Velo3D launches Assure Quality Assurance and Control System for its metal AM systems
November 5, 2019
Velo3D, Campbell, California, USA, a developer of metal Additive Manufacturing machines and software, has launched its Assure™ Quality Assurance and Control System for its Sapphire® metal AM system. Assure is said to enable visibility into every layer of the build through real-time, multi-sensor, physics-based excursion detection algorithms, providing substantiation of the part qualities needed for volume production.
According to Velo3D, Assure detects process anomalies, flags them, and highlights the corrective actions required so errors are not repeated. This is said to decrease variation and provide comprehensive documentation to fast-track built-part validation.
“Assure is a revolutionary quality-control system, an inherent part of the Velo3D end-to-end manufacturing solution for serial production,” stated Benny Buller, founder and CEO of Velo3D. “Assure is part of our vision to provide an integrated solution to produce parts by Additive Manufacturing with successful outcomes.”
Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, a US-based subsidiary of Stratasys, Ltd., Rehovot, Israel, is reported to be the first customer to implement the new solution. The business began working with Velo3D to test Assure soon after it acquired a Sapphire AM machine earlier in the year.
Throughout the study, Stratasys Direct accessed Assure’s dashboard and algorithms to monitor the integrity of the builds, validate the bulk material density, observe ongoing process metrics, and verify the calibration of the system across multiple production runs. These trials and results are said to have confirmed the capabilities of the software, and were documented in a whitepaper co-authored by Velo3D and Stratasys Direct which can be downloaded here.
“Stratasys Direct has built a culture of continuous improvement that means we are continually setting new standards for our industry on quality,” commented Kent Firestone, CEO of Stratasys Direct Manufacturing. “We integrated Assure into our quality control workflow because it produces highly actionable insights. The user interface features intuitive graphs and charts that enable us to see and interpret the vast amount of data collected during builds.”
“This information helps our engineers verify the quality of the build each step of the way, and enables them to make quick decisions in the event of an issue,” he explained. “Assure helps us reduce production variation, improve yields, and circumvent anomalies to ensure consistent additive manufacturing.”
