabilities.
Mears currently operates five Sapphire XC machines supporting customer programmes using Inconel 718, Haynes 282 and CP1 aluminium. The addition of copper-nickel will enable the company to target applications traditionally served by cast components, particularly in the marine and offshore industries.
Copper-nickel alloys are widely used in shipbuilding, seawater cooling systems, condensers and heat exchangers due to their resistance to seawater corrosion. According to Velo3D, CuNi30, a 70–30 copper-nickel alloy, maintains consistent mechanical and thermal properties from cryogenic temperatures to approximately 400°C.
“Following a period of market, product and technical analysis, our move into copper-nickel Additive Manufacturing is a strategic decision,” stated James Lloyd, Chief Executive Officer of Mears Machine Corporation. “We are building a vertically integrated Cu-Ni supply chain solution for the industry, with the ability to take a customer from additive design support through Additive Manufacturing, machining and final inspection – all within one facility. That changes the customer experience significantly by reducing handoffs, shortening the manufacturing chain and giving customers a single accountable partner from concept through finished hardware. For the markets we are targeting, our existing medium-to-large format machining capability is also very well matched to the size and geometry of the components our customers need.”
The company also sees opportunities to use Additive Manufacturing to produce replacement components where conventional castings are difficult to source, tooling is unavailable or production volumes are insufficient to justify investment in traditional casting methods.
“Some customers are already treating laser powder bed fusion Cu-Ni components as interchangeable with traditionally cast hardware for selected applications,” Lloyd added.
Mears also sees potential for Additive Manufacturing in heat-transfer and fluid-management applications, where the technology could enable more integrated geometries and optimised internal flow paths.
The new Sapphire XC will use Velo3D’s Flow build preparation software and Assure quality reporting system, consistent with Mears’ existing installations.
