Stratasys Direct Manufacturing expands metal AM capabilities with Velo3D Sapphire
April 24, 2019
Stratasys Direct Manufacturing has added a Velo3D Sapphire metal Additive Manufacturing system to its range (Courtesy Velo3D)
Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, Valencia, California, USA, a division of Stratasys, Ltd., headquartered in Minneapolis, USA, and Rehovot, Israel, has expanded the range of AM technologies it can offer to its customers with the addition of Velo3D’s Sapphire Additive Manufacturing system and Flow software.
The Sapphire Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) metal Additive Manufacturing system reportedly allows for the Additive Manufacturing of complex part geometries with in-situ metrology, closed-loop control, and low-to-no support structures. The solution’s built-in tools include support generation, simulated print predictions, per-surface process application, slice composer and process review, allowing for the Additive Manufacturing of complex metal components with high levels of quality control.
Kent Firestone, CEO of Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, stated, “The Sapphire system from Velo3D is an important part of advancing our capabilities to include using additive metals in applications and geometries previously challenging to 3D print. This is a natural step in building our service portfolio, and we are excited to take on projects with more complexity to drive further adoption of serialised production Additive Manufacturing and push the boundaries of 3D metal printing.”
Stratasys Direct Manufacturing stated that it delivers a significant range of additively manufactured parts annually, including high-requirement, serialised production components for the aerospace and energy sectors. It was awarded a metal Additive Manufacturing patent in 2018. The company reportedly anticipates growing market demand, and believes its investment in Velo3D’s system will expand its capacity and support for cutting-edge customer applications.
“The Sapphire system from Velo3D enables a new level of manufacturing above and beyond current metal Additive Manufacturing systems, and we’re excited that Stratasys Direct Manufacturing has chosen to add this platform to their fleet,” commented Benny Buller, CEO of Velo3D. “Stratasys Direct Manufacturing is a leader in metal Additive Manufacturing, advancing critical applications across many industries. Together, we look forward to pushing the boundaries of what is possible and solving the most complex customer problems with support free metal AM.”
